Master's scholarships: strategies for choosing majors, choosing schools and contacting professors

🔄 Cập nhật lần cuối: 08/10/26

The graduate level has more funding than the undergraduate level, but also requires a clearer strategy. Hunting for effective master's scholarships does not start with a list of scholarships, but from answering: what are you studying for, what programs serve that goal and what funding sources fit your profile. The article goes through each step, including how to properly contact a professor.

Choosing a major when hunting for a master's scholarship: start with your career goals

The graduate scholarship committee always asks "why this industry, why now". Choosing a convincing industry is a logical choice based on the past (education, experience) and future (desired job position). A few principles:

• Identify a specific job position after 3–5 years, then find out what the person in that position is studying.
• Changing fields (e.g. from engineering to public policy) is still possible if you explain the motivation and have experience bridging the gap.
• Sponsor's priority field: many government scholarships have priority fields. Chevening, for example, candidates ask to explain how the course contributes to priority areas such as growth, climate resilience, security and stability and inclusive development.

If you are interested in a specific industry group, you can refer to it STEM scholarships or Business, economics, MBA scholarships.

Research or applied master's: impact on scholarships

Important point: in the US, tuition-free teaching assistant/research assistant (TA/RA) positions are mainly reserved for graduate students. For example, the University of Colorado Boulder's Department of Computer Science notes that financial aid is “rarely” available to master's students, and when it is, research masters are preferred. So, for applied masters, you should focus on government scholarships and school scholarships.

Select school and country

Going from a scholarship or going from school?

• Government scholarships (Chevening, Fulbright, Australia Awards...): choose the scholarship first, then choose a school within the scope of the accepted scholarship.
• School scholarships: choose a school with suitable programs and generous scholarship policies for international students.
• Multi-country joint programs like Erasmus Mundus: you apply directly to the consortium; The program has the participation of at least 3 educational institutions in at least 3 countries. The scholarship covers participation costs and supports travel, visa, and living expenses. Most programs accept applications between October and January for the following school year.

School selection criteria

1. Does the program content: subjects, projects, and internships match the goals?
2. Faculty research strengths, not just the school's overall ranking.
3. Total costs after scholarship (tuition + living expenses by city).
4. National post-graduation work policy.
5. Alumni network in Vietnam.

Compare countries in more detail in the article Compare scholarships from other countries.

Contacting professors: when and how

When should I contact you?

Contacting professors is especially important for research masters and programs where professors recruit people for sponsored projects (common in Germany, Japan, Korea, Canada, some schools in the US, Australia). With applied master's, professor emails are often unnecessary and may not be answered.

How to write effective emails

1. Carefully read the professor's recent work (2–3 latest articles).
2. Clear title: “Prospective MSc student – ​​interest in [topic]”.
3. Short content (150–250 words): who you are, what your research interests are, relevant experience, specific questions (are you accepting students next year, are there sponsored positions).
4. Attach CV – see How to write an academic CV.
5. Repeat once after 1–2 weeks if there is no response; Do not send identical emails to many professors in the same department.

This skill is even more important at the doctoral level – see article PhD scholarships: how to write a research proposal and email your professor.

Frequently asked questions

Do I need work experience to apply for a master's scholarship?

Depends on the scholarship. Chevening requires a minimum of two years of experience (equivalent to 2,800 hours); Fulbright in previous applications also required work experience. Many school scholarships do not require it.

How many schools should I submit?

Usually 4–8 schools, divided into "dream - suitable - safe" groups. Profile quality is more important than quantity.

Does a 1-year master's degree in the UK get many scholarships?

There are many partial school scholarships and government scholarships such as Chevening. See analysis in the article Master's scholarship in the UK for 1 year.

What if the professor doesn't respond to emails?

This is quite normal because professors are very busy. You can still apply through the official process; With the application program, professor feedback is not required.

Conclusion

Master's scholarships are for people who have a strategy: know what they are studying for, choose the right type of program and the right funding source, and contact professors when they really need it. When the profile journey ends, VeDuHoc accompanies the flight - see air tickets to study abroad or call hotline/Zalo 090.1800.918.

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