If you assumed every scholarship for September 2026 had already closed, you are not alone, and you are also not too late. While many flagship funding rounds wrapped up earlier in the year, a genuine number of universities across the UK, Ireland, Germany, Canada, Dubai, Singapore, and Malaysia are still reviewing scholarship applications.
Some of these are partial tuition awards, others are merit-based discounts applied automatically on admission, and a few are still worth several thousand pounds or dirhams if you move quickly.
Scholarship deadlines and available funds shift constantly at this stage of the cycle, and our counsellors track live availability across every destination, every day. Talk to us before you assume a scholarship has closed.
Are There Still Scholarships Available for September 2026?
Yes. Several UK universities, including Strathclyde, Dundee, York, and Kent, have scholarship deadlines running into August and September 2026, with awards worth up to £12,000. Germany’s DAAD and individual university funds remain open for candidates who do not require an APS certificate, and merit scholarships at UK-affiliated universities in Dubai continue to be awarded on a rolling basis alongside admission.
- UK postgraduate scholarships worth up to £12,000 are still open, with deadlines through late August and September 2026.
- Ireland’s national Government of Ireland scholarship has closed for 2026/27, but university-specific merit funds remain live at several institutions.
- Germany’s DAAD and university funding windows stay open into August for candidates who do not need an APS certificate.
- UAE branch campuses, including Heriot-Watt Dubai, University of Birmingham Dubai, and Middlesex Dubai, award merit scholarships automatically alongside admission.
- Malaysia’s national scholarship has closed, but university-level tuition waivers at Taylor’s and SEGi remain open for new international applicants.
UK Scholarships Still Open for September 2026
The UK currently has the widest and most valuable range of late-stage scholarships across your destination markets. At least 40 postgraduate awards remain open, with several universities running deadlines well into August and September rather than closing in spring as many students assume.
| University |
Scholarship |
Value |
Deadline |
| University of York |
International Masters Achievement Scholarship |
£10,000 |
20 August 2026 |
| University of Dundee |
Global Excellence Scholarship |
£8,000 |
28 August 2026 |
| University of Kent |
Kent International Scholarship |
£5,000 |
4 September 2026 |
| University of Sussex |
Country-Specific Scholarships (India, Pakistan, Bangladesh, and others) |
£4,000–£5,000 |
1 September 2026 |
| Queen’s University Belfast |
Early Confirmation Award |
£1,500 |
18 September 2026 |
Values and deadlines change as places fill, so treat this table as a starting point rather than a final answer. If your target university is not listed here, it is still worth checking directly, since many institutions run scholarships that are awarded automatically alongside your offer rather than through a separate application.
Ireland: What Is Actually Still Open
It is worth being upfront here: the national Government of Ireland International Education Scholarship has closed for the 2026/27 intake, so this route is no longer an option this cycle. However, several Irish universities, including University College Cork, University of Galway, and University College Dublin, run their own Global Excellence and merit-based awards that operate on separate, later timelines.
Non-EU applicants who apply directly to an Irish university rather than through the CAO may also find that admissions offices continue accepting applications into June and July, which keeps a narrow window open for merit funding tied to those later offers.
Germany: DAAD and University-Level Funding
Germany’s DAAD scholarship programmes for the 2026/27 academic year remain open across a wide range of Master’s and PhD funding lines, and application windows vary by programme rather than closing on a single date. Separately, several German universities keep their own funding open later into the cycle, with candidates who do not require an APS certificate often able to apply through the end of July.
If you need an APS certificate as part of your application, treat this as your most urgent action item, since processing can take several weeks and any delay here affects both your university application and your scholarship eligibility.
Canada: Where Late Funding Still Exists
Canada’s major scholarship rounds at institutions like the University of Toronto and UBC closed earlier in the cycle alongside their January priority deadlines. That said, mid-tier universities and colleges, including the University of Manitoba, University of Regina, and University of Prince Edward Island, tend to run later admissions cycles, and many of these institutions apply entrance scholarships automatically based on your academic record once you are admitted.
If Canada is your target and September 2026 is genuinely important to you, focusing on these institutions gives you a realistic combination of an open seat and an automatic scholarship, rather than chasing a competitive award that has likely already closed.
Dubai and the UAE: Merit Scholarships at Admission
UAE scholarships work differently from what many students expect. Government-funded, fully-funded awards such as those at Khalifa University are highly competitive and largely reserved for a small number of places each year. The more realistic route for most international students is the merit scholarship offered directly by UK and Australian branch campuses in Dubai and Sharjah.
Heriot-Watt Dubai, the University of Birmingham Dubai, and Middlesex Dubai all award merit-based tuition reductions, typically ranging from 10 to 30 percent, automatically alongside your offer rather than through a separate application. These do not cover living costs, but they meaningfully reduce the overall bill for a September 2026 start.
Singapore and Malaysia: Narrower but Real Options
Malaysia’s national Malaysia International Scholarship has closed for the current cycle, so this is not an available route for September 2026. At the university level, however, institutions such as Taylor’s and SEGi continue to offer merit-based tuition waivers and promotional fee discounts to new international applicants, and these are generally assessed as part of the standard admissions process.
Singapore’s scholarship landscape at this stage of the cycle is largely limited to institution-specific awards, so if this is your target destination, confirming live scholarship status directly with your shortlisted university is the most reliable next step.
Expert View
“Students often rule themselves out of scholarships because they assume the deadline has passed. At this stage of the cycle, the smarter move is to apply to your course first, since several of these awards are only assessed once you hold an offer.” – Rahul Chauhan, Counsellor, StudyIn.
Find Funding with StudyIn
It’s easy to write off a scholarship because a deadline looks like it’s passed, but at this stage of the cycle, that’s rarely the whole story.
Our counsellors are in regular contact with admissions and scholarship offices across the UK, Germany, Canada, the UAE, Singapore, and Malaysia, and know which awards are still genuinely live, which are assessed automatically alongside your offer, and which are worth chasing versus which have truly closed. Speak to StudyIn before you rule anything out.
FAQs
Are there still scholarships open for September 2026?
Yes. The UK, Germany, and Dubai currently have the widest range of scholarships still accepting applications, though most other destinations now offer funding at the university level rather than through national schemes.
Which country has the most scholarships still available right now?
The UK currently has the largest number of open awards, with at least 40 postgraduate scholarships accepting applications through August and September 2026.
Is it too late to apply for a fully funded scholarship for September 2026?
Most fully funded government scholarships, including Ireland’s national scheme and Malaysia’s national scheme, have closed for this cycle, so partial university-level awards are the more realistic option at this stage.
Do I need to apply for these scholarships separately from my university application?
It depends on the award. Some, like several UK scholarships, require a separate application, while many UAE and Canadian awards are assessed automatically once you hold an offer.
How quickly do these scholarships close once seats fill?
This varies by university, but places can close with very little notice under rolling admissions, so confirming live availability directly is more reliable than relying on a published deadline alone.
