The famous journalism names want five years in a newsroom first
Reuters Institute and Humphrey both set that bar in writing, and both run as short attachments rather than degrees. A final-year mass communication student reading their names on a list has no route into either one this year. The degree routes sit in a different table, and one of them was built for exactly this field.
10 routes · checked 18 October 2026
Degree scholarships, open worldwide
These end with a master’s or a doctorate you can put on a CV. Each row links to the guide that covers that route in full.
| Guide | Journalism route | Country | Deadline |
|---|---|---|---|
| Commonwealth Scholarship | Master’s and PhD in media and communication at UK universities | United Kingdom | 20 Oct 2026 |
| DW Akademie — International Media Studies | A four-semester MA built for journalists. The scholarship pays tuition and €992 a month, and asks for two years of media work after your first degree. | Germany | 15 Mar |
| Chevening Scholarship | One-year master’s in journalism, media or communications | United Kingdom | Opens in August, closes in early October. |
| Fulbright — Journalism and Media | Master’s and doctoral study in journalism and media | United States | Set by the Fulbright commission in your own country. USEFP runs the Pakistan cycle. |
| DAAD Scholarship | Media and communication master’s and doctoral research | Germany | Varies by programme. Each DAAD course sets its own date. |
| Erasmus Mundus | Journalism joint masters across two or three countries | Europe | Varies by joint programme, usually autumn to January. |
Fellowships for working journalists
Both of these pay well and neither awards a degree. They reward a career already underway, so they suit a reporter with years behind them rather than a graduate.
| Guide | What it actually is | Country | Deadline |
|---|---|---|---|
| Reuters Institute Journalist Fellowship | Three or six months at Oxford researching one question about your own field. Needs more than five years in newsrooms. The Thomson Reuters places are fully funded. | United Kingdom | Closed for 2026-27. Applications reopen in January 2027, with decisions by mid May. |
| Humphrey Fellowship — Journalism | A year of coursework and a professional affiliation at a US university. Needs five or more years of full-time professional experience. | United States | Set by USEFP in Pakistan. Selections are announced the March before you travel. |
Start here
The guides that cover this field as a whole, rather than one route.
Fully funded scholarships for journalism students
The main guide, with what each route pays and who it accepts.
10 scholarships
Law scholarships
Media law and human rights reporting overlap with most of these UK and European schemes.
Related field
Scholarships without IELTS
DW Akademie wants IELTS 7.0, which is high. These routes skip the test entirely.
Cross-field
Writing your personal statement
Journalism panels read your clippings first. The statement explains what you could not report, and why.
Documents
Your portfolio outranks your transcript here. Journalism panels want published work with your byline on it, and three strong pieces beat thirty weak ones. Build a simple page that holds them, with the date and the outlet beside each, before you touch an application form. A reporter with a 2.8 CGPA and a story that forced a department to answer questions will get further than a 3.9 with nothing printed. Confirm every date on the funder’s own page before you apply.