Most students search for the scholarships everyone already knows about — and compete against thousands of other applicants for the same handful of awards. The better return is usually in funding that is narrower in scope and therefore has far fewer applicants.
University-specific department awards
Individual faculties often hold small scholarship funds that never make it onto the university's main scholarships page. Emailing the department directly, once you have an offer, is worth the ten minutes it takes.
Country-to-country bilateral funding
Many governments fund a fixed number of places for students from specific partner countries each year. These are rarely advertised widely and often go unfilled.
Subject-specific industry bursaries
Professional bodies in engineering, nursing and computing frequently fund students in exchange for a work commitment after graduation — worth considering if you already know your field.
Early-application discounts
Not a scholarship in the traditional sense, but several universities discount tuition for students who accept their offer within a set window. This is easy to miss if you are still weighing multiple offers.
Alumni-funded awards
Smaller and less publicised than institutional scholarships, these are usually listed only on the international office's page, not the main funding page — worth a direct search.