Zero-Fee Doctorates:10 Countries Where Asian Students Can Earn a PhD

For decades, the story that Asian students told themselves about a doctorate abroad went something like this, years of debt, a part-time job on the side, and a scholarship that covered only tuition while everything else came out of pocket. That story is now badly out of date. Across Asia and in a handful of countries beyond it governments and universities are competing hard for doctoral talent, and the currency of that competition is cash: free tuition, a monthly stipend that covers rent and food, insurance, airfare, and in some cases a one-time settling-in allowance thrown in for good measure.

This matters more for Asian applicants than almost anyone else. Intra-Asian scholarship diplomacy Japan's MEXT, China's CSC, South Korea's GKS, Taiwan's MOE and Academia Sinica awards, Hong Kong's PhD Fellowship Scheme, Singapore's SINGA, Turkey's Türkiye Bursları and Malaysia's MIS was built explicitly to attract students from developing and middle-income Asian economies, including India, Bangladesh, Pakistan, Nepal, Sri Lanka, Vietnam, Indonesia, the Philippines and beyond. These are not backdoor concessions; they are flagship national programmes with quotas set aside for exactly this pool of applicants.

This article lays out ten real options eight of them Asian, two included for useful comparison with the actual stipend figures, tuition status, eligibility bar and application windows as they stand for the 2026 and 2027 admission cycles. Every number below is drawn from official scholarship bodies or university financial-aid pages; where a range exists because figures vary by university or by year, that range is given rather than a single invented figure. Currency conversions are approximate and will move with exchange rates, so always confirm on the official portal before applying.

What ‘free PhD with stipend actually means

Before the country list, it helps to separate three things that often get blurred together in scholarship marketing copy:

Tuition waiver means the university does not charge you fees for the degree itself. In many research-heavy systems Germany, Norway, most of continental Europe this is the default for everyone, not a scholarship perk.

A stipend or living allowance is money paid to you, monthly or annually, to cover rent, food and daily expenses. This is the part that turns ‘free’ into ‘funded’ without it, a zero-tuition PhD can still leave you unable to survive in an expensive city.

A salaried position the Scandinavian model treats the PhD candidate as a university employee with a payroll salary, pension contributions and workers' rights, rather than a ‘scholarship recipient.’ It is the most generous model in the world, though not the most common one in Asia.

Nearly every country below combines the first two. Norway is the clearest example of the third, and it is included here specifically so Asian applicants can see what the ceiling looks like.

1. Japan the MEXT Scholarship

Japan's Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology (MEXT) runs what is probably Asia's best-known doctoral funding route, open since 1954 and used by well over 140,000 international students to date.

What it pays: A tax-free monthly stipend of roughly ¥143,000–¥145,000 (about $960–$980) for research/PhD-track students, alongside a full tuition waiver and a round-trip economy air ticket between the student's home country and Japan. Stipend levels differ slightly by category undergraduate scholars receive somewhat less than doctoral researchers.

Tuition: Fully waived at the designated national university; MEXT also pays the entrance-examination fee.

Duration: Doctoral scholars are typically funded for three years, plus an optional six-to-12-month preparatory period if Japanese-language training is required.

How to apply: Either through the Japanese embassy in the applicant's home country (the ‘Embassy Track,’ open annually around April–June) or via direct university nomination (the ‘University Recommendation Track’). Many PhD-level programmes, especially in the sciences and engineering, are taught entirely in English, so Japanese fluency is not a hard requirement for doctoral applicants, though it strengthens an application.

Why it suits Asian applicants: MEXT reserves a large share of its annual intake for students from Asian partner countries, and Japan's research infrastructure in engineering, robotics, materials science and biomedical fields is among the strongest in the world.

One thing to check: MEXT's stipend figures have stayed largely flat for over a decade even as the cost of living in Tokyo has risen, so budgeting is genuinely tighter in the capital than in regional cities such as Fukuoka, Sendai or Sapporo an important detail applicant are rarely told upfront.

2. China the Chinese Government Scholarship (CSC)

Administered by the China Scholarship Council, the Chinese Government Scholarship (CGS) is one of the largest doctoral-funding operations on the planet, distributing scholarships to more than 280 participating universities, including Tsinghua, Peking and Fudan.

