Top Asian Scholarships to Apply
Asia has rapidly established itself as a premier destination for international education, combining world-class research universities, cutting-edge technology infrastructure, and culturally rich academic environments across major hubs such as China, Japan, South Korea, Malaysia, Singapore, and Thailand.
Don’t Miss: Top Fully Funded Scholarships for International Students
This comprehensive directory consolidates leading government-sponsored funding schemes, institutional merit awards, corporate fellowships, and international foundation grants—ranging from fully funded packages that cover 100% of tuition, monthly living stipends, campus housing, airfare, and medical insurance, to targeted partial tuition discounts and language study grants.
When navigating Asian scholarship opportunities, candidates must pay careful attention to structural constraints: many prestigious awards (such as the Chinese Government Scholarship/CSC, Japan’s MEXT Scholarship, and South Korea’s Global Korea Scholarship/GKS) enforce strict geographic, field-specific, or institutional eligibility quotas, often requiring formal nominations through national embassies or partner universities, alongside mandatory preparatory language foundation years prior to degree commencement.
Also, Check Out: Top Fully Funded Master’s Scholarships in Europe
Top Asian Scholarships to Apply Summary
| SCHOLARSHIP | HOST COUNTRY | STUDY LEVEL |
|---|---|---|
| Xiamen University New International Students Scholarships | China | Undergrad–PhD |
| Global Korea Scholarship (Kookmin University track) | South Korea | Master’s, PhD & Research |
| SK Global Scholarship Program | South Korea | Master’s |
| A*STAR National Science Scholarship | Singapore | Undergrad–PhD |
| Asian Future Leaders Scholarship Program (AFLSP) | Japan | Master’s |
| Malaysia International Scholarship (MIS) | Malaysia | Master’s & PhD |
| Harbin Institute of Technology (HIT) Scholarship | China | Undergrad–PhD |
| Indian Government ICCR African Scholarship | India | Undergrad–PhD |
| KAUST Scholarship | Saudi Arabia | Master’s & PhD |
| SIIT Graduate Scholarship | Thailand | Master’s & PhD |
| Azerbaijan Heydar Aliyev Grant Program | Azerbaijan | Undergrad, Master’s & PhD |
| Hökumətlərarası Təqaüd Proqramları (HTP) | Azerbaijan | Undergrad–PhD |
| Royal Thai Government Scholarships (AIT) | Thailand | Master’s & PhD |
| Special Scholarship Program (SSP), Kochi University of Technology | Japan | PhD |
| ZUEL Freshman Scholarship | China | Undergrad–PhD |
| Chinese Government Scholarship at Nanjing University | China | Undergraduate |
| Honjo International Scholarship Foundation (HISF) Foreign Students’ Scholarship | Japan | Master’s & PhD |
| Yenching Academy Scholarship Program at Peking University | China | Master’s |
| ADB-Japan Scholarship Program | Japan | Master’s |
| Chulabhorn Graduate Institute Postgraduate Scholarship | Thailand | Master’s |
1. Xiamen University New International Students Scholarships
Xiamen University sits among China’s stronger internationally-ranked institutions, and this scholarship spans every study level from undergraduate through PhD under one umbrella name — worth confirming exactly which specific tier and reward structure applies to your intended programme, since a single blanket “tuition plus stipend” description often masks meaningfully different benefit levels by degree stage. As with most Chinese university scholarships, Chinese language proficiency (HSK) requirements typically apply for Chinese-taught programmes, while English-taught programmes carry separate English proficiency thresholds — confirm which track your intended major falls under before assuming no language test is needed.
Scholarship Name ⇒ Xiamen University New International Students Scholarships
Host Country ⇒ China
Study Level ⇒ Undergraduate–PhD
Click Here for Xiamen University Scholarships Application Process
2. Global Korea Scholarship (Kookmin University Track)
This is South Korea’s flagship government scholarship, funded by NIIED, applied here through Kookmin University specifically as one of many designated host institutions across the country. GKS runs on two separate application routes — the Embassy Track, through your home country’s Korean embassy, and the University Track, applying directly to a specific designated university — and this entry covers the University Track route into Kookmin specifically, which carries its own separate deadline from the Embassy Track’s typically earlier cutoff.
