The demand for AI, machine learning, and data science talent is exploding across Europe—from autonomous systems and medical imaging to NLP, cyber, and fintech analytics. The problem? World‑class MSc and PhD programs can be expensive (and competitive), with dozens of funding schemes, shifting deadlines, and fine print that’s easy to miss. The solution: this guide curates the best AI & data science scholarships in Europe for 2025, explains eligibility and coverage in plain English, and gives you a proven plan to build a fully funded package (tuition + stipend + insurance) for your master’s or doctorate.
What you’ll get:
- A vetted list of fully funded and high‑value scholarships for AI, ML, and data science in Europe (MSc, PhD)
- Country‑by‑country highlights (Germany, France, Netherlands, Sweden, Finland, Switzerland, Italy, Spain, Belgium, Ireland, Denmark, Norway)
- Deadlines, documents, and a 12–18 month timeline
- Application tactics that win—portfolio, research plan, and supervisor outreach
Note: Benefits and rules change yearly. Always confirm on official scholarship and university pages before you apply.
How to Use This Guide
- Shortlist fast: Start with the At‑a‑Glance table of major AI & data science scholarships in Europe.
- Deep dive: Open country sections for university‑specific awards and government funding.
- Plan your year: Follow the month‑by‑month timeline and documents checklist.
- Maximize funding: Use the stacking strategy (university merit + government fellowship + research job), especially for MSc → PhD pathways.
AI & Data Science Scholarships in Europe (At‑a‑Glance, 2025)
These programs consistently fund international students in AI/ML, computer vision, NLP, robotics, big data, and analytics.
| Scholarship/Program | Level | Countries | What’s Covered (typical) | Deadline Window |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Erasmus Mundus Joint Masters (EMJM) | MSc | Multi‑country EU | Full tuition, €1,000–€1,400/mo stipend, travel/insurance | Oct–Jan (varies by consortium) |
| DAAD Study Scholarships (Germany) | MSc | Germany | Stipend, insurance, travel; low/zero tuition at public unis | Sep–Dec (by program) |
| MSCA Doctoral Networks (Marie Skłodowska‑Curie) | PhD | EU/Associated | Full salary + mobility allowance (employment contracts) | Calls all year; project‑specific |
| Eiffel Excellence Scholarship (France) | MSc/PhD | France | Monthly stipend + travel; tuition often waived by host | Oct–Jan (via host uni) |
| Swedish Institute (SISGP) | MSc | Sweden | Tuition, stipend, insurance, travel | Feb (annual call) |
| ETH Zurich ESOP | MSc | Switzerland | Full tuition waiver + living stipend | Nov–Dec (early round) |
| EPFL Excellence Fellowships | MSc | Switzerland | Tuition support + stipend (varies) | Dec–Apr (by school) |
| TU Delft Justus & Louise van Effen | MSc | Netherlands | Full tuition + monthly allowance | Nov–Dec (priority) |
| University of Amsterdam AES | MSc | Netherlands | Full tuition + stipend | Jan (varies) |
| KTH Scholarships | MSc | Sweden | Tuition waivers; SISGP stacks for stipend | Dec–Jan |
| Chalmers IPOET | MSc | Sweden | 75% tuition waiver (some 85–100%) | Jan |
| Finland Scholarship | MSc | Finland | 100% tuition + €5,000 first‑year grant | With admissions |
| GOI‑IES (Ireland) | MSc | Ireland | €10k stipend + fee waivers by host | Mar–Apr |
| Italian DSU regional grants | MSc | Italy | Tuition waiver + stipend/housing | Jul–Oct (region) |
| Barcelona GSE Scholarships | MSc | Spain | Full/partial tuition; limited stipends | Jan–Mar |
| KU Leuven Science@Leuven | MSc | Belgium | Tuition + stipend (varies) | Feb |
| Helmut Veith Stipend (TU Wien) | MSc (women in CS) | Austria | €6,000/year + tuition waiver | Nov |
| EIT Digital Master School | MSc | Multiple EU nodes | Tuition scholarships/fee reductions; mobility grants | Feb–Apr |
| DeepMind Scholarships (select unis) | MSc | UK/EU | Full tuition + stipend; underrepresented groups | Sep–Nov (school‑run) |
Tip: EMJM, MSCA, and ETH ESOP are among the most generous for fully funded routes; combine university merit with national scholarships (SISGP, Eiffel, Finland Scholarship) to reach “tuition + stipend.”
