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    GradsMatch

    Guide

    Funded Master's Programs

    Master's programs that are fully tuition-free or that flag scholarship funding. Includes Germany, the Nordics, and programs with universal fellowships, ranked by verified cost.

    Last updated: June 25, 2026

    "Fully funded master's" typically means one of two things: tuition-free programs (common in Germany, the Nordics, and a few other public-university systems) or programs that advertise scholarship funding for master's students directly. Both are pooled below, with tuition-free options ranked first and scholarship-flagged options sorted by lowest verified cost after.

    GradsMatch tracks 53 funded master's programs, of which 53 are tuition-free. Consider pairing any of these with an external fellowship from the fellowships catalog to cover living expenses.

    Funded programs

    #ProgramSchoolModalityTuition
    1Advanced Materials ScienceLMU MunichMunich, DE
    in-person
    Tuition-free
    2Aisthesis: Historische Kunst- und Literaturdiskurse120 crLMU MunichMünchen, DE
    in-person
    Tuition-free
    3Allgemeine und Vergleichende Literaturwissenschaft120 crLMU MunichMünchen, DE
    in-person
    Tuition-free
    4Altorientalistik120 crLMU MunichMünchen, DE
    in-person
    Tuition-free
    5American History, Culture and Society120 crLMU MunichMunich, DE
    in-person
    Tuition-free
    6Antike Philosophie120 crLMU MunichMünchen, DE
    in-person
    Tuition-free
    7Astrophysik120 crLMU MunichMunich, DE
    in-person
    Tuition-free
    8Balkanphilologie120 crLMU MunichMünchen, DE
    in-person
    Tuition-free
    9Betriebswirtschaftliche Forschung120 crLMU MunichMünchen, DE
    in-person
    Tuition-free
    10Betriebswirtschaftslehre120 crLMU MunichMunich, DE
    in-person
    Tuition-free
    11Biochemie120 crLMU MunichMunich, DE
    in-person
    Tuition-free
    12Bioinformatik120 crLMU MunichMunich, DE
    in-person
    Tuition-free
    13Biologie120 crLMU MunichMunich, DE
    in-person
    Tuition-free
    14Biostatistik120 crLMU MunichMunich, DE
    in-person
    Tuition-free
    15Buchwissenschaft: Buch- und Medienforschung120 crLMU MunichMünchen, DE
    in-person
    Tuition-free
    16Buchwissenschaft: Verlagspraxis120 crLMU MunichMünchen, DE
    in-person
    Tuition-free
    17Byzantinistik120 crLMU MunichMünchen, DE
    in-person
    Tuition-free
    18Chemie120 crLMU MunichMunich, DE
    in-person
    Tuition-free
    19Computerlinguistik120 crLMU MunichMünchen, DE
    in-person
    Tuition-free
    20Cultural and Cognitive Linguistics120 crLMU MunichMünchen, DE
    in-person
    Tuition-free
    21Deutsch als Fremdsprache120 crLMU MunichMünchen, DE
    in-person
    Tuition-free
    22Dramaturgie120 crLMU MunichMünchen, DE
    in-person
    Tuition-free
    23English Studies120 crLMU MunichMunich, DE
    in-person
    Tuition-free
    24Evolution, Ecology and Systematics120 crLMU MunichMunich, DE
    in-person
    Tuition-free
    25Finno-ugric Studies120 crLMU MunichMünchen, DE
    in-person
    Tuition-free
    26Germanistische Linguistik120 crLMU MunichMünchen, DE
    in-person
    Tuition-free
    27Germanistische Literaturwissenschaft120 crLMU MunichMünchen, DE
    in-person
    Tuition-free
    28Geschichte120 crLMU MunichMünchen, DE
    in-person
    Tuition-free
    29Griechische Philologie120 crLMU MunichMünchen, DE
    in-person
    Tuition-free
    30Human Biology - Principles of Health and Disease120 crLMU MunichMunich, DE
    in-person
    Tuition-free
    31Italienische Studien120 crLMU MunichMünchen, DE
    in-person
    Tuition-free
    32Klassische Archäologie120 crLMU MunichMünchen, DE
    in-person
    Tuition-free
    33Kunstgeschichte120 crLMU MunichMünchen, DE
    in-person
    Tuition-free
    34Lateinische Philologie120 crLMU MunichMünchen, DE
    in-person
    Tuition-free
    35Logik und Wissenschaftstheorie120 crLMU MunichMunich, DE
    in-person
    Tuition-free
    36Neuro-Cognitive Psychology120 crLMU MunichMunich, DE
    in-person
    Tuition-free
    37Philosophie120 crLMU MunichMunich, DE
    in-person
    Tuition-free
    38Phonetik und Sprachverarbeitung120 crLMU MunichMünchen, DE
    in-person
    Tuition-free
    39Physik120 crLMU MunichMünchen, DE
    in-person
    Tuition-free
    40Politikwissenschaft120 crLMU MunichMunich, DE
    in-person
    Tuition-free
    41Quantitative Economics120 crLMU MunichMunich, DE
    in-person
    Tuition-free
    42Romanistik120 crLMU MunichMünchen, DE
    in-person
    Tuition-free
    43Sinologie120 crLMU MunichMünchen, DE
    in-person
    Tuition-free
    44Skandinavistik120 crLMU MunichMünchen, DE
    in-person
    Tuition-free
    45Slavische Philologie120 crLMU MunichMünchen, DE
    in-person
    Tuition-free
    46Soziologie120 crLMU MunichMunich, DE
    in-person
    Tuition-free
    47Statistik120 crLMU MunichMunich, DE
    in-person
    Tuition-free
    48Theaterwissenschaft120 crLMU MunichMünchen, DE
    in-person
    Tuition-free
    49Theoretische Philosophie120 crLMU MunichMünchen, DE
    in-person
    Tuition-free
    50Volkswirtschaftslehre120 crLMU MunichMunich, DE
    in-person
    Tuition-free
    51Ägyptologie und Koptologie120 crLMU MunichMünchen, DE
    in-person
    Tuition-free
    52Master of Fine Arts in Directing27 crNorthwestern UniversityEvanston, US
    in-person
    Tuition-free
    53Master of Fine Arts in Stage ManagementYale UniversityNew Haven, US
    in-person
    Tuition-free

