Documents Required for International Scholarships: The Complete Checklist

The Documents Required for International Scholarships is one of the most generous fully funded awards for international students. Most scholarship applications are not lost because the applicant is weak. They are lost because a document is missing, blurry, expired, or in the wrong format. A scholarship committee cannot judge what it cannot read. This guide lists every document international scholarships commonly ask for, explains how to prepare each one, and shows what major scholarships actually require, so you can build your file once and reuse it across applications.

One fact first: there is no single universal list. Chevening, Commonwealth, MEXT, the Global Korea Scholarship, Erasmus Mundus, DAAD, and every university each publish their own list, and the lists differ. Some ask for documents at the first stage. Others ask for nothing until you are shortlisted. The checklist below covers the full range. Read the official list for each scholarship you apply to, mark what it asks for, and treat this guide as your preparation plan, not as a replacement for that official list.

Documents Required for International Scholarships The Master Checklist

Start with this list. Tick off each item as you prepare it, and keep the original and a clean scan in one folder.

• Valid passport, with at least six months of validity left
• Academic transcripts for every degree and diploma
• Degree certificates, or a provisional certificate if you are in your final year
• English language test result, such as IELTS, TOEFL, PTE, or Duolingo
• CV or resume, usually in Europass format for European applications
• Two reference letters, academic or professional
• Statement of purpose or motivation letter
• Research proposal, for PhD and some master’s applications
• Proof of funds or financial documents, if the scholarship does not cover everything
• Passport size photos that meet the official rules
• Work experience letters, if the scholarship asks for them
• Certified translations for any document not in English
• Attested or apostilled copies, if the scholarship or the host country requires them
• Medical certificate, if the scholarship asks for one
• Police clearance certificate, if the scholarship asks for one

1. Documents Required for International Scholarships Passport and Identity Documents

Your passport is the first document in almost every application. It proves who you are and where you are from. Make sure it is valid for at least six months beyond the date your course would start, and renew it early if it is close to expiry. A passport that runs out during selection can stall an otherwise strong application.

Scan the photo page in color, at a readable resolution, with nothing cut off. Some scholarships also ask for a national identity card. If your name is spelled differently on different documents, fix that now. Your passport spelling is the correct one, and every other document should match it. If a degree certificate carries an old spelling, ask the issuing university for a corrected copy or a letter that confirms both spellings refer to you.

2. Academic Transcripts

A transcript is the official record of the courses you took and the grades you earned. Scholarships ask for transcripts from every post secondary institution you attended, not only your most recent degree. That means your bachelor’s transcript for a master’s application, and your bachelor’s and master’s transcripts for a PhD application.

Get the transcript from the university itself, on official letterhead or with the university seal. A screenshot of an online portal is not an official transcript. If your transcript does not explain the grading system, ask the university for a grading scale or a letter that explains it. Some scholarships, such as the Global Korea Scholarship, ask for proof of how your CGPA or percentage converts to their scale when your transcript does not make it clear.

Check every page before you upload. Transcripts often run to several pages, and applicants regularly upload only the first page. Include all pages, including the back page if it carries the grading key. If a page is missing, the committee cannot verify your grades, and the file may be marked incomplete.

3. Degree Certificates

The degree certificate is the document that proves you finished the degree. It is not the same as the transcript, and some scholarships treat them as two different requirements. Chevening, for example, asks shortlisted applicants for the official undergraduate degree certificate, and states clearly that a transcript alone is not accepted as a substitute.

If you are in your final year, most scholarships accept a provisional certificate or an expected graduation certificate from your university, plus a letter that states when the final certificate will be issued. Get that letter on official letterhead, with the expected date written out. Do not submit a provisional certificate and hope no one notices the difference. Committees check.

Keep the original safe and upload a clear color scan. If the certificate is laminated, scan it carefully so the seal and the signature are visible. If the original is lost, ask your university for a duplicate or a certified replacement as early as you can, because that process can take weeks.

4. English Language Test Scores

Most scholarships in English speaking countries ask for an English test result. IELTS Academic, TOEFL iBT, and PTE Academic are the three most widely accepted tests. Some programmes also accept Duolingo. The minimum score depends on the scholarship and the university. A common direct entry level is IELTS 6.0 overall, but competitive programmes ask for 6.5 or 7.0, and some ask for a minimum in each band, not only an overall score.

