Yes, you can win a fully funded scholarship without IELTS in 2027 as an international student, and not as a rare exception. Some of the biggest government scholarships in the world never ask for it; others accept a free letter from your university instead, and a growing group takes cheaper tests you can sit from home. What you should not believe is any list that names twenty scholarships as “no IELTS” without explaining the catch, because there usually is one: a scholarship not requiring IELTS is not the same as the university not requiring proof of English. In this article, we have explained the three real routes to studying abroad without IELTS, which fully funded scholarships use each route, and how to prove your English the free way.
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- Fully Funded Scholarships for International Students
- Study in the USA Without SAT
- Fully Funded Scholarships for Nigerian Students
- Fully Funded Scholarships for Pakistani Students
The Three Real Routes Around IELTS
Route 1: scholarships that never ask. Several government scholarships teach you the local language instead, with a free preparatory year built in. Your degree is then taught in Turkish, Chinese, Korean, Hungarian, Romanian, or Arabic, and English proof never enters the picture.
Route 2: the Medium of Instruction waiver. If your previous degree was taught in English, many universities accept a Medium of Instruction (MOI) certificate, a free letter from your university confirming it, in place of IELTS. This is the route most useful to students from Nigeria, Ghana, Kenya, India, Pakistan, and other countries where degrees run in English.
Route 3: alternative tests. Not strictly “without a test,” but without the cost and scarcity of IELTS. The Duolingo English Test costs a fraction of the price, is taken from home, and is now accepted by thousands of universities, especially in the USA and Canada.
Fully Funded Scholarships Without IELTS
See the scholarships at a glance
| Scholarship | English Rule |
|---|---|
| Türkiye Bursları | No IELTS asked |
| Global Korea Scholarship | No IELTS asked |
| Chinese Government Scholarship | MOI usually accepted |
| MEXT Scholarship | Own embassy tests instead |
| Romanian Government Scholarship | No IELTS, prep year |
| Saudi Government Scholarships | No IELTS, Arabic prep year |
| Chevening Scholarship | Scholarship: none. University: yes |
| Commonwealth Scholarship | Scholarship: none. University: yes |
| Stipendium Hungaricum | Set per university, MOI common |
| DAAD Scholarship | Set per programme |
| Erasmus Mundus | Set per programme |
Türkiye Bursları, no IELTS, at any stage
The Türkiye Bursları Scholarship is the cleanest case on this list. The application asks for no English test, and scholars get a free year of Turkish before their degree. Programs taught in English exist too, and for those the university may want proof, so the zero-test guarantee applies most fully to Turkish-taught study.
Global Korea Scholarship (GKS), no IELTS, extra points if you have it
The Global Korea Scholarship never requires an English test. A year of Korean language training is built into the award. If you happen to hold an English or Korean (TOPIK) score, it earns bonus points in selection, which is the fairest version of this policy anywhere: a test helps, but its absence costs you nothing.
Chinese Government Scholarship, MOI route
For the Chinese Government Scholarship, Chinese-taught programs include a free language year and ask for no English at all. English-taught programs usually accept an English proficiency certificate or MOI letter from your previous university rather than demanding IELTS, though individual universities set their own line. Under the university track, you apply directly, so check the specific university’s rules before assuming.
MEXT Scholarship, Japan tests you itself
The MEXT Scholarship does not ask for IELTS. Instead, the Embassy of Japan gives its own written English and Japanese tests during screening. You still need real English ability to pass, but you will never pay a test fee to prove it.
Romanian Government Scholarship, prep year included
The Romanian Government Scholarship requires no IELTS. Study is mainly in Romanian after a free preparatory language year, with some English-taught options where the university decides what proof it wants.
Saudi Government Scholarships, Arabic route
The Saudi Government Scholarships ask for no English test. Programs run in Arabic with a preparatory Arabic year for international students, which makes this one of the few fully funded routes where English proficiency truly never comes up.
