Scholarships Without IELTS: Do They Really Exist?

Scholarships without IELTS in short

Most study abroad scholarships do not set an IELTS score of their own. That is why they look like scholarships without IELTS. But almost all of them pay for study at a university, and the university that admits you still asks for proof of English. For many scholarships, that result goes in with the application, so you need it before the deadline.

• "The scholarship sets no score" is not the same as "you need no English test".
• The real exceptions are few: programmes taught in another language, such as Chinese or Korean, and a small number of schemes that judge your English another way.
• If you take one thing from this guide: check the English requirement of the course, not only the scholarship page.

Two different rules: the scholarship's and the university's

Every scholarship that pays for a degree has two sets of rules. The scholarship decides who gets the money. The university decides who gets a place. You need both, and the English test usually sits in the second set.

• Chevening removed its own English requirement in 2020. But you still need an unconditional offer from a UK university, and most universities only give that offer once you reach their IELTS score, commonly 6.5 for a master's. See the Chevening page.
• Eiffel (France) has no language requirement of its own. The French institution nominates students it has already admitted, so you meet its English requirement first, commonly IELTS 6.5 for an English taught master's.
• The HKU Presidential PhD Scholar award has no English test of its own, but HKU's PhD admission requirement applies. The Faculty of Engineering, for example, asks for IELTS Academic 6.5 with no subtest below 6.

When you need the score

Scholarships differ in when the English result is needed. This changes when you should book your test.

• With the application: you upload the result before the deadline. Kyoto iUP, the NTU Research Scholarship and the University of Macau scholarship work like this, because the admission application is also the scholarship application.
• Later in the process: you can apply first and show the score before you start. Chevening works like this. The deadline for the unconditional offer for the 2027/28 round is 17:00 UK time on 8 July 2027.
• Even when the score comes later, you still need it. A winner who cannot reach the university's score cannot take up the place.

When you really might not need IELTS

These are the cases in our scholarship finder where IELTS is not what decides your English, or is not needed at all.

• Harvard financial aid: Harvard does not require an English test from first year applicants, so no IELTS score is needed for admission or for aid. You can send one as extra evidence. See Harvard financial aid.
• Korea University: most programmes are taught in Korean, and TOPIK decides how much Korean training you need. English proof (IELTS Academic or TOEFL iBT) is mandatory only for the International Studies English track, and the Global Open Major asks for IELTS 7.0 to enter an English track major.
• Chinese Government Scholarship (CSC) and Shanghai Government Scholarship: CSC's Chinese taught master's and PhD programmes need HSK 4 instead, and Shanghai says its Chinese taught programmes generally need HSK 4. For a programme taught in English, the university's IELTS or TOEFL score applies. See the CSC page.
• ICCR scholarships (India): ICCR sets no IELTS band. The Indian Mission judges your English from your essay and often an interview. You can upload an IELTS or TOEFL score, but it is not mandatory.

Other ways to prove your English

Some scholarships and universities accept something other than IELTS. Check the course page to see which applies to you.

• TOEFL instead of IELTS: many entries accept TOEFL iBT, for example TOEFL 85 at HKU's Faculty of Engineering, or TOEFL iBT 80 for a master's at the University of Macau.
• No minimum, but a score is required: Kyoto iUP sets no minimum score, but only TOEFL and IELTS are accepted, and the result must be in your application. Successful candidates typically have IELTS Academic 6.5.
• A degree taught in English: some universities ask for a test only if your degree was not taught in English. NTU asks applicants whose bachelor's degree was not taught in English for a good TOEFL or IELTS score, and HKU says graduates of English medium programmes may not need a test. Check your faculty's page before you assume you are exempt.

No IELTS score of their own, but the result goes in with the application

The IELTS column shows the score the university usually asks for, which is the one you need to reach.

These scholarships set no score themselves, but you upload your English result when you apply, so the test has to be done before the deadline. Deadlines are for the latest round we have checked; the scholarship finder shows which rounds are open today.

Scholarships without IELTS: frequently asked questions