If you already have a degree

The hard part is already behind you

A finished bachelor’s — from MAHSA, from City University, from a university in Uzbekistan — changes what is open to you. The entry requirement that closes most of Europe to a school-leaver does not apply to you at all.

But one thing about your degree decides more than your grades do, and almost nobody is told it in time. Start with that. Reviewed 2026-08-22.

First: was your degree three years or four?

This single fact opens or closes more doors than your grades do, and it is almost never explained before someone pays an application fee.

Universities abroad treat a three-year bachelor’s and a four-year bachelor’s as two different qualifications. We tested both against the institutions with the largest master’s inventories we can reach. Of the twenty-four checked on 2026-08-22, sixteen return nothing at all to a three-year graduate — while offering hundreds of programmes to a four-year one.

Where	4-year degree	3-year degree
Bournemouth International College	584	0
Glasgow International College	283	0
Arizona State — Tempe	277	0
University of Ottawa	340	1
Durham International Study Centre	170	15
University of Sunderland — London	10	1
University of Birmingham	3	0
University of Edinburgh	1	0
University of Southampton — Highfield	131	131
Sussex International Study Centre	128	128
Northeastern University — Boston	160	211

Open programmes for a Central Asian applicant, counted the same way on the same day. The last three rows are the point: some institutions do not make the distinction at all, and one offers a three-year graduate more than a four-year one.

So a three-year degree is not a dead end — it is a different, much shorter list. Sending the same application everywhere is what wastes the year. Bring your transcript and we will tell you which list is yours before you pay anything.

Funded routes — the ones worth your time first

Ranked by how winnable they are for someone from Central Asia, not by how prestigious they sound. Italy leads because it is assessed mainly on documented family income rather than pure academic competition — which is what makes it something you can plan for rather than hope for.

DSU Regional Scholarships (Diritto allo Studio Universitario)

Italian regional student-welfare bodies (DiSCo Lazio, DSU Toscana, EDISU Piemonte, ER.GO Emilia-Romagna and others)

Italy's regional student-welfare system, and the strongest value in Europe for a family on a modest income. Assessment is based mainly on documented family income rather than pure academic competition, which is what makes it winnable. For a qualifying student it waives tuition entirely, provides university accommodation and one canteen meal a day, and pays a yearly cash stipend in the region of EUR 6,500-7,200. Italy requires a school qualification from 12 years of study, so an 11-year certificate needs a completed foundation year first - a Malaysian foundation certificate, submitted with its exam results and credits, is the standard bridge.

When Typically applications close around May for the following October; pre-enrolment via Universitaly runs in the spring

Documented family income (ISEE) below the regional threshold - commonly around EUR 25,000
Enrolled or pre-enrolled at a public university in that region
A qualification from 12 years of schooling, or a completed foundation year with exams and credits
Renewed each year by earning the required credits
CIMEA Statement of Comparability is usually required for the foreign qualification

Start preparing now

No language test is set by DSU itself — the scholarship is assessed on documented family income, not on scores.
The UNIVERSITY sets the language bar: Italian-taught degrees typically require Italian at B2, English-taught ones an English test. Check the specific course.
CIMEA Statement of Comparability for your qualification — start this early, it is slow and it is the usual reason a strong candidate misses the deadline.

Pre-enrol through Universitaly, apply to the university, and apply separately to the regional DSU body for the region you are studying in - the scholarship and the admission are two different applications with two different deadlines. We prepare and submit both, including the CIMEA assessment.

Stipendium Hungaricum

Government of Hungary (Tempus Public Foundation)

Hungary's flagship government scholarship and one of the few fully funded routes in Europe that is genuinely open at bachelor level. It covers tuition in full, pays a monthly stipend, contributes to accommodation and includes medical insurance. Roughly 900 foreign-language programmes across about 30 Hungarian institutions, most of them taught in English. Uzbekistan, Kazakhstan and Kyrgyzstan are confirmed partner countries.

When Typically opens in November and closes in January for the following September

Citizen of a partner country - Uzbekistan, Kazakhstan and Kyrgyzstan confirmed; Tajikistan to be verified for the current cycle
Applications are nominated through the sending country's own authority as well as submitted to Hungary
Bachelor, one-tier master, master and doctoral levels all available
Language requirement set by the individual programme, usually English

Start preparing now

Language certificate as required by the specific programme — the scholarship does not set one central band, the university does.
Two programme choices must be named in the application, so decide both before the window opens.
A motivation letter and a medical certificate are part of the standard file.

Two parallel steps: the online application at apply.stipendiumhungaricum.hu, and nomination by the sending authority in your own country. Missing the national nomination step is the most common reason a strong application never gets considered.

Tuition-free public universities (Germany)

German federal states

Not a scholarship but structurally better than most: public universities in 15 of Germany's 16 states charge no tuition to international students, leaving only a semester contribution of roughly EUR 150-400 which usually includes a public transport pass. Over 200 bachelor programmes are taught in English. Students may work up to 140 full days a year, and Germany's post-study job market is the strongest argument in Europe for anyone whose real goal is to study and then work.

When Winter semester applications typically close in July; summer semester in January

A recognised university entrance qualification - an 11-year certificate is not sufficient on its own and normally requires a Studienkolleg or foundation year first
Proof of funds in a blocked account for the student visa
Language: English-taught programmes need IELTS or equivalent; German-taught need roughly B2-C1
Health insurance is mandatory

Start preparing now

German-taught degrees require a German test — TestDaF or DSH. This is the real barrier and it takes a year or more to reach from zero.
English-taught master's require an English test; the band is set by the university, not by any central body.
A blocked account (Sperrkonto) proving living funds is required for the visa, separately from any language result.

