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An overseas PhD fellowship commonly combines tuition support with a living stipend, but the package may also include insurance, travel, research or relocation support—and each benefit has limits. Visa charges, living-cost shortfalls, some research expenses, family costs and time beyond the funded period may still be yours. The award letter and the scheme’s current terms, not the phrase “fully funded,” determine what is paid.
What does an overseas PhD fellowship usually cover?
There is no universal definition of “funded.” Official awards bundle different benefits, and a benefit can be paid directly, provided as an allowance or reimbursed only after approval. Treat each item as a separate promise to verify.
- Tuition: a full or partial fee payment or waiver, sometimes limited to specified years or fee categories.
- Living costs: a stipend paid on a stated schedule. It is not automatically enough to meet every cost in the host city.
- Insurance: health cover for the student, and sometimes a family option or dependant coverage.
- Travel and relocation: flights, study travel or a relocation grant, often subject to caps, approval or purpose restrictions.
- Research: fieldwork, research materials or conference budgets, which may be conditional or limited.
- Family support: an allowance may be available, but it may be only a contribution rather than full support.
For example, the Commonwealth PhD Scholarship lists approved tuition, a stipend, approved return airfare, study travel, conditional fieldwork support, and specified home-visit and family allowances. The Commission says its approved full tuition fees are covered by agreement with the UK university; its family allowances are only a contribution and may fall well short of actual costs.
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Is the stipend enough to live on?
A stipend is a defined payment, not a guarantee that every living expense will be met. Check its amount, payment frequency, covered months, start date, duration and renewal conditions, then compare it with the costs where you will live. Ask whether payments continue through summer or between academic terms and when the first payment will arrive; the official examples do not establish one universal schedule.
Published amounts illustrate how specific a figure is to an award. The Commonwealth Scholarship Commission lists current stipend levels of £1,712 per month outside London and £2,000 per month in the London metropolitan area on its scholarship page, accessed in 2026. The University of Technology Sydney lists a tax-free stipend of AUD 40,500 per annum commencing 1 January 2026 for its named International Research Training Program Scholarship. These are scheme figures, not general estimates of what a PhD student needs to live on; confirm the terms and rate for your intake.
Renewal may be conditional. INSEAD describes a five-year fellowship package, with annual renewal contingent on satisfactory progress. Its page lists annual stipends of €32,960 at the Europe campus and S$57,680 at the Asia campus, while noting that support is reviewed and referring to August 2024 information. Confirm the current amount and conditions with the programme.
Does a fully funded PhD cover tuition for every year?
Do not assume “full tuition” means every fee, every registration period or every year until the thesis is finished. Confirm your fee classification, which mandatory charges are included, how many years are covered, and what happens during continuation, extension or resubmission. A tuition waiver or direct fee payment is also different from cash paid to you.
The St Andrews–Macquarie joint doctoral scholarship illustrates why duration and location matter: it describes tuition support during the St Andrews period and an Australian tuition scholarship during joint enrolment at Macquarie. The award is for up to 3.5 years and has distinct location periods. Its page says continuation, extension or resubmission fees are not covered unless specified otherwise. By contrast, UTS lists tuition fees for up to 3.5 PhD years for its named scholarship. Read the exact award terms rather than inferring coverage from another scheme.
Does the scholarship pay for health insurance and dependants?
“Health insurance included” does not by itself tell you who is insured, for how long, or whether visa-related health charges are covered. Check whether the policy is single or family cover, when it begins and ends, and whether accompanying dependants need separate cover.
UTS lists single or family Overseas Student Health Cover for the duration of its program. INSEAD lists international health insurance in its fellowship package. The University of Melbourne’s Faculty of Business and Economics describes one doctoral package with OSHC, while other graduate research scholarship descriptions refer to single OSHC. These are different named arrangements, not a promise that every scholarship at those institutions includes the same cover.
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These benefits are among the most variable. Check whether a payment is an allowance or a reimbursement, whether you need advance approval, what receipts are required, and any cap or restriction on purpose. Do not count an expense as covered unless the terms say so.
The St Andrews–Macquarie scholarship lists an airfare allowance capped at AUD 4,000 for UK–Australia flights. Its terms exclude travel, immigration, health-insurance and related charges between the partner institutions unless specified otherwise. The Commonwealth award lists approved airfare and study travel support, while fieldwork support is conditional. The University of Melbourne describes a relocation grant in one Faculty of Business and Economics package; other graduate research scholarships may include research-related travel or top-ups. Benefits vary by award.
The International Institute of Social Studies at Erasmus University Rotterdam separates costs including tuition, insurance, visa/work-permit charges, living costs and fieldwork in its PhD cost schedule; it notes that some other costs can be refunded on supervisors’ advice. Its current page, accessed in 2026, gives estimates of €32,000 tuition over four years, approximately €2,000 health insurance over four years, €1,000 for a visa/work permit, €44,100 living costs over 36 months and €13,650 fieldwork over 12 months. Those are that institute’s stated estimates and costs, not a fellowship package or a general budget for the Netherlands.
Independent reader supportYour contribution helps us test, update, and keep practical guides available for everyone.What costs might you have to pay yourself?
Make a budget for anything not explicitly included, and ask about upfront expenses as well as total costs. Examples in the official pages include visa or work-permit charges, insurance, living costs, fieldwork, study materials, research expenses, travel and costs during an extension or resubmission. These examples show possible exclusions, not a universal list: an award may cover some and omit others.
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Family costs need particular attention. Even when an award has a family allowance or family insurance option, verify who qualifies and what costs remain personal. The Commonwealth Scholarship Commission expressly cautions that its family allowances are contributions and that actual costs are likely to be considerably higher.
Also plan for timing. A scholarship can promise support without establishing when the first payment arrives. Ask the administrator when funds start and which pre-arrival expenses—such as travel, deposits, insurance or immigration charges—you must pay before then. No general cash-reserve amount applies across awards.
How to compare two fellowship offers
Put both written offers side by side and compare these terms before accepting:
| Item | What to verify |
|---|---|
| Tuition | Fee classification, exact fee items, mandatory charges and whether the amount covers each funded year. |
| Duration | End date and treatment of continuation, extension, resubmission or time beyond the award term. |
| Stipend | Amount, payment schedule, months covered, start date, renewal process and conditions for ending support. |
| Insurance | Type of policy, coverage dates, dependants and any separate visa-related health payment. |
| Travel and relocation | Eligible journeys, caps, approval requirements, receipts and reimbursement timing. |
| Research support | Fieldwork, materials and conference budgets; eligibility, approval and spending rules. |
| Other costs | Visa/work-permit charges, deposits, family expenses and other upfront costs not expressly covered. |
Before accepting, send the funder or graduate office specific questions:
Quick Recap
- Does the tuition award cover my fee classification and all mandatory university charges for every funded year?
- What dates does the stipend cover, when is the first payment, and does it continue in summer or between terms?
- Is renewal automatic or conditional on progress? What conditions could end the award?
- Does the insurance include dependants, and is any mandatory visa-related health payment included?
- Are flights, visa or work-permit costs, relocation, deposits, fieldwork, research materials and conferences covered or reimbursable? What approvals and receipts are required?
- What happens if I need an extension, resubmission or time beyond the stated award term?
- If family members accompany me, which benefits apply and which costs remain mine?
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