A new type of scholarship called “Venture-Linked Scholarships” has come out in 2026. These programs not only pay for your tuition, but they also give you seed money, access to an incubator, and help you start a business while you study. These are the best ways to get money for the 2026/2027 school year if you want to start your own business.
1. The Skoll Scholarship from Oxford University in the UK
The Skoll Scholarship is the best award in the world for social entrepreneurs. It’s for people who have already started a business and want to use an MBA to make it bigger.
- The Help for Entrepreneurs:
- Full Funding: Pays for all of your MBA tuition and gives you a living stipend.
- The Skoll Network gives you direct access to the Skoll World Forum and a worldwide group of investors who want to make a difference.
- Mentorship: One-on-one coaching to help you change your business model so it can work on a global scale.
- 2026/2027 Time frame:
- Step 4 Due date: January 7, 2026.
- The next cycle will start in September 2026 for students who start in 2027.
2. Fellowship at the MIT Legatum Centre (USA)
This fellowship is for students who want to start a business in Emerging Markets (Africa, Asia, and Latin America) and is based at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology.
- The Help for Entrepreneurs:
- Tuition and Travel: Gives a lot of money towards MIT tuition and travel for market research.
- Prototyping Grants give you “seed” money to make your Minimum Viable Product (MVP).
- The Foundry: A special place for fellows to work on their business plans with MIT’s top-notch engineering and business professors.
- 2026/2027 Status:
- Student Fellowship: The application process for the 2027 cohort usually starts in early 2027.
- Foundry Fellowship: Specifically for Africa-based founders who have already scaled a company; applications usually open in June.
3. Scholars from Schwarzman (Tsinghua University, China)
Schwarzman is mainly a leadership program, but it is also very useful for tech and business founders who want to get into the Chinese supply chain and venture capital ecosystem.
- The Help for Entrepreneurs:
- Beijing Hub: The programme is in Zhongguancun, which is China’s “Silicon Valley”.
- Mentorship from CEOs: Each scholar is paired with a high-level mentor, who is usually the CEO of a major Chinese or global tech company.
- Seed Networking: Many researchers use the year to find business partners in Shenzhen or venture capital in Beijing.
- 2026/2027 Time frame:
- The application period for the class of 2027–2028 is from April 2026 to September 2026.
- The selection cycle runs from October to November 2026.
4. SI Scholarship for Global Professionals in Sweden
This scholarship is for those interested in entrepreneurship and innovation, one of Sweden’s most innovative fields.
- The Help for Entrepreneurs:
- Full-Ride: pays for all of your tuition and gives you SEK 12,000 a month.
- NFGL Network: Get access to the “Network for Future Global Leaders”, which hosts private entrepreneurship seminars and networking events with Swedish startups like Spotify and Klarna.
- 2026/2027 Time frame:
- Portal Dates: The portal opened on February 9, 2026, and closed on February 25, 2026.
- Announcement: The winners will be announced on April 23, 2026.
- Next Cycle: Look for portals to open again in February 2027.
5. Knight-Hennessy Scholars (USA) at Stanford University
This is the best “Launchpad” scholarship for people who want to shake up industries. It is in the middle of Silicon Valley.
- The Help for Entrepreneurs:
- Stanford Ecosystem: You can get any graduate degree (MBA, MS, or PhD) while also spending your spare time at the startup labs at the Stanford Graduate School of Business (GSB).
- Risk-Taking Culture: The scholarship criteria specifically look for “original ideas” and “a willingness to take risks.”.
- Denning House is a community space where you can share ideas with other scholars, many of whom will become your future VC partners.
- 2026/2027 Status:
- Application Period (2027 cohort): Starts in the summer of 2026.
- Due date: usually October 2026.
6. How to make your application “entrepreneur-proof”
- Don’t just talk about “starting a business”. Instead, focus on solving problems. Locate a specific systemic issue (like energy poverty in Nigeria) and explain how your business will fix it.
- Show Traction: In 2026, even a small pilot project or a “Letter of Intent” from a possible customer means a lot.
- Scalability is a key point: In 2026, scholarship committees want to see businesses that can grow beyond their community. In your letter of motivation, use the word “Scalable.”
Final Thoughts
Choosing a scholarship that supports entrepreneurship is a smart move that turns a regular degree into a fantastic way to start a business. In 2026, the best candidates will be those who can recover from setbacks and have a clear plan to disrupt the market. When you choose programmes like Skoll or Knight-Hennessy, you’re not just getting an education; you’re also building a network of investors and mentors who will help you make a bigger impact around the world.