What it pays: A monthly stipend of CNY 3,000-3,500 (roughly $415-$485) for doctoral scholars higher than the CNY 2,500-3,000 offered at undergraduate and master's level plus free on-campus accommodation (or a housing subsidy) and comprehensive medical insurance worth about CNY 800 a year.

Tuition: Fully waived under the ‘Type A’ (embassy-nominated) and full CSC awards. A separate ‘Type B’ (university-nominated) route sometimes offers tuition-only funding without the living stipend, so applicants should check which type they are being offered before accepting.

Duration: Standard doctoral funding runs for the length of the PhD programme, generally four years, contingent on satisfactory academic progress.

How to apply: Either through China's embassy/consulate in the applicant's home country, or directly to a participating Chinese university, which then nominates the student to CSC. Many programmes require a pre-secured written acceptance letter from a Chinese supervisor before the formal scholarship application, so reaching out to a potential advisor early is critical.

Why it suits Asian applicants: CSC scholarships are explicitly available to citizens of over 180 countries, with strong intakes from South and Southeast Asia, and China's STEM, engineering and applied-sciences output now rivals or exceeds that of many Western systems.

3. South Korea the Global Korea Scholarship (GKS)

Formerly known as KGSP, the Global Korea Scholarship is run by South Korea's Ministry of Education through the National Institute for International Education (NIIED), and 2026 cycles have significantly raised its living allowance.

What it pays: A monthly stipend that has been increased in recent cycles to roughly KRW 1,000,000–1,380,000 (about $730–$1,000) for master's and doctoral scholars, alongside a separate research allowance of KRW 210,000–240,000 depending on discipline (humanities and social sciences versus natural and applied sciences).

Tuition: Covered up to KRW 5,000,000 per semester, with universities typically waiving any amount above that ceiling, so tuition is effectively free in practice.

Other benefits: A round-trip economy air ticket, a one-time settlement allowance on arrival, full medical insurance, and for those who need it a fully funded one-year Korean-language training programme before the degree begins (waived for applicants who already hold TOPIK Level 5 or 6).

Duration: A doctoral GKS award typically spans four years in total: one year of language training plus three years of the PhD itself.

How to apply: Via the Korean embassy in the applicant's home country (Embassy Track) or directly through a NIIED-designated Korean university (University Track) applying to both in the same cycle disqualifies the applicant from both, so the choice matters.

Why it suits Asian applicants: South Korea has explicitly expanded its GKS quota inviting roughly 2,000-plus graduate scholars annually from over 150 countries as part of a national push to internationalise its universities and address a declining domestic student population, meaning admission pressure is easing even as funding improves.

4. Taiwan Ministry of Education, Academia Sinica and University-Level Awards

Taiwan runs several parallel funding tracks rather than a single flagship scholarship, giving applicants more than one door to try.

Taiwan Scholarship (Ministry of Education): Pays a monthly living allowance of NTD 20,000 (about $650) for master's and doctoral students, alongside tuition and miscellaneous fee support of up to NTD 40,000 per semester. Funded for up to four years at doctoral level.

Taiwan International Graduate Program (TIGP), Academia Sinica: A research-institute-run doctoral programme offering a tax-free monthly stipend of NTD 40,000 (roughly $1,200) in the first year, extendable for high-performing students, with an additional NTD 6,000 a month available through a research-performance fellowship. TIGP runs 14 fully funded interdisciplinary PhD tracks spanning the sciences and humanities.

University-specific awards: National Taiwan University's doctoral scholarship pays out NTD 200,000 across the programme in staged instalments; National Cheng Kung University offers a full tuition waiver plus a monthly stipend of up to NTD 25,000 and an additional advisor's fund.

Why it suits Asian applicants: Taiwan's scholarships carry no separate application fee, English-medium doctoral tracks are widely available at research institutions, and the island's strength in semiconductor engineering, materials science and public health makes it a strong technical destination that is often overlooked next to Japan, China and Korea.

5. Singapore SINGA, NUS and NTU Research Scholarships

Singapore's doctoral funding is structured around named fellowships rather than a single government scheme, but the outcome is comparable: full tuition plus a stipend that is genuinely competitive by Southeast Asian and even global standards.

Singapore International Graduate Award (SINGA): A joint programme run by A*STAR, NUS, NTU and the Singapore University of Technology and Design. It pays a monthly stipend of SGD 2,700, rising to SGD 3,200 after the PhD Qualifying Examination, plus a one-time settling-in allowance of SGD 1,000 and an airfare allowance of up to SGD 1,500. SINGA is bond-free graduates are not required to work in Singapore afterward.