Chevening Scholarship, the famous half-truth
Here is the caveat every “no IELTS” list hides. Chevening dropped its own English test requirement years ago, so the scholarship application genuinely needs no IELTS. But Chevening funds a UK master’s, and your UK university still sets its own English requirement for admission. Many UK universities accept alternatives, including MOI letters and, for Nigerians, WAEC English at C6 or better. So the honest statement is: no IELTS for Chevening, possibly no IELTS for the university, and the university’s page is where you find out.
Commonwealth Scholarship, same pattern as Chevening
The Commonwealth Scholarship application does not require an English test. Admission to your chosen UK university does, on that university’s terms, and the same waivers apply. Since Commonwealth candidates come from English-speaking countries by definition, MOI and national-exam waivers work here more often than almost anywhere.
Stipendium Hungaricum, university by university
For Hungary’s Stipendium Hungaricum, the scholarship sets no blanket IELTS rule, and each Hungarian university states its own English requirement per programme. Plenty accept MOI certificates or run their own entrance interviews in English instead of demanding a test, which is why Hungary keeps ranking in searches for studying without IELTS. Check the programme listing on the application portal, where the language requirement is stated per course.
DAAD and Erasmus Mundus, programme-dependent, worth checking
DAAD {#erasmus-mundus} and Erasmus Mundus both leave English requirements to individual programmes. Many demand IELTS or TOEFL, some accept MOI letters, and German-taught DAAD programmes want German instead. Neither belongs on a “no IELTS guaranteed” list, but with over a hundred Erasmus Mundus programmes and thousands of DAAD-eligible courses, the ones that accept alternatives are numerous enough to be worth hunting for.
How to Get an MOI Certificate (the Free IELTS Substitute)
The Medium of Instruction certificate is a one-page letter from the university where you did your previous degree, confirming that English was the language of instruction. Request it from your registrar or exams office, on letterhead, signed and stamped, stating your name, programme, study years, and that instruction and examination were in English. Most universities issue it within days, free or for a small administrative fee.
Two rules make it work. Ask the receiving university whether it accepts MOI before you apply, because acceptance is their choice and some cap how old your degree can be, often within the last two to five years. And get two or three original copies at once, since chasing your old registrar a second time from another continent is nobody’s idea of fun.
How to Apply Without IELTS, Step by Step
- Decide your route first: local-language study with a free prep year, an MOI waiver into English-taught study, or an alternative test like Duolingo.
- Shortlist from the scholarships above that match your route, and confirm the current rule on each official page, because English policies shift between cycles.
- If you are using MOI, request the certificate from your old university now, before any deadline pressure.
- If a target university refuses MOI, price the Duolingo English Test before defaulting to IELTS, and check the university accepts it.
- Apply through each scholarship’s official channel, exactly as its own advert directs.
Frequently Asked Questions
Which fully funded scholarship is easiest to get without IELTS?
Türkiye Bursları and the Global Korea Scholarship are the cleanest, since neither asks for any English test and both take large intakes every year. The Chinese Government Scholarship is close behind through the MOI route.
Can Nigerians study in the UK without IELTS?
Often, yes. Many UK universities accept WAEC or NECO English at C6 or better in place of IELTS, and Chevening and Commonwealth set no English test of their own. Each university decides individually, so check its international admissions page. Our guide for Nigerian students covers this in detail.
Is a Medium of Instruction certificate really accepted instead of IELTS?
By many universities, yes, and by many others, no. It is a genuine, widely used waiver, not a loophole, but the receiving university always decides. Confirm before applying, and mind any limit on how recent your degree must be.
Is the Duolingo English Test accepted for scholarships?
Widely in the USA and Canada, and increasingly elsewhere. It costs far less than IELTS and is taken from home. The scholarship usually defers to the university’s admission rules, so if the university accepts Duolingo, the scholarship generally does too.
Do I need IELTS for a student visa if the university waived it?
Usually the university’s confirmation of admission settles the language question for the visa, but a few countries run their own checks for certain visa routes. Check the specific visa requirements of your destination country once you hold an offer.
Can I study in the USA without IELTS?
Yes, at universities that accept Duolingo, TOEFL alternatives, MOI letters, or waive testing for applicants educated in English. The rules are university-by-university, and policies change often enough that you should verify each school in the same season you apply.