 |
| AI and Data Science Scholarships in Europe |
Fully Funded Master’s Routes in AI & Data Science
Erasmus Mundus Joint Masters (EMJM)
- Why it’s strong: Full tuition, monthly stipend, travel/installation, insurance, and study at 2–3 partner universities.
- AI/DS‑related consortia examples (verify current calls):
- Big Data Management and Analytics (BDMA)
- Erasmus Mundus in Artificial Intelligence (EMAI)
- Image Processing & Computer Vision (IPCV)
- SECCLO (Security and Cloud Computing) with analytics/ML overlap
- Tips:
- Align your background with the consortium’s specialization (CV/NLP/robotics, big data, HCI).
- Submit a portfolio: GitHub, Kaggle medals, papers, or competition results.
- References that cite quantified outcomes (benchmarks, model metrics) stand out.
ETH Zurich Excellence Scholarship & Opportunity Programme (ESOP)
- Coverage: Full tuition + living stipend.
- Fit: Top applicants with strong math/CS/EE backgrounds and research experience.
- Tips:
- Show deep theoretical strength (linear algebra, optimization, probability) and practical ML (PyTorch/JAX).
- Provide evidence (publications, code repos, internships, letters from recognized researchers).
Sweden: SISGP + KTH/Chalmers/Lund/Uppsala Waivers
- Coverage: SISGP = tuition + stipend + insurance; university scholarships = tuition.
- Strategy: Apply for a university tuition waiver and SISGP to cover living costs.
- Fit: Leadership and sustainability impact are key—map AI for climate, health, or inclusion.
France: Eiffel Excellence + Tuition Waivers
- Coverage: Eiffel stipend; many public universities waive tuition for Eiffel scholars.
- Fit: MSc in AI/Data/ML at top French institutions (e.g., PSL/Paris‑Saclay, Grenoble INP, Télécom Paris, Sorbonne).
- Tips:
- Apply through your host program—Eiffel is institution‑nominated.
- Emphasize innovation and potential for impact in France/EU ecosystems.
Netherlands & Finland
- TU Delft (J&L van Effen), UvA AES, Leiden LExS, Eindhoven scholarships; Finland Scholarship (Aalto, University of Helsinki, LUT, etc.).
- Strategy: Target schools with strong AI labs (UvA Informatics, Delft CV, Eindhoven ML systems, Aalto ML/DA).
- Tips: Early rounds matter; GRE rarely required but quant excellence is expected.
Fully Funded PhD Paths in AI, ML, and Data Science
MSCA Doctoral Networks (Marie Skłodowska‑Curie)
- Why: Fully salaried PhD positions with mobility across Europe, generous allowances, and industry collaboration.
- How to find: Search EURAXESS and institution pages for AI/ML/Data Science MSCA DN positions throughout the year.
- Strength: Employment contract (not a stipend); international training network; secondments.
Nationally Funded Doctoral Positions
- Germany: Doctoral researcher (TV‑L E13) in DFG clusters, Max Planck, Helmholtz, Fraunhofer, TUM/LMU/TU9 labs (CVPR/NeurIPS/ICLR‑publishing groups).
- France: INRIA, CNRS, ANR projects (LIP6, LORIA, Inria teams).
- Switzerland: ETH/EPFL doctoral schools; Idiap, EMPA; fully funded.
- Netherlands: TU Delft, UvA, TUE, TUDS with salaried PhDs.
- Belgium: KU Leuven/IMEC AI positions (hardware‑AI, edge ML, CV/NLP).
- Spain: Barcelona Supercomputing Center, UPF/UB AI labs; Severo Ochoa fellowships.
- Italy: Doctoral scholarships via PNRR, Politecnico di Milano/Torino AI labs, Sapienza, Bologna.