Scholarship Name ⇒ Global Korea Scholarship (Kookmin University)
Host Country ⇒ South Korea
Study Level ⇒ Master’s, PhD & Research Programs
Click Here for Kookmin GKS Application Process
3. SK Global Scholarship Program
This is a genuinely specialised, technically-focused scholarship rather than a general Korean government award — it funds exactly 20 places total (10 in an AI/IT track, 10 in a Semiconductor track) at Korea University’s Graduate School, and eligibility is geographically restricted in ways worth checking carefully: Southeast Asian, select Eastern European, and South Asian countries are broadly eligible, while Japan and Taiwan are eligible only for the Semiconductor track specifically, not the AI/IT track. The financial package is genuinely comprehensive for a two-year Master’s — full tuition (roughly 7,392,000 KRW per semester across four semesters), a monthly living allowance of 1,500,000 KRW, up to 3,000,000 KRW in round-trip airfare, entrance fee coverage, and medical insurance.
Scholarship Name ⇒ SK Global Scholarship Program
Host Country ⇒ South Korea
Study Level ⇒ Master’s
Click Here for SK Global Scholarship Application Process
4. A*STAR National Science Scholarship
This is Singapore’s flagship pipeline scholarship for scientific talent, and it’s worth being precise about who it actually serves: despite appearing broadly on international scholarship lists, the BS-PhD track is restricted to Singapore Citizens and Singapore Permanent Residents who intend to take up Singapore citizenship — it isn’t an open international award. ASTAR also run a separate PhD-only track genuinely open to all countries, so check which specific ASTAR scholarship you’re looking at, since the citizenship restriction applies to one track but not the other.
Scholarship Name ⇒ ASTAR National Science Scholarship
Host Country ⇒ Singapore
Study Level ⇒ Undergraduate–PhD
Click Here for ASTAR Scholarship Application Process
5. Asian Future Leaders Scholarship Program (AFLSP)
Run through Kyoto University with backing from the Bai Xian Asia Institute, this scholarship is explicitly built around a specific mission — strengthening cross-border ties among future Asian leaders — rather than funding study for its own sake. That mission shapes eligibility directly: applicants need to demonstrate genuine intent to build regional connections across Asia, not simply academic merit in isolation, and selection panels weigh this intercultural, pan-Asian orientation as a real criterion.
Scholarship Name ⇒ Asian Future Leaders Scholarship Program
Host Country ⇒ Japan
Study Level ⇒ Master’s
Click Here for AFLSP Application Process
6. Malaysia International Scholarship (MIS)
MIS is Malaysia’s government-run flagship scholarship for attracting international graduate talent, explicitly framed around Malaysia’s ambition to become a regional academic excellence hub — which shapes which universities and fields get priority. Eligible institutions span both public and private Malaysian universities, a genuinely broader net than most government scholarships that restrict funding to public institutions only.
Scholarship Name ⇒ Malaysia International Scholarship
Host Country ⇒ Malaysia
Study Level ⇒ Master’s & PhD
Click Here for MIS Application Process
7. Harbin Institute of Technology (HIT) International Scholarship
HIT’s institutional scholarship carries firm age caps many applicants overlook: Master’s applicants must generally be under 30, PhD applicants under 35 (figures can vary slightly by scholarship type, so confirm the exact cap for your specific application). A “no double benefits” rule applies strictly — you cannot hold this alongside another Chinese Government (CSC) or institutional award simultaneously, and being caught doing so results in admission being rejected outright.
Scholarship Name ⇒ HIT International Scholarship
Host Country ⇒ China
Study Level ⇒ Undergraduate–PhD
Click Here for HIT Scholarship Application Process
8. Indian Government ICCR African Scholarship
ICCR runs one of the largest scholarship operations in this compilation by sheer scale — it manages several distinct schemes each year, awarding over 3,000 scholarships to students from roughly 180 countries, of which this specific African-focused track is one component. Because it’s government-administered rather than university-specific, the application process typically routes through your home country’s Indian High Commission or Embassy rather than directly through a university admissions office — a structural difference worth understanding before you start gathering documents.
Scholarship Name ⇒ ICCR African Scholarship
Host Country ⇒ India
Study Level ⇒ Undergraduate–PhD
Click Here for ICCR African Scholarship Application Process
9. King Abdullah University of Science and Technology (KAUST) Scholarship
KAUST’s funding structure is unusually simple compared to almost everything else on this list: every single admitted student automatically receives the KAUST Fellowship, with no separate scholarship application, competition, or selection process layered on top of admission itself — get admitted, and the full funding package follows automatically. Applications run on two intake cycles, with separate deadlines for spring and fall admission, and the university draws students from more than 60 countries and 220-plus universities worldwide.
Scholarship Name ⇒ KAUST Scholarship
Host Country ⇒ Saudi Arabia
Study Level ⇒ Master’s & PhD
Click Here for KAUST Scholarship Application Process
10. SIIT Graduate Scholarship
Delivered through Thammasat University’s Sirindhorn International Institute of Technology, this scholarship is funded specifically through the Sirindhorn Technology Scholarship Fund, named for Thailand’s Princess Maha Chakri Sirindhorn — a genuinely prestigious royal-linked funding source rather than a general institutional award. SIIT itself specialises heavily in engineering and technology-focused programmes taught entirely in English, distinguishing it from Thailand’s broader university system where Thai-language instruction is more common.
