If you are looking to study abroad on a full or partial scholarship, October is one of the busiest months on the calendar, with several major deadlines back-to-back. Missing one by a few days can mean waiting a full year for the next intake, so it helps to know exactly what each programme asks for and when. Here are six scholarships closing this October, arranged in the order their deadlines fall, with what you need to know before you start your application.

Chevening Scholarship (UK)

Deadline: October 6, 2026

Chevening is the UK government's flagship award for postgraduate students, funding a one-year taught Master's at any UK university for candidates who show strong leadership potential and a clear plan to use their degree back home.

Study level: Master's (one year, full time, taught)
Funding type: Fully funded
Deadline: October 6, 2026
Essay questions: Four mandatory essays covering leadership and influence, networking, career plan, and study choice, each capped at 300 words. [Link to essay template https://www.scholarshiptab.com/essay-templates/chevening-scholarship-essay-template ]
Requirements: Online application form, two references, proof of at least 2,800 hours of work experience gained after your first degree, and three UK Master's course choices
Eligibility criteria: Citizen of a Chevening eligible country, at least two years of work experience, no British or dual British citizenship, and a commitment to return home for two years after the award ends
Benefits: Tuition, a monthly stipend, return flights, an arrival allowance, and lifetime membership in the Chevening alumni network, which now numbers over 50,000 former scholars across 160 countries
Courses you can study: Chevening does not restrict you to a subject list, but essays now ask you to connect your course to one of four priority areas, so strong choices include public policy, international development, climate resilience, governance, cybersecurity, and journalism
Application tips: Draft your four essays well before the portal opens and lean on specific stories rather than general claims about your leadership. Tie your course choice explicitly to one of Chevening's priority areas, and submit at least a week early since the portal tends to slow down close to the deadline
Application link: https://www.chevening.org/apply/

DAAD Study Scholarship (Germany)

Deadline: October 15, 2026

The DAAD Study Scholarship supports postgraduate study in Germany across a wide range of disciplines, with a monthly stipend that helps cover living costs while you study at a state or state-recognised German institution.

Study level: Postgraduate (Master's, 12 to 24 months depending on the course)
Funding type: Partial funding through a monthly stipend of up to 1,400 euros
Deadline: October 15, 2026
Essay questions: A letter of motivation explaining your academic background, your reasons for choosing the programme, and how the qualification connects to your career plans. [Link to essay template https://www.scholarshiptab.com/essay-templates/daad-scholarship-esssay-template-letter-of-motivation]
Requirements: Completed application form, academic transcripts, CV, letter of motivation, and language proficiency proof where the course requires it
Eligibility criteria: Hold a Bachelor's degree or equivalent, generally no more than six years since graduating, and able to show a genuine academic case for the programme chosen
Benefits: Monthly stipend, contribution toward health insurance, a travel allowance in many cases, and entry into the DAAD alumni network, which connects graduates with German institutions long after the degree ends
Courses you can study: The development-related track favours fields tied to national growth, such as public policy and governance, water resources engineering, renewable energy, public health, agricultural economics, and urban planning
Application tips: Match your letter of motivation to the specific course rather than writing something generic, since DAAD reads it against your current job. If you are applying to more than one course, rank them clearly in order of priority in a single letter, and start on certified transcripts early since these take time to process
Application link: https://www2.daad.de/deutschland/stipendium/datenbank/en/21148-scholarship-database/

UNIST Graduate Scholarship (South Korea)

Deadline: October 15, 2026

UNIST offers funded graduate places to international students joining its Master's and PhD programmes in Ulsan, with tuition and a living allowance built into the award for admitted students.

Study level: Graduate (Master's and PhD)
Funding type: Fully funded, tuition plus monthly living allowance
Deadline: October 15, 2026
Essay questions: Personal statement outlining your academic background, research interests, and reasons for choosing UNIST.
Requirements: Academic transcripts, personal statement, CV, English proficiency score, and, in most departments, a research plan or proposed area of study
Eligibility criteria: Hold or be completing a Bachelor's degree for Master's applicants, or a Master's degree for PhD applicants, with English test scores meeting the department's minimum
Benefits: Tuition waiver, a monthly stipend, access to UNIST's research labs and equipment, and funding support for international conference attendance in many departments
Courses you can study: UNIST's graduate offerings lean toward science and engineering, including mechanical engineering, materials science and engineering, chemistry, biomedical engineering, computer science, and urban infrastructure engineering
Application tips: Reach out to a prospective supervisor before you apply, since many departments weigh this contact when reviewing files. Check that your English test score falls within the two-year validity window, and write your personal statement around the specific lab or research group you are targeting
Application link: https://admg-intl.unist.ac.kr

Lester B. Pearson International Scholarship (Canada)

School nomination deadline: October 9, 2026
University application deadline: October 16, 2026

The Pearson Scholarship is the University of Toronto's flagship undergraduate award for international students, built for applicants who stand out for academic strength as well as leadership and impact within their school and community.