- Ireland: SFI Centres for Research Training (CRT) in AI/Data; GOI‑based PhD funding lines.
- Nordics: KTH/Chalmers/LiU/Lund, Aalto/Tampere, DTU/Aarhus—salaried openings.
UK and pan‑European programs (Europe region)
- DeepMind Scholarships (UCL, Edinburgh, Imperial, Sheffield, etc.) for MSc; Doctoral Training Programmes (CDTs) in AI (note: UK is outside the EU but within Europe; eligibility varies).
- ELLIS PhD Program (European Laboratory for Learning and Intelligent Systems): Top AI network across Europe; co‑supervision and mobility.
Tips for PhD:
- Email supervisors with a 1–2 page concept note, 3–5 bullet contributions, links to code/papers, and how your skills fit their lab roadmap.
- Demonstrate readiness: top‑tier venues or strong applied achievements (benchmark leadership, industrial deployments).
Country Highlights: Where AI & Data Funding Shines
Germany
- Tuition: Low/zero at public universities; student fees ~€150–€350/semester.
- Funding: DAAD (Study Scholarships; Research Grants), DLR‑DAAD (robotics, aero, energy, mobility), industry chairs (BMW, Bosch, Siemens).
- Labs: TUM (CAMP/MCML), LMU (CIS), MPI (Intelligent Systems), KIT, RWTH, TU Berlin.
- Bonus: DAAD often includes health insurance, travel, and sometimes language courses.
France
- Funding: Eiffel (stipend + tuition waivers), LABEX/ANR projects, CIFRE PhDs (industry).
- Labs: Inria, PSL/ENS, Sorbonne, Télécom Paris, CentraleSupélec, Grenoble INP, Univ Lyon.
- Strengths: Computer vision, robotics, optimization, privacy, medical imaging.
Netherlands
- Funding: TU Delft J&L, AES (UvA), LExS (Leiden), Orange Tulip (country‑specific), university waivers; salaried PhDs.
- Labs: UvA (CVA/QUVA), TU Delft (CV/robotics), TUE (embedded AI), Radboud (Donders ML).
- Strength: Strong industry links (ASML, Philips, Booking, Adyen).
Sweden
- Funding: SISGP (stipend) + KTH/Chalmers/Lund waivers; salaried PhDs.
- Labs: KTH, Chalmers, Uppsala, Lund; RISE, Wallenberg AI, Autonomous Systems and Software Program (WASP).
- Bonus: Industry‑PhD tracks and English‑taught programs.
Finland
- Funding: Finland Scholarship (tuition + €5,000), university waivers; salaried PhDs.
- Labs: Aalto (ML/DL), University of Helsinki (HIIT), LUT (data engineering).
- Edge: AI for edge/5G, privacy, Bayesian ML.
Switzerland
- Funding: ETH ESOP (MSc), EPFL Excellence; fully funded PhDs.
- Labs: ETH AI Center, EPFL (CVLab, LTS), Idiap; strong robotics, CV, NLP, ML theory.
- Cost: High living costs—funding is essential.
Italy
- Funding: DSU regional grants (tuition waiver + living), merit at Polimi/PoliTo, Bologna/Sapienza; PNRR PhD lines.
- Labs: Politecnico di Milano (AI/ML), University of Bologna, Sapienza CV/robotics, FBK Trento.
- Value: Lower living costs + DSU can be fully funded.
Spain/Portugal
- Funding: Barcelona GSE (tuition + stipends), Severo Ochoa/La Caixa fellowships; FCT grants in Portugal.
- Labs: UPC/UB/UPF (Barcelona), UPM/UC3M (Madrid), NOVA/Técnico Lisboa (Lisbon), INESC‑ID, INESC TEC.
- Edge: Data science for econ/finance, HCI, industrial analytics.
Belgium/Ireland/Austria/Denmark/Norway
- Belgium: KU Leuven Science@Leuven; IMEC/imec.ic; salaried PhDs.
- Ireland: GOI‑IES (€10k + fee waivers), SFI CRTs; ADAPT, Insight centres.