Scholarship Name ⇒ SIIT Graduate Scholarship
Host Country ⇒ Thailand
Study Level ⇒ Master’s & PhD
Click Here for SIIT Graduate Scholarship Application Process
11. Azerbaijan Heydar Aliyev International Education Grant Program
This is a genuinely small, highly selective programme, not a broad government scholarship — established by presidential decree in July 2023, running for a defined five-year period, offering just 100 scholarships annually worldwide across all study levels combined. Some countries’ allocations are extremely narrow: Pakistan, for instance, receives just three total nominations a year — one undergraduate, one Master’s, and one doctoral candidate combined — giving a real sense of how competitive individual country quotas can be even though the overall eligible-country list looks broad.
Scholarship Name ⇒ Azerbaijan Heydar Aliyev International Education Grant Program
Host Country ⇒ Azerbaijan
Study Level ⇒ Undergraduate, Master’s & PhD
Click Here for Heydar Aliyev Grant Program Application Process
12. Hökumətlərarası Təqaüd Proqramları (HTP) Scholarship
Don’t confuse this with the Heydar Aliyev program above — HTP is a separate, older mechanism, working through bilateral intergovernmental agreements between Azerbaijan and specific partner countries rather than a single unified grant with one eligible-country list. It also runs in both directions: supporting Azerbaijani students studying abroad in partner countries, as well as international students from those partner countries studying in Azerbaijan.
Scholarship Name ⇒ Hökumətlərarası Təqaüd Proqramları (HTP) Scholarship
Host Country ⇒ Azerbaijan
Study Level ⇒ Undergraduate–PhD
Click Here for HTP Scholarship Application Process
13. Royal Thai Government Scholarships (Asian Institute of Technology)
Delivered through the Asian Institute of Technology, a genuinely regional institution built specifically for graduate study across Asia rather than a national Thai university, this scholarship’s eligible-country list reflects that regional mandate directly — Thailand plus ASEAN, BIMSTEC, and Greater Mekong Subregion (GMS) countries, alongside a handful of others including Bhutan, Laos, and Timor-Leste. This makes it considerably narrower in scope than a general “study in Thailand” scholarship, and applicants from outside this specific regional bloc don’t qualify regardless of academic strength.
Scholarship Name ⇒ Royal Thai Government Scholarships (AIT)
Host Country ⇒ Thailand
Study Level ⇒ Master’s & PhD
Click Here for Royal Thai Government Scholarships Application Process
14. Special Scholarship Program (SSP), Kochi University of Technology
This is one of the more accessible fully funded doctoral scholarships in Japan specifically because it’s built around a straightforward promise: tuition exemption plus monthly stipend and travel support, with genuinely open eligibility across all countries rather than a restricted regional pool. Kochi University of Technology focuses specifically on engineering education, meaning this scholarship suits applicants pursuing engineering doctoral research specifically rather than a general PhD across any discipline.
Scholarship Name ⇒ SSP, Kochi University of Technology
Host Country ⇒ Japan
Study Level ⇒ PhD
Click Here for Kochi SSP Application Process
15. ZUEL Freshman Scholarship
Zhongnan University of Economics and Law is a “key university” under China’s Ministry of Education, with additional support from the Ministry of Finance and Hubei Province — a designation that carries real institutional weight and funding stability within China’s higher education system. As its name suggests, ZUEL specialises specifically in economics and law, distinguishing it from the engineering-focused institutions (like HIT) elsewhere on this list, and it accepts students funded through the broader Chinese Government Scholarship scheme alongside its own institutional awards.
Scholarship Name ⇒ ZUEL Freshman Scholarship
Host Country ⇒ China
Study Level ⇒ Undergraduate–PhD
Click Here for ZUEL Scholarship Application Process
16. Chinese Government Scholarship at Nanjing University
This is a genuinely narrow, specific award compared to most entries on this list: it’s restricted to Bachelor’s-level students specifically wanting to study Business Chinese, not a general undergraduate degree in any field, and eligibility is limited to Belt and Road Initiative countries rather than being open globally. This reflects China’s broader use of educational scholarships as part of its Belt and Road diplomatic and economic strategy, tying access directly to countries within that specific initiative.
