Yes, you can study in Europe on a full scholarship without ever touching an IELTS or TOEFL test — programs like Stipendium Hungaricum (Hungary), Türkiye Bursları (Turkey), and several Erasmus Mundus joint master’s tracks accept alternative proof of English, such as a letter confirming your previous education was taught in English, an internal university interview, or a cheaper test like Duolingo English Test. The catch is that “no IELTS” doesn’t mean “no proof of English” — it just means the proof looks different.
I get why this question comes up so often. IELTS costs around $200-250 depending on the country, TOEFL isn’t much cheaper, and if you’re already stretching to afford application fees, translated documents, and visa paperwork, one more $200 test can feel like the thing that kills the whole plan. The good news: a decent number of European scholarship programs figured this out and built in workarounds. Let’s go through the real ones, not the recycled “top 10 scholarships” lists that just repeat the same five names with no detail.
Why do some scholarships skip IELTS and TOEFL?
Universities skip IELTS or TOEFL when they have another reliable way to confirm you can handle coursework in English — usually proof that your high school or bachelor’s degree was already taught in English, an internal placement test, or a live interview conducted in English by admissions staff.
Some countries also run bilateral scholarship programs (government-to-government agreements) where selection is based on academic merit, home-country nomination, and interviews rather than a standardized test score. Turkey and Hungary both run programs like this. The logic is simple: if you studied a full degree in English already, a $200 test isn’t proving anything new.
There’s also a practical angle. Countries like Hungary, Poland, and Turkey are actively trying to attract international students to fill seats in specific fields — engineering, medicine, agriculture — and adding an extra financial barrier like a mandatory test fee works against that goal. So they built waiver systems instead.
The best scholarships in Europe that don’t require IELTS or TOEFL
Here’s a rundown of programs I’d actually point a friend toward, with what they cover and how they handle the English requirement. Always double-check the current year’s guidelines directly on the official portal before applying — funding amounts and waiver rules shift year to year.
| Scholarship | Country | Covers | English proof alternative |
|---|---|---|---|
| Stipendium Hungaricum | Hungary | Full tuition, monthly stipend (around 43,700 HUF for bachelor’s/master’s, higher for PhD), dorm or housing allowance, health insurance | Letter from previous school confirming English-medium instruction, or an interview with the receiving Hungarian university |
| Türkiye Bursları (Turkey Scholarships) | Turkey | Full tuition, monthly stipend, free dorm, round-trip flight ticket, one-year Turkish language course | No standardized English test required at all for most placements; selection runs on academic transcripts and an interview |
| NAWA Programs (various) | Poland | Tuition waiver, monthly stipend around PLN 1,500-2,000 depending on program | Some tracks accept a certificate from your prior university stating the language of instruction was English |
| Erasmus Mundus Joint Master Degrees | Multiple EU countries | Full tuition, travel allowance, monthly stipend around €1,400, insurance | Consortium-dependent — many accept a signed letter confirming previous English-medium study instead of a test score |
| Czech Government Scholarships | Czech Republic | Tuition-free study, monthly stipend around CZK 14,000-15,000 | English proficiency confirmed through prior academic record or admissions interview, varies by faculty |
| Invest Your Talent in Italy | Italy | Tuition waiver plus partial living stipend at select Italian universities | Accepts diploma or degree certificate proving English-medium secondary or undergraduate education |
A quick note on that Erasmus Mundus row: it’s not one scholarship, it’s dozens of individual joint-degree programs (think a master’s split between a university in France, one in Portugal, and one in Poland), and each consortium sets its own admission rules. Some genuinely never ask for IELTS or TOEFL if you’ve got prior English-medium schooling. Others still want it. You have to check program by program on the official Erasmus Mundus catalogue — there’s no shortcut there.
How do you prove English proficiency without IELTS or TOEFL?
Most no-test scholarships accept one of four alternatives: a letter from your previous school confirming English was the language of instruction, a university-administered interview, a cheaper standardized alternative like Duolingo English Test, or a certificate from an accredited English course you completed.
- Medium of instruction (MOI) letter. This is the most common route. Your previous university or high school writes an official letter on letterhead stating your degree was taught entirely in English. Hungary, Poland, and several Erasmus Mundus programs accept this outright.
- Admissions interview. Turkey’s government scholarship, for example, runs interviews in English (or sometimes Turkish, depending on the program) as part of the selection process. If you can hold a real conversation about your academic background and goals, you clear this bar.
- Duolingo English Test. It costs around $59, takes about an hour, and results arrive within two days. A growing number of European universities now list it as an accepted alternative to IELTS or TOEFL, even outside the fully-no-test scholarships mentioned above.
- Prior coursework certificates. If you completed an English-language prep year, an international foundation program, or an IB diploma taught in English, keep every certificate. Admissions offices treat these as solid proof.
One thing I’d flag honestly: don’t assume “no IELTS” means “no English requirement.” A friend of mine applied to a Stipendium Hungaricum program assuming she was in the clear because her country’s schools “mostly teach in English,” then got asked for an official letter she didn’t have on hand. She had to email her old university, wait three weeks for a signed and stamped document, and nearly missed the deadline. Start collecting these letters months before you apply, not the week before.
What documents do you actually need to prepare?
Beyond the English proof, most of these scholarships want a fairly standard packet: academic transcripts, a motivation letter, two reference letters, a copy of your passport, and sometimes a research proposal if you’re applying for a master’s or PhD. Turkey and Hungary both also want a completed health form.
Here’s what tends to trip people up:
- Translations must be certified, not just Google-translated. Hungarian and Turkish programs specifically ask for notarized or sworn translations of any document not originally in English.
- Motivation letters need to be specific, not generic. Admissions committees read hundreds of these. Naming the exact professor you want to work with, or the exact research center tied to your field, moves your application up the pile.
- Deadlines are earlier than you think. Stipendium Hungaricum’s deadline typically falls in mid-January for the following September intake. Türkiye Bursları usually closes in mid-February. Missing these by even a day means waiting a full year.
Which fields have the best funding chances without IELTS or TOEFL?
Engineering, agriculture, medicine, and Turkish or Hungarian studies tend to have the highest acceptance rates and most available seats under these two government programs, since both countries actively recruit in fields facing domestic sh