NUS Research Scholarship: Pays international doctoral students a monthly stipend starting around SGD 2,700 before the Qualifying Exam and about SGD 3,200 after it, with a full tuition subsidy for up to four years. The more selective President's Graduate Fellowship pays international scholars roughly SGD 3,400 a month.

NTU scholarships (including the National Institute of Education PhD Scholarship): Offer monthly stipends in the SGD 3,000–3,800 range with potential top-ups after confirmation, plus full tuition coverage.

Why it suits Asian applicants: Singapore combines an English-medium academic system, some of Asia's highest-ranked universities (NUS and NTU consistently place in the world's top 20), and a stipend level that, converted, is among the highest of any option on this list a genuinely comfortable living wage in a high-cost city.

6. Hong Kong the Hong Kong PhD Fellowship Scheme (HKPFS)

If stipend size alone were the ranking criterion, Hong Kong's flagship doctoral award would sit at the very top of this list. Run by the Research Grants Council since 2009, HKPFS is designed specifically to pull top global doctoral talent into Hong Kong's eight UGC-funded universities.

What it pays: An annual stipend of roughly HK$340,800–HK$344,400 (about $43,700–$44,200) equivalent to a monthly payment near HK$28,700 plus a separate annual conference and research-travel allowance of up to HK$14,400. Several universities layer additional top-ups on top of the base HKPFS award: Hong Kong Baptist University, for instance, adds a tuition waiver worth roughly HK$47,000 and a travel/accommodation package on top of the standard fellowship.

Tuition: Waived in full at the host university on top of the stipend HKPFS funds living costs, and the university separately absorbs tuition.

Duration: Up to three years as standard, with universities generally extending equivalent support into a fourth year for programmes that require it.

How to apply: Applicants first register on the RGC's HKPFS electronic system to receive a reference number (deadline typically 1 December), then submit a full application directly to their chosen university.

Why it suits Asian applicants: Around 400 fellowships are awarded annually to candidates of any nationality, and Hong Kong's location, cost of living relative to Singapore, and strength in finance, engineering, public health and social-science research make it an increasingly popular choice for applicants from South and Southeast Asia.

7. Germany DAAD, DFG and Tuition-Free Public Universities

Germany does not run a single unified ‘free PhD’ scheme; instead, tuition-free public education is the structural default, layered with a wide field of scholarship options for living costs.

What it pays: Most funded doctoral candidates receive between €1,200 and €2,800 a month, depending on the funding route. The flagship DAAD Research Grant pays €1,350 a month to graduates and €1,500 to candidates with relevant professional experience, alongside a travel allowance, insurance, and a one-off research allowance for books and materials.

Tuition: German public universities charge no tuition fees for doctoral studies domestic or international. Students pay only a modest semester administrative contribution, typically €150–€350, which in many cities also functions as a public-transport pass.

How PhDs are usually funded in practice: The majority of doctoral candidates in Germany are employed as research or teaching assistants (a paid university job, not a ‘stipend’ in the strict sense) or hold a scholarship from bodies such as DAAD, the German Research Foundation (DFG), or one of Germany's party-affiliated foundations (Konrad Adenauer, Friedrich Ebert and others).

Practical note for budgeting: Non-EU applicants must typically show proof of roughly €11,900 a year (about €992 a month) in a blocked account to obtain a student visa a formality that funded scholars often satisfy automatically through their award letter, but one to plan for regardless.

Why it's worth the detour outside Asia: Germany remains the most-used European PhD destination for Indian, Bangladeshi and Pakistani applicants specifically because of the zero-tuition structure combined with globally ranked engineering and natural-science departments.

8. Türkiye Türkiye Bursları (Türkiye Scholarships)

Turkey's state scholarship, run by the Presidency for Turks Abroad (YTB), is unusual for handling both the scholarship and the university-placement process in one application applicants do not need a separate admission letter before applying.

What it pays: A monthly stipend of TL 9,000 at doctoral level (compared with TL 6,500 for master's and TL 4,500 for bachelor's students) roughly $220–$290 depending on the exchange rate at the time, modest in dollar terms but adequate against Turkey's lower cost of living, especially combined with free housing.