Check three things before you book a test. First, which tests the scholarship accepts. Second, the minimum score, including any per band minimum. Third, how old the result can be. Most schemes accept results from the last two years only. A result that expires before the selection date is the same as no result.

Some scholarships do not ask for a test at all. Chevening, for example, sets no English test requirement of its own, though your chosen UK universities set their own. MEXT does not require IELTS either. Others, such as the Australia Awards for some countries, accept a degree taught in English as proof. Read the official rules for your scholarship instead of assuming a test is needed, and do not pay for a test you do not need.

5. CV or Resume

Your CV is a one or two page summary of your education, work, skills, and achievements. For European applications, the Europass CV format is widely used and is a safe choice, because selection panels know how to read it. For other countries, a clean reverse chronological CV works well: most recent education and work first, then earlier items.

Keep it honest and specific. Write your degree, your university, your dates, and your grade or CGPA. List jobs with the employer, your role, your dates, and one line about what you did. List publications, awards, and volunteer work only if they are real and you can prove them. Leave out school level detail unless the scholarship asks for it, and leave out a photo unless the format asks for one.

One common mistake is a CV that does not match the application form. If your form says you worked for two years and your CV says eighteen months, the committee will notice. Check every date against your employment letters before you submit.

6. Reference Letters

Almost every scholarship asks for two reference letters. A reference is a letter from someone who knows your work and can describe it with examples. One is usually academic, from a professor or supervisor. The other can be professional, from an employer or a manager. Some scholarships allow two professional references. Almost none accept a reference from a relative or a friend.

Ask your referees early, at least a month before the deadline. Tell them which scholarship you are applying for, what it values, and the deadline for the letter. Give them your CV and your statement of purpose so the letter can match your application. A referee who has to guess about your goals will write a vague letter, and vague letters do not help.

The letter itself should be on official letterhead, signed, dated, and written in English, or accompanied by a certified translation. It should say how the referee knows you, for how long, what you did, and why you are suited to the scholarship. Chevening asks shortlisted applicants to upload both reference letters at least seven working days before the interview, and it does not contact referees on your behalf. If the letters arrive late, you can be removed from consideration, so chase them yourself and keep a copy.

7. Statement of Purpose and Motivation Letter

The statement of purpose, also called a motivation letter, is the one document that is entirely in your voice. It explains why you want this scholarship, why this course, why this country, and what you will do with the degree when you return home. Selection panels read it to judge your motivation and your fit, so it carries more weight than applicants often expect.

Write it yourself, in plain language, with real detail. Name the course, name the skills you want to gain, and name the problem you want to work on when you return. Connect your past study and work to the course, and connect the course to your future plans. A letter that could apply to any university in any country is a weak letter.

Keep it to the length the scholarship asks for. Some ask for 500 words, some for 1,000, some for two pages. If no length is given, one to two pages is a safe range. Do not copy a sample letter from the internet. Committees read hundreds of these, and a copied letter is easy to spot. Do not use an AI writing tool to produce it either. Your own words, with your own examples, are the point.

8. Research Proposal (PhD and Some Master’s Applications)

PhD scholarships almost always ask for a research proposal. Some research master’s programmes ask for one too. The proposal describes the problem you want to study, why it matters, what has already been done, how you will study it, and what you expect to find.

A strong proposal has a clear question, a short review of existing work, a method you can actually carry out, and a realistic timeline. It does not need to be long. Two to five pages is normal unless the scholarship gives a different limit. Name the supervisor or research group you want to work with, if you know it, and explain why their work fits your question.

For MEXT research applicants, the research plan is a core document, submitted with the application form, the mark sheet form, and attested academic records. For DAAD doctoral programmes, the proposal is judged alongside your CV, references, and language proof. Read the guidance for your program, because some ask for a detailed plan and others ask for a short outline only.

9. Proof of Funds and Financial Documents

Fully funded scholarships cover tuition and living costs, so they rarely ask for bank statements. But many scholarships are partial, and universities often ask for financial proof separately from the scholarship. If you need to show funds, prepare bank statements, a loan sanction letter, or a sponsor letter with proof of the sponsor’s income and employment.