Study level: Undergraduate (first entry, four years)
Funding type: Fully funded, tuition, books, incidental fees, and residence
Deadline: School nomination by October 9, 2026, university application by October 16, 2026
Essay questions: Short answer and essay questions set within the scholarship application, focused on leadership, creativity, and community impact. 
Requirements: School nomination, application for admission to the University of Toronto, personal statement, supplementary essays, and letters of recommendation
Eligibility criteria: International student requiring a study permit, in the final year of secondary school or graduated no earlier than the prior year, and starting at the University of Toronto that September
Benefits: Full tuition, books, incidental fees, and residence support for all four years, plus a built-in community of Pearson Scholars who go through orientation and events together
Courses you can study: Open to any first-entry undergraduate programme at U of T, with past scholars spread across life sciences, engineering science, computer science, economics, and the humanities
Application tips: Confirm with your school counsellor early that your school can nominate students, since without a nomination you cannot apply at all. Once nominated, keep your supplementary essays specific to what you actually did in your school or community rather than general statements about ambition
Application link: https://future.utoronto.ca/apply/

Commonwealth Master's Scholarship (UK)

Deadline: October 20, 2026

Funded by the UK Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office, this award funds a taught Master's in the UK for candidates from low- and middle-income Commonwealth countries who could not otherwise afford to study there.

Study level: Master's (taught, full-time)
Funding type: Fully funded, tuition, living allowance, and airfare
Deadline: October 20, 2026
Essay questions: Application essays on your development impact, career plan, and how your proposed course fits one of the CSC's six development themes.
Requirements: Application through an approved nominating agency, an offer or application to an eligible UK Master's course, references, and supporting financial documentation
Eligibility criteria: Citizen or resident of an eligible Commonwealth country, at least an upper second class degree or a lower second class degree plus a relevant postgraduate qualification, and unable to fund UK study without the award
Benefits: Tuition, living allowance, return airfare, and a scholarship built around a return home commitment, so scholars join a network of CSC alumni working across their home countries' development sectors
Courses you can study: Tied to the six CSC development themes, which cover science and technology for development, health systems, governance and conflict resolution, economic development, climate resilience, and inclusive societies
Application tips: You cannot apply directly to the CSC, so identify your country's approved nominating agency first and check its own internal deadline, which often falls earlier than the CSC deadline. Be direct and specific about financial need rather than vague, since that criterion is assessed closely
Application link: https://cscuk.fcdo.gov.uk/scholarships/commonwealth-masters-scholarships

Macquarie University Graph Modelling Scholarship (Australia)

Deadline: October 31, 2026

This is a fully funded PhD scholarship tied to an Australian Research Council project on generative graph modelling for anomaly detection, offering a research place within Macquarie's data science and AI group.

Study level: PhD (three-year, direct entry)
Funding type: Fully funded, tuition offset plus a living allowance of 39,700 Australian dollars a year
Deadline: October 31, 2026
Essay questions: Research statement addressing your background in graph-based mining and learning and your fit with the project.
Requirements: CV, academic transcripts, English proficiency proof, and a research statement or expression of interest to the supervising team
Eligibility criteria: Strong foundation in graph-based mining and learning, solid mathematical training, and hands-on research experience; open to international applicants
Benefits: Full tuition offset, an annual stipend of 39,700 Australian dollars, placement within an active ARC-funded research project, and a path toward publishing at venues like KDD, NeurIPS, and ICLR
Courses you can study: A direct entry PhD in computing or information technology, with the project centred on graph neural networks, anomaly detection, and generative graph modelling
Application tips: Contact the supervising academic before you submit anything, since this project runs on direct expressions of interest rather than a cold application. Lead your research statement with concrete evidence of prior research work, whether that is a thesis, a paper, or a project, rather than general interest in the field
Application link: https://www.mq.edu.au/research/phd-and-research-degrees/how-to-apply/scholarship-opportunities/scholarship-search/generative-graph-modelling-for-anomaly-detection

Six deadlines, one month, and no room to wait until the last week. If one of these fits your field and your budget, pick it now and start pulling your documents together: transcripts, references, and a first draft of whatever statement or essay it asks for. The scholarships that get away are usually not lost to competition; they are lost to people who did not start on time.

Good luck with the applications!