Tuition and extras: 100% tuition waiver across more than 180 partner universities, free dormitory accommodation for the length of the scholarship, health insurance, a one-way flight to Turkey, and a fully funded one-year Turkish-language preparatory course (TÖMER) for any scholar who is not already at C1 proficiency.

Duration and competitiveness: The programme receives well over 100,000 applications annually for around 5,000 total scholarships across all degree levels, making the acceptance rate roughly 3–5%. Applications run from 10 January to 20 February each year, evaluated through March–May with interviews in June-July.

Why it suits Asian applicants: Türkiye Bursları accepts citizens of virtually every country and has become a significant route for students from Pakistan, Afghanistan, Central Asia and parts of South and Southeast Asia specifically because it removes the separate-admission hurdle that most other funded PhDs require.

9. Malaysia Malaysia International Scholarship (MIS) and University Awards

Malaysia's doctoral funding is smaller in stipend terms than its East Asian neighbours but stands out for low competition and a straightforward, IELTS-flexible application process.

Malaysia International Scholarship (MIS): Covers full tuition, paid directly to the university, plus a monthly living allowance of RM 1,500 (roughly $335). Open to citizens of a defined list of recipient countries covering ASEAN, the Commonwealth, and a wide range of Asian, African and Middle Eastern nations. No prior acceptance letter or IELTS score is mandatory if the applicant's previous degree was taught in English.

University-run awards: The International Islamic University Malaysia's Distinguished Doctoral Scholarship covers tuition worth up to RM 95,875 across six semesters and pays a monthly stipend of RM 1,000 for up to 36 months; similar packages exist at Malaysia's other public research universities.

Why it suits Asian applicants: Malaysia's relatively low cost of living stretches its modest stipend further than the raw number suggests, English is widely used as a medium of instruction, and the country actively courts applicants from Muslim-majority nations across South and Southeast Asia and the Middle East through its priority country list.

10. Norway PhD as a Salaried Job (Europe's Benchmark)

Norway is included here not because it markets itself to Asian applicants the way Japan or Turkey does, but because it represents the single most generous funding model that exists worth knowing about as a benchmark, and genuinely open to any qualified international applicant.

What it pays: A PhD candidate in Norway is legally an employee of the university, not a ‘scholarship recipient.’ Starting salaries run from roughly NOK 501,200 to NOK 544,400 a year (about $46,000–$50,000 at current exchange rates), with full worker's rights, pension contributions, paid holiday and parental leave where applicable.

Tuition: There is no tuition fee for any student domestic or international at Norwegian public universities, under any programme.

The catch: Norway's cost of living is among the highest in Europe, and roughly 30-40% of the gross salary goes to income tax and social-security contributions, so the ‘salary’ figure needs to be read net rather than gross. Non-EU/EEA students pursuing separate master's programmes (as opposed to PhD employment contracts) do now face new tuition fees from autumn 2026 but this does not apply to PhD positions themselves, which remain structured as paid jobs.

Why it's here: For Asian applicants weighing a stipend-based Asian scholarship against a Western option, Norway shows what the top of the market looks like useful context even for those who ultimately choose a country closer to home.

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How the ten compare, at a glance

Country	Monthly stipend (approx., USD)	Tuition	Typical PhD funding length
Hong Kong (HKPFS)	~$3,650	Waived separately	Up to 3 years (extendable)
Norway	~$3,800–$4,150 (as salary)	Free for all	3–4 years
Singapore (SINGA/NUS/NTU)	~$2,000–$2,800	Waived	Up to 4 years
Germany (DAAD/DFG)	~$1,300–$1,600	Free for all	3–4 years
South Korea (GKS)	~$730–$1,000	Covered up to cap	4 years (incl. language year)
Taiwan (TIGP)	~$1,200	Waived/subsidised	Up to 4 years
Japan (MEXT)	~$960–$980	Fully waived	3 years
China (CSC)	~$415–$485	Fully waived	Up to 4 years
Türkiye (Türkiye Bursları)	~$220–$290	Fully waived	Programme length
Malaysia (MIS)	~$335	Fully waived	Programme length

Practical advice for Asian applicants weighing these options

Match the stipend to the city, not the country. A $400 monthly stipend in a mid-sized Chinese or Malaysian city can go further than a $1,000 stipend in central Tokyo or Seoul. Ask current scholars most programmes can connect applicants with existing scholarship recipients what their actual monthly budget looks like before assuming a number is ‘enough.’