Most public universities admit through uni-assist; a few apply directly. The blocked account and the embassy appointment are the two items that decide your timeline, so start them early.

Erasmus Mundus Joint Masters

European Union

EU-funded joint Master's degrees taught across two or more European universities, with full scholarships (tuition, travel and stipend) for non-EU students. Central Asian applicants are fully eligible.

When Most consortia close Oct–Jan for autumn entry

Bachelor's degree (or final-year student) for master's entry
Any nationality — Central Asians fully eligible
Each consortium sets its own academic + English requirements

Start preparing now

English test required by every consortium; the band is set by each programme, so check the two or three you actually want.
A completed bachelor's degree, and for many programmes a specific subject background.
Each programme has its own deadline and its own application — there is no single portal.

Choose programmes in the official Erasmus Mundus catalogue (ec.europa.eu) and apply directly to each consortium (typically Oct–Jan) — one application covers the scholarship.

Chevening Scholarship

UK Government (FCDO)

The UK government's global scholarship for one-year Master's degrees: full tuition, living allowance and flights. Requires work experience (typically 2+ years) and leadership potential. Uzbekistan, Kazakhstan, Tajikistan and Kyrgyzstan are all eligible countries.

When Typically Aug–Nov for study the following year

Citizens of UZ/KZ/TJ/KG (all eligible)
Completed bachelor's degree
Typically 2+ years of work experience (2,800 hours)
Return to home country for 2 years after the award
Unconditional UK master's offer needed by the award deadline

Start preparing now

English at IELTS 6.5 overall with at least 5.5 in every component, or an accepted equivalent — this one IS published by Chevening and is a hard gate.
Two years of qualifying work experience before you apply.
Three UK master's course choices, plus an unconditional offer from one of them by the stated deadline.

Apply online at chevening.org/apply (one form, 3 UK course choices) during the Aug–Nov window; interviews at the British Embassy follow.

Windows are labelled typical and must be checked against the official source for the current cycle — we do that with you rather than asking you to trust a date on a website. Every funding route we track.

Postgraduate places we can submit to today

Short, and honest about being short. Our account has been examined at undergraduate level eight times and at postgraduate level never — that sweep is running now, and this list will grow.

Transport and Telecommunication Institute (TSI)Open

Latvia

What you need: Completed secondary education for the bachelor's; a bachelor's in a related field for the master's. Aviation Management asks for management, economics, logistics, transport or air transport.
Cost: undefined first year
Intakes: Several times a year depending on the programme; distance-learning admission is open all year round

University of BirminghamOpen

United Kingdom · QS =68

Master's only — there is no undergraduate route at this campus at either Grade 11 or Grade 12, and school-leavers use the Birmingham foundation pathways instead. Every open programme states a FOUR-YEAR bachelor's degree as the minimum, so a three-year degree does not qualify here.

What you need: A completed four-year bachelor's degree at 75%. A three-year bachelor's returns no eligible programmes at this campus
English: IELTS 6.5, TOEFL 88 or PTE 67
Cost: £35,396 first year
Intakes: Open now: January 2027

University of EdinburghOpen

United Kingdom · QS 35

One programme, and three conditions on it. It is a Master of Laws by Research, so it suits a law graduate and nobody else. It is not currently available to Tajik nationals through this channel. And it states a FOUR-YEAR bachelor's as the minimum, so a three-year degree does not qualify.

What you need: A completed four-year bachelor's degree at 75%, in law. A three-year bachelor's returns nothing here
English: IELTS 7.0 or TOEFL 100 — the highest bar in our catalogue
Cost: £40,647 first year
Intakes: Open now: January 2027

University of Sunderland — LondonOpen

United Kingdom

Every programme states a FOUR-YEAR bachelor's degree as the minimum. A three-year bachelor's — which is what most Malaysian degrees are — drops the ten open programmes to one. Bring your transcript and we will check the exact wording against your award before you pay anything.

What you need: A completed four-year bachelor's degree at 60% — a lower academic bar than any other master's route we hold
English: IELTS 6.0 or PTE 59
Cost: £32,508 first year
Intakes: Open now: November 2026 and January 2027

Johns Hopkins UniversityOpen

United States · QS =20

Postgraduate only. Eleven Johns Hopkins master's programmes are open to a Central Asian applicant through our channel; the undergraduate intake is not, checked for Uzbek, Tajik and Kazakh nationals with and without the intake filter. If you want a Hopkins bachelor's, we coach your own direct application — we cannot submit it.

If your degree is from Malaysia

A bachelor’s from MAHSA University or City University Malaysia is a full degree, and it is the qualification several hundred of our students are finishing with. What it is worth to a European admissions office is a question we are answering properly rather than guessing at: whether a university names a country, an accreditation body or a recognition list is being checked against the actual programme pages now.

Where the answer is not published — and often it is not — it gets settled by writing to admissions before you apply, not after. That is our job, not yours.

For Italy specifically, the qualification is only half of it. The DSU application is a separate submission to a regional body, with its own deadline, and it usually needs a CIMEA statement of comparability for your degree. Missing that second deadline is the most common way a strong candidate ends up with a place and no funding.

Which of these could you reach?

Four questions about your certificate, your English and your budget.

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Your certificate, your English, your budget and where you want to be. Answers on the spot, from the same catalogue.

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