Bank statements should cover the period the scholarship or university asks for, usually three to six months, and show a stable balance, not a single large deposit the day before you apply. A sponsor letter should state the relationship, the amount, and the duration of support, and it should be backed by the sponsor’s bank statement and income proof. If your scholarship letter covers part of the cost, upload it alongside your bank proof and show how the two add up to the full amount.

10. Passport Photos

Passport photos look trivial, and that is why applicants get them wrong. Each country and each scholarship has its own rules for size, background, and recency. Common rules are a plain white or light background, a neutral expression, no glasses, and a photo taken within the last six months. Canada’s IRCC, for example, asks for passport style photos uploaded with the application, and accepts JPEG or JPG for photographs while documents go in as PDF.

Get the photo taken professionally and ask for a digital copy that meets the size rules. A cropped selfie or a photo cut from a group picture will be rejected, and a rejected photo can delay the whole file.

11. Application Forms and Extra Documents

Some scholarships have their own forms that count as documents. The Global Korea Scholarship, for example, uses application Forms 1 to 7, covering the application itself, a personal statement, a study plan, recommendation letters, and proof of citizenship and family relationship. Fill in every form in the set, and check the guideline for which forms apply to your track, because the embassy track and the university track differ.

Other extra documents depend on the scholarship. A medical certificate is required by some schemes and not by others. A police clearance certificate is required by some countries for the visa stage rather than the scholarship stage. Work experience letters are required by Chevening, which asks for at least 2,800 hours of work gained after the undergraduate degree, proved through employment letters, contracts, or service records. Read the official list for your scholarship and prepare only what it asks for, but prepare it early.

How to Prepare Each Document: Attestation, Translation, and Scanning

Preparing a document is not only about having it. It is about having it in the form the scholarship accepts. Three steps cause most delays: attestation, translation, and scanning.

Certified translations

If a document is not in English, most schemes ask for a certified translation. A certified translation is a translation done by a qualified translator, with a signed statement that the translation is complete and accurate. The Commonwealth Scholarship Commission, for example, asks for certified translations of transcripts that are not in English. Chevening asks for reference letters in English, or a notarised English translation in the same file.

Some schemes accept other languages. The Swiss Government Excellence Scholarships, for example, accept documents in English, French, Italian, or German without translation. Do not translate every document automatically. Read the official rules, translate only what is needed, and make sure the translation covers every page, stamp, and note on the original, including the back page.

Attestation and apostille

Attestation means an authority confirms your document is genuine. The route depends on your country and on the scholarship. In Pakistan, school records are attested by the board and the IBCC, university degrees and transcripts by the HEC, and international authentication by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs through an apostille when the receiving authority asks for it. For MEXT applicants in Pakistan, the Embassy of Japan asks for transcripts and degrees attested by the applicant’s university. For Fulbright in Pakistan, HEC attestation is preferred, though attestation by the university is accepted at the application stage.

An apostille is different from a notary stamp. An apostille is a certificate issued under the Hague Apostille Convention by a designated authority, usually the foreign ministry, and it is recognized by other member countries. A notary can certify a copy or a translation, but a notarised copy is not the same as an apostille. The Global Korea Scholarship asks for an apostille or consular confirmation for key documents at the second round, and a simple notary stamp may not be enough where the guideline says apostille. Check the exact word in the official guideline before you pay for anything.

Do not attest or apostille every document by default. Some scholarships accept plain copies at the first stage and ask for attested copies only after selection. Others want attestation from the start. Read the stage rules and spend money only on what the stage requires.

Scanning and file formats

Scan in color, at a resolution where every word and seal is readable, and include all pages. Save documents as PDF unless the portal asks for another format. Keep each file under the size limit the portal sets. IRCC, for example, accepts PDF files for documents and JPEG or JPG for photographs, with each file not over 4 MB, and documents must not be password protected. Name each file clearly, such as “transcript-bachelors.pdf” or “reference-letter-professor-ahmed.pdf”, so a reviewer can find it without opening it. Keep the originals safe. You will need them again at the interview and at the visa stage.

