Data Science and Artificial Intelligence (AI) will be the most important areas for international funding in 2026. To close the global skills gap, governments and big tech companies are putting a lot of money into these areas. There are currently a number of “full-ride” opportunities open for applications for the 2026/2027 school year.
1. The Best “Full-Ride” Data Science Scholarships
These awards are the best because they pay for all of your tuition and international flights and give you a monthly living allowance.
Master’s Scholarships in AI and Data Science (UK)
- The prize is a £10,000 cash grant to help groups that aren’t well represented in AI and data science.
- More than 25 UK universities, such as the University of Birmingham and the University of Hull, are eligible.
- Black students, female students, and students from low-income families are the most important groups.
- 2026 Status: Many UK universities are accepting applications for the September 2026 intake. The deadlines are in June and August of 2026.
Chevening Scholarships in the UK
- The prize is full funding for a one-year master’s degree in business analytics or data science.
- Goal: Leaders of the future who have worked for at least two years.
- Applications for the 2027 intake usually open in August 2026 and close in November 2026.
The Joint Japan/World Bank Graduate Scholarship (JJ/WBGSP)
- The prize includes full tuition, a monthly stipend, health insurance, and $600 for travel.
- Data Science Focus: Master’s degrees in data science or applied statistics that are related to development.
- Window 2 in 2026 The deadline is May 29, 2026.
2. Global PhD & Research Fellowships (2026/2027)
PhD Fellowship Programme from Google
- The Award: Covers the full cost of tuition, a generous living allowance, and help from a Google researcher.
- Machine learning, quantum computing, health research, and algorithms are all parts of data science.
- Applications for the 2026 cycle open on March 5, 2026, and close on April 30, 2026.
- Requirement: Must be nominated by your university.
Imperial College London offers the Ada Lovelace PhD Scholarship.
- Focus: Women in Computer Science and Data Science.
- Benefit: For 3.5 years, you will get full tuition and a tax-free bursary at the UKRI rate.
- 2027 Cycle: Applications for the 2027 group usually open in late 2026.
3. Scholarships for Data Science Without IELTS (2026)
If you want to skip the usual English tests, think about these options for 2026 and 2027:
- Medium of Instruction (MOI) Waiver: If your previous degree (like computer science or maths) was taught entirely in English, Trier University in Germany and the University of Genova in Italy will often waive the IELTS.
- The University of Birmingham and the University of Sussex now accept the Duolingo English Test (DET) as a cheaper, $59 alternative to the IELTS for Data Science.
- The KNB Scholarship in Indonesia pays for all of your master’s and PhD studies in computer science or data science.
- No IELTS needed; you must take an Indonesian language course for a year.
- 2026 Due date: March 31, 2026 (See if there are any late windows or prep for 2027.)
4. Awards for Regional Excellence (Deadlines in 2026)
- The NL Scholarship (Netherlands) gives €5,000 to students in their first year of a data science master’s programme at schools like TU Eindhoven or the University of Twente.
- Deadline for 2026/2027: varies by school but is usually between May 1 and June 1, 2026.
- Padua International Excellence Scholarship (Italy): Top data science applicants get a full tuition waiver and €8,000 in cash.
- The deadline is May 2, 2026.
- The Australian Research Training Programme (RTP) pays for all of your tuition and gives you a stipend of about $30,000 AUD to study for a Master’s or PhD in Data Science.
- Deadline for 2026: Different for each school, but usually between August and October 2026 for the 2027 intake.
5. Important Timeline for Applications in 2026 and 2027
- The Google PhD Fellowship is due on April 30, 2026.
- The World Bank (JJ/WBGSP) has until May 29, 2026, to meet its deadline.
- From August to October 2026, you can apply for Chevening (UK) and Australia RTP for the 2027 intake.
- The Stipendium Hungaricum (Hungary) for data science is due in January 2027.
Final Thoughts
The University of Birmingham’s £10,000 grant and the World Bank scholarship are your top priorities right now for master’s relocation in 2026. The Google Fellowship is the best award for PhD researchers in 2026. For 2027 funding committees, AI Ethics and Data for Development are the most important things to write about in your motivation letter.