- Austria: TU Wien Helmut Veith (women in CS), ISTA (fully funded PhDs).
- Denmark/Norway: DTU/Aarhus/AU; UiO/NTNU/UiB—salaried PhDs, limited MSc waivers; verify tuition policy for non‑EU (Norway changed in 2023).
Documents Checklist (AI & Data Science)
- Academic transcripts & degree certificates (certified, translations if needed)
- CV (2–3 pages): projects with metrics; GitHub/ArXiv/Google Scholar/Kaggle links
- Statement of purpose/motivation letter (tailored per program/scholarship)
- Portfolio: 2–4 flagship projects (readme, notebooks, demo links, model metrics, ablations)
- Two to three recommendations (professor/PI/industry lead) with concrete outcomes
- Language tests: IELTS/TOEFL (or waivers); some require B2/C1 for local language courses
- GRE (rarely required in Europe; include only if strong and requested)
- Research proposal (for PhD/MS‑thesis tracks)
- Passport + financial docs for visa (scholarship letters reduce proof of funds)
- Extra: Published papers, patents, awards, hackathon wins
CTA:
- Download an AI/data science CV + statement template (Google Docs)
12–18 Month Timeline (2025 Intake)
18–15 months
- Shortlist 10–12 programs + 6–8 scholarships (EMJM, ESOP, SISGP, Eiffel, Finland, TU Delft).
- Build portfolio: ship 2–3 repos (clean code, README, experiments).
- Contact potential PhD supervisors (for PhD tracks) with a concise concept note.
15–12 months
- Sit IELTS/TOEFL; collect and certify transcripts.
- Apply to EMJM consortia (Oct–Jan) and tuition‑waiver schemes (ETH/EPFL/TU Delft/KTH).
- Begin Eiffel/SISGP/Finland Scholarship materials if eligible.
12–9 months
- Submit DAAD Study Scholarships; university applications (priority rounds).
- Prepare interviews (technical: ML math, CV/NLP basics; behavioral: impact stories).
9–6 months
- Compare offers; request reconsideration with competing awards.
- Confirm co‑funding rules (can you stack government + university?).
6–0 months
- Visa, proof of funds, student health insurance; arrange housing.
- Pre‑arrival math camp refreshers; calibrate compute access (GPU credits, colab, on‑prem).
CTA:
- Grab the 12‑month Europe scholarship tracker (Google Sheet)
Application Strategy: Make Your AI Profile Irresistible
H3: Metrics > Adjectives
- Replace “strong” with numbers:
- “Improved F1 from 0.71 → 0.83 on imbalanced dataset (AUC +8.9 pts)”
- “Compressed ResNet latency 3.1× via quantization/distillation with <1 pp accuracy loss”
- “Deployed anomaly detection (PySpark) reducing false positives 42% on 40M rows/day”
H3: Portfolio & Open‑Source
- Curate 2–4 repos:
- One end‑to‑end ML pipeline (data → model → eval → API)
- One research‑style project (paper + code; ablations)
- One systems/data engineering (Spark/Dask/DBT/Kafka)
- Add README with dataset, metric, environment, and ethical considerations.
H3: Research Fit (PhD)
- State 1–2 questions you’ll pursue with the target lab; cite their recent papers.
- Show you’ve read methods sections; propose concrete ablation/hypothesis tests.
H3: Essays with Impact
- Use the “Problem → Method → Result → Future” arc.
- Map your AI work to societal outcomes (privacy, fairness, sustainability, health).
Build a Fully Funded Package (Stacking Examples)
Example A (MSc EMJM)
- EMJM scholarship → full tuition + stipend + travel → fully funded.
Example B (ETH ESOP)
- ESOP → tuition + stipend; add small lab RA → comfortable living in Zurich.
Example C (Sweden)
- KTH tuition waiver + SISGP stipend + housing guarantee → fully funded.
Example D (Netherlands)
- TU Delft J&L full tuition + € living allowance; summer internship at ASML/Adyen fills extras.
Example E (Germany)
- DAAD Study Scholarship + no tuition + student dorm → effectively fully funded.
