The last week of April is usually one of the busiest times for funding for international students. If you haven’t already, you need to send your materials for these programs right away. Many portals will close at exactly 23:59 or 14:59 local time on the deadline date.
1. KNB Scholarship 2026 (Indonesia)
The Indonesian government’s main programme for students from developing countries is the KNB (Kemitraan Negara Berkembang) Scholarship. It gives full funding for Bachelor’s, Master’s, and Doctoral degrees at the best universities in Indonesia.
- • Due date: April 30, 2026.
- Pros: It pays for all of your tuition, gives you a monthly living allowance, health insurance, and a settlement allowance. It also requires students to take an Indonesian language course for a year before they can start their degree.
- Important: You need to get a letter of recommendation from the Indonesian Embassy or Consulate in your home country.
2. The Chancellor’s International Scholarships at the University of Sussex (UK)
This scholarship is one of the most prestigious in the UK for international students. Only high-achieving students accepted into a Master’s programme at Sussex can avail themselves of this scholarship.
- Due date: April 30, 2026.
- • Amount: £5,000 off the cost of tuition.
- You need to get an offer of admission before you can apply for this scholarship. If you just applied for admission, make sure to go to the scholarship application portal right away when you get your offer.
3. The Bocconi Graduate Award (Italy)
International students who want to get a Master of Science degree at Bocconi University in Milan can apply for these merit-based awards.
- • The deadline is April 29, 2026.
- Benefits: A full tuition waiver worth about €14,000 a year.
- Selection is based only on academic standing and the results of the Bocconi test or GRE/GMAT scores.
4. Be Brave No-Essay Scholarship
This award is based on your profile and commitment, so students who can’t write long essays this week can still win.
- Due date: April 30, 2026 (every month).
- $25,000.
- This award is open to international students studying in the U.S. and is given to the applicant with the most “bold” profile on the Bold.org platform.
Scholarships with Due Dates in Early May 2026
If you miss the April 30th deadline, a number of important government and institutional scholarships will close in the first week of May.
1. IOE Centenary Masters and Doctoral Scholarships at UCL in the UK
These awards are for full-time Master’s or PhD students at the IOE (Faculty of Education and Society) who come from low- or lower-middle-income countries.
- Due date: May 4, 2026.
- Pros: You get full tuition and a £15,000 yearly stipend while you are in school.
- Requirement: Applicants must have a clear plan for how they will use their education to make life better for people in their home country.
2. The Saudi Arabia International Scholarship Programme for 2026
The Saudi Arabian government has officially opened its 2026 portal for international students to study at top-ranked Saudi universities. There are many spots available for Nigerian and Indian students.
- • Due date: Early May (check the specific portal for the branch of your chosen university).
- Benefits: Fully funded slots cover all of your costs, including tuition, housing, a monthly allowance, and flights home every year.
- Portal: Applications must be sent in through the official government portal called “Study in Saudi”.
3. The Global Numerix Women in Finance Scholarship
Women from any country who are working on a Master’s or PhD in Finance, with a focus on financial technology or quantitative finance, can apply for this scholarship.
- The deadline is May 6, 2026.
- Amount: $20,000 US dollars.
- Eligible Regions: Any accredited university in any country in the world can use it.
Final Submission Plan for 2026
To be in the first round of scholarship selections, apply by late April. The Acknowledgement of Receipt (AOR) phase can take up to four weeks.
- Check your portal status today if your scholarship needs a reference, like the UCL IOE or KNB awards. If the referee hasn’t uploaded their letter, the application will usually be marked as “Incomplete” and thrown away as soon as the deadline passes.
- PDF Formatting: In 2026, most scholarship websites use AI-powered OCR (Optical Character Recognition) to check transcripts. Make sure your documents are clear and high-resolution. The portal filters may automatically reject scans that are blurry.
- Be very careful with CET (Central European Time) and UTC offsets when you are aware of time zones. For instance, a London-based scholarship with a “May 4th” deadline actually ends at 14:59 UTC, which is earlier in the afternoon for most of West Africa and the Americas.