Secure a supervisor before applying wherever it's expected. China's CSC, most German DAAD Research Grants, and Taiwan's university-run scholarships all move faster and succeed more often when the applicant has already exchanged emails with a prospective academic supervisor and has some form of informal or written interest on file. A generic, unaddressed application is usually the weakest kind.

Track deadlines as a calendar, not a list. These ten schemes do not share an application season. MEXT's embassy track typically opens in April–June; Türkiye Bursları runs January–February; Hong Kong's HKPFS initial registration closes around 1 December; GKS and CSC each run their own separate cycles. Missing a single-country deadline usually means waiting a full year, so applicants targeting more than one of these should build a single master calendar the moment they start preparing documents.

Read the fine print on ‘Type A’ versus ‘Type B’ awards. China's CSC and a few other schemes on this list have more than one funding tier one that includes a living stipend and one that covers tuition only. Applicants should always confirm, in writing, exactly which tier they have been offered before declining any competing offer.

Don't discount the language-year programmes. South Korea's GKS and Türkiye Bursları both fold a mandatory or near-mandatory language-preparation year into the funded period. This adds a year to the overall timeline but is fully paid and for many applicants, becoming functionally fluent in Korean or Turkish opens doors, in academia and industry, that an English-only degree would not.

Eligibility: What most of these programmes actually check for

The ten schemes above differ in stipend and paperwork, but the underlying eligibility checklist is more uniform than most applicants expect. Understanding the shared criteria and where each programme diverges from it saves weeks of wasted preparation.

Academic record. Nearly every one of these scholarships sets a minimum GPA or class of degree at the master's level, since a PhD applicant is judged first on their master's performance. China's CSC and Malaysia's MIS both expect ‘excellent’ master's results (commonly read as a GPA around 3.0/4.0 or higher); GKS applicants are assessed on a points-based rubric that weighs grades alongside language scores and recommendation letters; HKPFS and SINGA, being far more selective, effectively require top-decile academic records plus demonstrated research output such as publications or a strong thesis.

Age limits. Several government-run schemes cap applicant age at the doctoral level Malaysia's MIS sets the bar at 45, and Türkiye Bursları and GKS apply their own, typically more generous, limits. University-run awards (NUS, NTU, HKPFS, German DAAD grants) generally do not impose a hard age ceiling, focusing instead on how recently the applicant completed their master's degree DAAD, for instance, requires the master's to have been completed within the last six years.

Language requirements. This is where the programmes diverge most. MEXT, CSC and GKS all offer substantial doctoral tracks taught in English, meaning Japanese, Mandarin or Korean proficiency is not mandatory for admission, though it usually strengthens supervisor rapport and day-to-day life. Türkiye Bursları requires no language proficiency at the time of application at all the mandatory one-year Turkish course happens after selection. German programmes increasingly offer English-medium doctoral tracks in STEM fields, though humanities and social-science supervisors may still expect German competence.

A research proposal or letter of interest. Every scheme on this list without exception wants to see that the applicant has a specific research question in mind, not simply an interest in ‘doing a PhD somewhere.’ For CSC, DAAD and most university-run Taiwanese and Singaporean awards, this proposal is what a prospective supervisor reads before agreeing to take the applicant on, so its quality often matters more than the rest of the application combined.

No existing doctorate, and no double-dipping. All ten programmes require that the applicant not already hold a doctoral degree, and most explicitly prohibit holding two of these scholarships simultaneously Japan's MEXT recipients, for example, cannot also draw JASSO funding, and Korea's GKS disqualifies anyone who applies through both its Embassy and University tracks in the same cycle.

Also Read: Asia Is Becoming a New Choice for International Students

Common mistakes that sink otherwise strong applications

Applying to the country before the supervisor. The single most common error among Asian applicants is picking a country first and only then searching for a lab or department. Programmes with a nomination step CSC, DAAD, most Taiwanese university awards are supervisor-led: a strong-on-paper applicant with no faculty contact routinely loses out to a weaker-on-paper applicant who has already exchanged several emails with a professor and secured informal interest.

