Lithuanian State Scholarships for Full-Time Master’s Studies

The Lithuanian State Scholarships fund full-time master’s degrees at Lithuanian higher education institutions for international students. They are awarded by the Education Exchanges Support Foundation on behalf of the Lithuanian government, with 70 grants offered in the 2026 call, subject to annual budget approval. The call has run in spring, with results announced around the start of July ahead of a September intake.

Eligibility is limited to citizens of a defined list of countries, and this is the condition that decides most applications before anything else is considered. Recent cycles have included Armenia, Azerbaijan, Georgia, Ukraine, Moldova, China, Taiwan, Japan, Israel, South Korea, Indonesia, Vietnam, Uzbekistan, Kazakhstan, the United States and New Zealand, among others. The list is republished with each call and does change, so checking the current version should be the first step rather than a later formality. A separate quota is reserved for foreigners of Lithuanian origin from non-EU and non-EFTA countries.

The award combines a monthly living stipend with a study grant. The stipend is calculated as eight Basic Social Amounts, a Lithuanian benchmark revised annually, which came to 592 euros a month in 2026, so the exact figure moves with that benchmark rather than staying fixed. The study grant covers tuition up to the standard cost set by the Ministry of Education for your programme. For many programmes that standard cost matches the actual fee, which means tuition is fully covered in practice. For programmes priced above it, you would need to cover the difference yourself, so checking your chosen programme’s fee against the standard cost before applying tells you whether you are looking at a full ride or a partial one.

The scheme supports master’s or integrated long-cycle study only. Bachelor’s and doctoral degrees are funded through other routes, and separate Lithuanian state scholarship tracks exist for Baltic studies and for Lithuanian language and culture summer courses if a full master’s is not what you need. You must already hold a bachelor’s degree or be completing one in time, and you must have applied to and received an offer from a Lithuanian institution, so the university application runs in parallel with the scholarship rather than after it. Selection proceeds in rounds, meaning that passing the first stage is not the final decision. Lithuania’s practical appeal is worth stating plainly: it is an EU member state with degrees recognised across the European Higher Education Area, a growing range of English-taught master’s programmes, and living costs well below Western Europe, so the stipend stretches further than the same figure would elsewhere in the EU.

• Open only to citizens of a defined list of eligible countries. The 2026 call covered Armenia, Azerbaijan, China (People's Republic of China and Taiwan), Georgia, Indonesia, Israel, Japan, Kazakhstan, Moldova, New Zealand, the Philippines, South Korea, Ukraine, the United States, Uzbekistan and Vietnam.
• Check the current eligible country list before anything else, because it changes between cycles and is the condition that rules out most applicants.
• A separate quota is reserved for foreigners of Lithuanian origin from non-EU and non-EFTA countries.
• You must already hold a bachelor's degree, or be completing one in time for the intake.
• You must have applied to, and received an offer for, a full-time master's or integrated long-cycle programme at a Lithuanian higher education institution.
• The scholarship supports full-time master's study, or part-time study equivalent to a master's programme. It does not fund bachelor's or doctoral degrees.
• Country quotas apply: no more than 10 grants go to citizens of any one listed country, with exceptions for Ukraine (20 grants) and foreign citizens of Lithuanian origin (5 grants).
• Selection runs in rounds, with candidates who pass the first round progressing to a second stage of assessment.

• A monthly living stipend paid throughout the academic year, calculated as a multiple of Lithuania's Basic Social Amount and therefore adjusted as that benchmark changes.
• A study grant covering tuition up to the standard cost set by the Ministry of Education, which in practice means full tuition for many programmes.
• Study in an EU member state with a degree recognised across the European Higher Education Area.
• Comparatively low living costs relative to Western Europe, which means the stipend goes further than the equivalent amount would in Germany or the Netherlands.
• A growing range of English-taught master's programmes, so Lithuanian language ability is not required for most options.
• Separate Lithuanian state scholarship tracks exist for Baltic studies and for Lithuanian language and culture summer courses, if a full master's is not what you need.
• Note one honest caveat: if you choose a programme whose tuition exceeds the state-set standard cost, you will need to cover the difference yourself.

• Online application submitted through the Education Exchanges Support Foundation application system.
• Offer of admission or confirmation of application to a master's programme at a Lithuanian higher education institution.
• Bachelor's degree certificate and full academic transcripts.
• Curriculum vitae covering academic and professional background.
• Motivation letter explaining your choice of programme and your plans after graduation.
• Proof of English or Lithuanian language proficiency as required by your chosen programme.
• Copy of your passport confirming citizenship of an eligible country.
• Recommendation letters where the current call requires them.

• Check the eligible countries list for the current cycle first, since it is narrow and changes, and no amount of academic strength compensates for being outside it.
• Apply to your chosen Lithuanian university's master's programme in parallel, because an offer or a live application is required for the scholarship.
• Watch the studyin.lt scholarships page and the Education Exchanges Support Foundation site from early in the year, as the call has run in spring.
• Confirm the tuition of your chosen programme against the state-set standard cost, so you know in advance whether you will face a shortfall.
• Submit the scholarship application through the Foundation's system within the call window, keeping the motivation letter specific to the programme rather than generic.
• Selection runs in rounds, so passing the first stage is not the final decision and you should expect a second assessment.
• Results have recently been announced around the start of July, ahead of a September intake.