Comparing Fully Funded Awards: A Simple Scorecard
Two awards, one spreadsheet, twenty minutes. That is the difference between a decision and a month of parallel applications.
The trick is scoring only what the official pages actually state, so the comparison survives the next cycle.
Quick answer
How do you compare fully funded scholarships?
Score each award on the same columns, using only what its official page names: which costs are covered, who is eligible, what the deadlines are, what conditions attach, and what you would still have to pay yourself. Award terms vary widely, so comparing named items rather than labels is what makes the comparison fair.
Key takeaways
- Compare named cost items, not the phrase “fully funded”.
- Eligibility and deadlines belong on the scorecard, because they decide whether the rest matters.
- Include what you would still pay, so two awards are compared as total cost.
- Record the cycle and the date for every cell, so the sheet ages honestly.
- A shortlist of three strong fits beats fifteen hopeful ones.
The columns
Use the same columns for every award. If a cell is not stated on the official page, write "not stated" rather than a guess.
| Factor | What to check | Your rating |
|---|---|---|
| Eligibility match | Nationality, degree level, field, GPA, age, admission status | __/10 |
| Funding coverage | Tuition, living costs, travel, insurance, family support | __/10 |
| Deadline feasibility | Time left to prepare documents and references | __/10 |
| Competition level | Number of awards, applicant pool, selection criteria | __/10 |
| Document readiness | Transcripts, references, CV, statement, language proof | __/10 |
| Career fit | Program quality, country, post-study goals | __/10 |
Score each award
- Tuition: full, partial or none
- Living costs: covered, stipend, or not covered
- Travel: covered or not
- Insurance and health costs
- Housing or accommodation
- Research or equipment costs, if relevant
- Duration: how many years or terms are funded
- Eligibility: nationality, degree level, field
- Deadlines: opening and closing, and the cycle they belong to
- Conditions attached to the award
- What you would still pay yourself
Weight what matters for you
A spreadsheet does not decide for you. Two people reading the same rows will weight them differently, and that is fine.
- If money is the binding constraint, weight what you would still pay
- If field fit matters most, weight eligibility before coverage
- If timing is tight, weight deadlines before everything else
- If conditions worry you, weight them heavily — a conditional award is not a secured one
Conditions are part of the score
An award with better coverage but an awkward condition can be worse than a smaller award you can rely on. Write conditions in their own row rather than in a note.
Conditions vary so much between awards that a general list would be misleading. Read them on the award's own call page, and copy the exact wording rather than summarising it.
Always check the official page
Fulbright, Chevening, DAAD, Erasmus Mundus and MEXT each have their own administration and their own terms, and DAAD and Erasmus Mundus run separate calls per programme [4] [5] [6] [7] [8].
Sources
- Fulbright Foreign Student ProgramOFFICIAL — Fulbright Program and its national commissions, foundations and embassieshttps://www.fulbrightprogram.org/Link checked 2026-10-14
- Chevening Scholarships: eligibilityOFFICIAL — Chevening, UK Government scholarship schemehttps://www.chevening.org/
- DAAD scholarship programmes in GermanyOFFICIAL — DAAD (German Academic Exchange Service)https://www.daad.de/en/studying-in-germany/scholarships/Link checked 2026-10-14
- Erasmus Mundus joint master's programmesOFFICIAL — Erasmus+ programme, European Commissionhttps://erasmus-plus.ec.europa.eu/
- MEXT scholarship programmeOFFICIAL — Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology, Japanhttps://www.studyinjapan.go.jp/en/Link checked 2026-10-14