    USD figures are converted from each program's native currency at the FX rate on the day it was last verified. Switch to "Native currency" to see the school's published price.

    Frequently asked questions

    What does 'fully funded master's' actually mean?
    Two overlapping things. First, tuition-free: the program has zero sticker tuition because it's at a public university in a country (Germany, Norway, Finland, France at public universities) that doesn't charge its residents or, in some cases, anyone. Second, scholarship-funded: the program advertises program-wide scholarships, assistantships, or fellowships that reduce or eliminate cost for admitted students. The list above pools both.
    Are funded master's degrees available in the US?
    Rarely, and mostly at top research universities offering MS degrees attached to departments that fund PhD pipelines. Stanford, MIT, Caltech, Berkeley, and a handful of others fund some master's students as research or teaching assistants. Most US master's are unfunded by design because the school's PhD students absorb the funding budget. If funding is the goal, you usually want Europe or a PhD.
    Where are tuition-free master's programs?
    Germany (all public universities, modest semester fees of ~300 euros), Norway (free for EU/EEA; Norwegian-taught, with some English programs), Finland (free for EU/EEA, mid-tier tuition for non-EU), France (very low public-university tuition capped by the state), and Iceland. The Netherlands and Sweden charge international students tuition but at rates far below US/UK levels.
    Do I need to speak the local language?
    Not usually. Germany and the Netherlands have large selections of English-taught programs. Norway and Finland have fewer English options but they exist at the major research universities. France has strong English-taught master's at grandes écoles and Sciences Po. Check each program's language of instruction; it's a required field in GradsMatch so the filter is reliable.
    What about fellowships?
    Fellowships are a separate funding source on top of (or instead of) school-offered funding. GradsMatch maintains a catalog of 53+ master's-eligible fellowships at /fellowships including Fulbright, Rhodes, Knight-Hennessy, Chevening, DAAD, and university-specific options like Clarendon (Oxford) and Gates Cambridge. Each program detail page also surfaces the fellowships that fund that country.