Example F (France)
- Eiffel stipend + tuition waived by host + lab RA → fully funded.
Always confirm stackability in writing; some awards adjust if you add external funds.
Budget, Visas, and Insurance (Quick Guide)
- Proof of funds: Scholarship letters usually satisfy visa financial proof; otherwise check country amounts (e.g., Germany blocked account thresholds; France “attestation de prise en charge”; Netherlands IND amounts).
- Health insurance: Often mandatory (e.g., Germany statutory student plan ~€120–€130/month; France Assurance Maladie + mutuelle; Netherlands basic insurance if you work; local student plans in Nordics).
- Housing: Apply early for dorms; major AI hubs (Zurich, Amsterdam, Stockholm, Paris) are competitive.
- Travel: Book flights early; student discounts on trains (Interrail, national rail cards).
Monetization‑friendly CTAs:
- Compare student health insurance by country
- Open a Germany‑approved blocked account online
- Book student housing near campus with flexible leases
Common Mistakes (and Easy Fixes)
- Missing early scholarship rounds (EMJM, ESOP, SISGP close months before admissions).
- Generic SOP without research or lab fit—always cite recent papers/projects.
- Weak portfolio: private repos or no README; publish clean, replicable code.
- Ignoring stackability rules; losing part of your award—ask before you accept.
- Overlooking visa/insurance timelines; late proof of funds.
- Underestimating math prep (linear algebra, probability, optimization); brush up.
FAQs: AI & Data Science Scholarships in Europe (Schema‑Friendly)
Q1: What are the best fully funded AI & data science scholarships in Europe?
A1: Erasmus Mundus Joint Masters (full tuition + stipend), MSCA Doctoral Networks (salaried PhDs), ETH Zurich ESOP (MSc), EPFL Excellence Fellowships, Swedish Institute (tuition + stipend), Eiffel (stipend + tuition waivers), TU Delft J&L, DAAD Study Scholarships (tuition‑light Germany). Many can make your degree fully funded.Q2: Can I get a stipend for a master’s, not just tuition?
A2: Yes—EMJM, SISGP, Eiffel (with host waiver), some TU Delft/Netherlands awards, and country grants provide stipends. In Germany/Italy, low tuition + DAAD/DSU can cover living costs.Q3: Are PhD positions paid in Europe?
A3: Generally yes. MSCA Doctoral Networks and most national PhD posts are salaried employment contracts (with benefits). Switzerland, Germany, Netherlands, and Nordics offer strong PhD salaries.Q4: Do I need GRE for AI/data science master’s in Europe?
A4: Usually no, though some programs accept or encourage it. Focus on math readiness, portfolio, references, and fit.Q5: How competitive is ETH ESOP or EMJM AI?
A5: Very. Top grades in math/CS, strong ML projects/research, and excellent references are essential. Submit clean, replicable code and measurable outcomes.Q6: Can I stack scholarships?
A6: Often yes (e.g., tuition waiver + national stipend), but rules vary. Confirm stackability with both funders in writing before accepting.Q7: What should my AI portfolio include?
A7: 2–4 public repos with end‑to‑end ML pipelines, a research‑style project (paper + code), and data engineering or MLOps work. Include metrics, ablations, ethical notes, and reproducible instructions.Q8: Which countries are most cost‑effective for AI/data science?
A8: Germany and Italy (low tuition + DAAD/DSU), Sweden/Finland (waivers + stipends), France (Eiffel), Netherlands (TU Delft/AES), Switzerland (ESOP/Excellence with high stipends), and EU‑wide EMJM/MSCA routes.Your 2025 Roadmap to a Funded AI/ML Degree in Europe
You don’t need to piece this together in the dark. Target a few fully funded anchors (EMJM, MSCA, ESOP, SISGP/Eiffel, TU Delft J&L), then layer university merit and national awards to cover any gaps. Lead with a metrics‑driven portfolio, research fit, and crisp references; apply early, confirm stackability, and leave time for visas and insurance. With the plan in this guide, you can reduce your cost to near zero—then focus on what matters: building systems, shipping research, and shaping the future of AI in Europe.