Treating the research proposal as a formality. A generic, three-paragraph statement of purpose that could be submitted to any university in the world is instantly recognisable to selection committees and is one of the fastest ways to be filtered out, even at schemes with a relatively high acceptance rate such as MEXT or CSC.

Missing the distinction between funding types within one scheme. As mentioned above, China's CSC issues both full awards (tuition plus stipend) and partial or tuition-only awards under different tracks; several German foundation scholarships similarly vary between full stipends and top-up grants meant to supplement an existing salary. Applicants sometimes accept an offer assuming it includes a living stipend when it does not always get the funding breakdown in writing before declining any other offer.

Underestimating the language-year commitment. GKS and Türkiye Bursları both attach a mandatory language-preparation year to the doctoral timeline. Applicants who plan their finances, family logistics or job transitions around a ‘three-year PhD’ without accounting for this additional funded-but-unstructured year sometimes find themselves caught off guard.

Assuming a low nominal stipend means the offer isn't worth taking. A CSC or Türkiye Bursları stipend converts to a modest dollar figure on paper, but both come bundled with free or heavily subsidised housing, which is usually the single largest line item in any student's monthly budget elsewhere. Compare total cost of living covered, not the stipend number in isolation.

Frequently asked questions

Do I need to already have a master's degree to apply for any of these?

Yes, in almost every case. All ten schemes above fund doctoral-level study, which by definition requires a completed (or nearly completed, with proof of expected completion) master's degree or equivalent research qualification.

Can I apply to more than one of these scholarships in the same year?

Generally yes, across different countries there is no rule preventing an applicant from submitting a CSC application, a MEXT application and a GKS application in the same cycle, provided each country's own rules on simultaneous applications (within that country) are respected. What is usually prohibited is applying twice within the same scheme, such as via both the Embassy and University tracks of GKS.

Is IELTS or TOEFL always required?

No. Applicants who completed their previous degree in English can often submit an official letter from their university confirming English as the medium of instruction instead of a fresh test score Malaysia's MIS explicitly allows this, and several Chinese and Taiwanese university-run scholarships do too. Always check the specific scheme's current requirement rather than assuming.

Which of these is the least competitive?

Acceptance rates are not always published, but based on quota size relative to applicant pool, Malaysia's MIS and Taiwan's university-run scholarships tend to have comparatively higher acceptance rates than Hong Kong's HKPFS or Singapore's SINGA, which draw a large global applicant pool for a small number of places.

Do any of these scholarships come with a bond or a requirement to work in the country afterward?

Most do not. Singapore's SINGA is explicitly bond-free, as are MEXT, CSC, GKS, HKPFS and the German options above. Applicants should still read each award letter carefully, since bond conditions occasionally apply to specific bilateral or ministry-sponsored sub-tracks rather than the flagship scheme itself.

The Bottom Line!

The idea of a ‘fully funded PhD’ is no longer a rare exception reserved for a handful of elite Western universities. For Asian students specifically, government-to-government scholarship diplomacy across the region from Tokyo and Seoul to Hong Kong, Taipei, Singapore, Ankara and Kuala Lumpur has built a genuine, well-funded alternative pipeline that in several cases now out-pays the traditional European and North American route. The strongest strategy for most applicants is not to fixate on a single ‘best’ country, but to treat these programmes the way they are designed to be used: as parallel doors, each with its own calendar, each worth applying to on its own terms, with the strongest possible research proposal and supervisor contact behind each application.

What ties all ten together is a simple shift in how doctoral study is being priced by the countries that want it. A generation ago, a PhD abroad was something a student paid for, one way or another through loans, family savings, or years of underpaid teaching-assistant work. Today, for an applicant willing to do the calendar-tracking and supervisor-hunting this article describes, a doctorate can instead be something a country pays for, because it has decided that bringing in capable researchers is worth the cost. That shift is the real story behind these numbers, and it is one that is only getting stronger as Japan, China, South Korea, Hong Kong, Taiwan, Singapore, Türkiye and Malaysia continue to compete for the same pool of ambitious graduate applicants across Asia.

For students weighing where to send that first application email, the practical takeaway is this: start with the research fit, not the flag. Identify two or three supervisors whose work genuinely overlaps with the applicant's own interests, reach out with a specific and well-argued proposal, and only then match that supervisor's country to the funding scheme that suits it. Applied in that order, any one of the ten routes above is capable of turning a PhD from a financial risk into a fully paid research career.