Scholarship Name ⇒ Chinese Government Scholarship at Nanjing University
Host Country ⇒ China
Study Level ⇒ Undergraduate
Click Here for Nanjing University Scholarship Application Process
17. Honjo International Scholarship Foundation (HISF) Foreign Students’ Scholarship
The Honjo International Scholarship Foundation (HISF) Foreign Students’ Scholarship serves as a vital financial bridge for international graduate students pursuing Master’s or Doctoral degrees at Japanese universities. Designed to foster global leaders and promote international goodwill, this fully funded, non-repayable stipend award provides generous monthly allowances—ranging up to ¥230,000 per month depending on degree length—to support scholars throughout their studies in Japan.
Scholarship Name ⇒ Honjo International Scholarship Foundation (HISF) Foreign Students’ Scholarship
Host Country ⇒ Japan
Study Level ⇒ Master’s and PhD
Click Here for Honjo Foreign Students’ Scholarship Application Process
18. Yenching Academy Scholarship Program at Peking University
Yenching Academy brings together roughly 120 students each year, most of them from outside China, to study China itself from the inside, living and learning together across disciplines rather than within a single narrow field. It’s built for people who already have real academic depth and want to bring that background to bear specifically on understanding China, not for students starting a graduate degree from scratch with no existing direction.
Scholarship Name ⇒ Yenching Academy Scholarship Program at Peking University
Host Country ⇒ China
Study Level ⇒ Master’s
Click Here for Yenching Academy Scholarship Program Application Process
19. ADB-Japan Scholarship Program in Asia and the Pacific
The ADB-Japan Scholarship Program (ADB-JSP) is open to outstanding students from eligible developing member countries of the Asian Development Bank (ADB) who want to pursue a master’s degree in Asia and the Pacific. Funded by the Government of Japan and administered by ADB, the programme provides approximately 130 fully funded scholarships each year at selected universities across the region.
Scholarship Name ⇒ ADB-Japan Scholarship Program
Host Country ⇒ Asia
Study Level ⇒ Master’s
Click Here for ADB-Japan Scholarship Program Application Process
20. Chulabhorn Graduate Institute Postgraduate Scholarship in Thailand
The Chulabhorn Graduate Institute is a postgraduate academic institution in Thailand established in 2005 under the initiative of Professor Dr Her Royal Highness Princess Chulabhorn Krom Phra Srisavangavadhana. It operates as a multidisciplinary science institute focused on training researchers and professionals in fields that connect directly to environmental health, toxicology, and chemical sciences — disciplines with growing relevance to sustainable national development across Asia and beyond.
Scholarship Name ⇒ Chulabhorn Graduate Institute Postgraduate Scholarship
Host Country ⇒ Asia
Study Level ⇒ Master’s
Click Here for Chulabhorn Graduate Institute Postgraduate Scholarship Application Process
Frequently Asked Questions
Which of these are genuinely restricted by nationality or region, despite sounding broadly international?
SK Global Scholarship (specific European, Southeast Asian, and South Asian countries, with Japan/Taiwan limited to one track), A*STAR’s BS-PhD track (Singapore Citizens/PRs only), AFLSP (Asian countries), MIS (ASEAN and Commonwealth countries), ICCR (African countries), Heydar Aliyev and HTP (specific bilateral partner lists), Royal Thai/AIT (Thailand and neighbouring Asian regional blocs), and Nanjing University’s scholarship (Belt and Road countries only) all carry meaningful geographic restrictions.
Which scholarships skip a separate scholarship application entirely?
KAUST is the clearest example — admission alone triggers full funding automatically, with no separate scholarship competition layered on top.
Are there two different A*STAR scholarships, or is it one programme?
Two distinct tracks exist under the A*STAR name: the BS-PhD track, restricted to Singapore Citizens and Permanent Residents intending citizenship, and a separate PhD-only track genuinely open to all countries. Confirm which one you’re looking at before applying.
Which of these has the most competitive ratio of applicants to available places?
SK Global Scholarship, with just 20 total places split across two specific technical tracks, and Heydar Aliyev’s Grant Program, with only 100 places worldwide across every study level combined (and country quotas as narrow as 3 total for some nations), are both genuinely selective relative to their broad eligibility framing.
Do any of these fund Chinese-language study specifically, rather than a general degree?
Yes — the Chinese Government Scholarship at Nanjing University is specifically for Business Chinese at the Bachelor’s level, distinct from general undergraduate degree scholarships elsewhere on this list.
Disclaimer: All scholarship details, award values, and eligibility criteria in this post were verified from official and closely tracked sources as of October 2026. Information is subject to change without notice. Always confirm the latest details directly on each scholarship’s official page before applying. ScholarWaka is not affiliated with any of the institutions or organisations listed above.
Join ScholarWaka Community
Get the latest scholarship updates and study abroad opportunities before anyone else.
