The 7 Documents Every Scholarship Application Needs

The core 7

Every scholarship on Earth asks for some subset of these seven documents. Prepare them once, then customise per application — you'll cut application time from ~15 hours to ~3 hours per scholarship.

1. Academic CV (2 pages max)

Structure:

• Header: name, email, LinkedIn, current country of residence.
• Education: most recent first, with GPA if 3.5+/4.0 or equivalent.
• Research/work experience: with measurable outcomes.
• Publications: if any — properly cited.
• Presentations & awards.
• Skills: language, technical, software.
• References: "Available on request" (never list names on the CV itself).

2. Motivation letter / Statement of Purpose (1-2 pages)

The single most-important document. See our motivation letter guide.

3. Transcripts (certified)

Every scholarship wants your Bachelor's transcript (and Master's if applicable). Requirements:

• Original + certified English translation if your original isn't in English.
• Sealed and stamped by the issuing institution.
• Get 5-10 certified copies at once — you'll need them.

4. English language test score

• IELTS Academic (6.5+ for most Master's) OR
• TOEFL iBT (90+ for most Master's).
• Score reports must be sent directly from the testing body to the scholarship — most bodies won't accept student-forwarded PDFs.

5. Two academic reference letters

Choose referees who:

• Have known you academically for 1+ year.
• Are senior enough to be credible (associate professor+, ideally full professor).
• Will actually write a specific, detailed letter (not a generic "student was in my class").

Give them:

• Your CV, motivation letter, and the scholarship's requirements.
• 6 weeks of notice.
• A polite reminder 2 weeks before the deadline.

6. Research proposal (for PhD applications)

5-10 pages, structured as:

1. Title (specific, not vague)
2. Research questions (2-4)
3. Background (why does this matter?)
4. Methodology (how will you answer the questions?)
5. Timeline (12/24/36 month plan)
6. Expected contribution (what will the field learn from your work?)
7. References (recent — post-2020 preferred)

7. Passport (bio page scan)

Sounds trivial but this trips up applicants: your passport must be valid for at least 12 months past your intended arrival date in the study country. Renew early if needed.

Nice-to-haves that boost your application

• Portfolio (art, design, music, film — required for these disciplines)
• Work certificates (for programs requiring work experience like Chevening, DAAD EPOS)
• Financial documents (for university admissions — not usually for scholarship applications)
• CV of your referees (rare but occasionally requested)

Common formatting mistakes

• PDF file names like "final_v3_use_this_one.pdf." Rename to: Firstname-Lastname-CV.pdf.
• CVs longer than 2 pages. Scholarship readers won't read past page 2.
• Transcripts photographed with a phone — always scan flat with a scanner or scanner app (CamScanner, Adobe Scan).
• Reference letters written by yourself and signed by the referee. Committees can smell this instantly.

Next step

Once you have the 7, run our match quiz — we'll show you exactly which of the 800+ scholarships you're a fit for right now, and which need one more document to unlock.