What Major Scholarships Actually Ask For

Requirements differ more than applicants expect. These examples come from official pages checked in late 2026. Always use the current official list when you apply, because the lists change.

Chevening (United Kingdom)

Chevening asks for no document uploads to submit the initial application. You type in your education, work history, and referee details. If you are shortlisted, you upload a photo ID, your official undergraduate degree certificate, and two reference letters, at least seven working days before your interview. You also need at least one unconditional offer from a UK university by the official offer deadline. University admission is separate, so each of your three course choices may ask for transcripts, English evidence, a CV, a statement, and references of its own.

Commonwealth Scholarships (United Kingdom)

The Commonwealth Scholarship Commission asks for a passport or national ID, full transcripts for all higher education, with certified translations if needed, and references from at least two people. Applications run through a national nominating agency in many countries, such as the HEC in Pakistan, which sets its own rules on top of the Commission’s list. Check both lists.

MEXT (Japan, embassy route)

MEXT applicants through the embassy route submit an application form, a mark sheet form, a research plan for research students, attested transcripts and degree certificates, and a recommendation letter. The Embassy of Japan in Pakistan asks for transcripts and degrees attested by the applicant’s university. No IELTS score is required by MEXT itself.

Global Korea Scholarship (South Korea)

GKS asks for application Forms 1 to 7, proof of citizenship and of family relationship, school certificates and transcripts, and a recommendation letter. Key documents need an apostille or consular confirmation at the second round. The exact list changes between the undergraduate and graduate programmes and between the embassy track and the university track, so use the guideline for your own track and year.

Erasmus Mundus (Europe)

Erasmus Mundus has no central application. You apply directly to each joint master’s program, and each program sets its own document list and deadline. Most ask for a degree certificate, transcripts, a CV, a motivation letter, references, and English proof. Because each program differs, read the program’s own page rather than a general list.

DAAD (Germany)

DAAD programmes ask for the application form, a CV, a motivation letter, references, transcripts, degree certificates, and language proof. The exact list depends on the program. EPOS development related postgraduate courses, for example, ask for proof of at least two years of relevant work experience on top of the academic documents. Use the DAAD scholarship database entry for your program as the final list.

8 Mistakes That Delay or Damage Applications

1. Uploading a transcript instead of the degree certificate. Some scholarships ask for the certificate specifically. A transcript is not a substitute.
2. Missing pages. A transcript with the last page missing, or a passport scan without the photo page, makes the file incomplete.
3. Blurry or cut off scans. If the reviewer cannot read a seal or a grade, the document does not count.
4. Expired documents. An expired passport or an English test result older than two years will be rejected.
5. Uncertified translations. A translation done by a friend, without a translator’s statement, is not a certified translation.
6. Name mismatches. A different spelling on the degree, the passport, and the reference letter creates doubt about identity. Fix it before you apply.
7. Late reference letters. Referees are busy. Ask a month early, remind them a week before the deadline, and keep a copy of each letter.
8. Waiting until the last week. Attestation, translations, and university letters take weeks. A document you start in the last week is a document that arrives late.

Your Timeline: When to Start Each Document

• 6 months before the deadline: renew your passport if needed. Ask your university for transcripts and degree certificates. Ask your referees. Book your English test.
• 3 months before: get attestations and apostilles done. Order certified translations. Write your statement of purpose and your research proposal, if needed.
• 1 month before: collect the reference letters. Check every scan for clarity and completeness. Check name spelling across all documents.
• 1 week before: upload everything to the portal. Check file sizes and formats. Keep a copy of the submitted application and every uploaded file.
• After submission: keep the originals safe. You will need them again at the interview and at the visa stage.

Official Sources

Document lists change. Check the official page for each scholarship before you apply. These are the official starting points for the document rules discussed in this guide.

• UK Student visa documents you must provide, GOV.UK
• US Student Visa, US Department of State
• Student visa (subclass 500), Australian Department of Home Affairs

Last reviewed: November 2026. Document lists, fees, and deadlines change. Confirm the current list on the official page of each scholarship before you apply.

Related Scholarships

These fully funded scholarships may also be worth a look.

• Commonwealth Scholarship
• Chevening Scholarship
• Fulbright Scholarship
• DAAD Scholarship

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