---
title: "Funding for Environmental Science and Sustainability Degrees: Where the Money Actually Is"
description: "Four verified funding routes for environmental science, sustainability and climate related degrees, from EU joint master's programs to a Swiss technical university's own scholarship."
url: "https://worldwide-scholarships.com/funding-for-environmental-science-and-sustainability-degrees-where-the-money-actually-is/"
type: "article"
published: "2026-09-15T00:00:00.000Z"
---

[Scholarships](https://worldwide-scholarships.com/topics/scholarships/)

# Funding for Environmental Science and Sustainability Degrees: Where the Money Actually Is

Four verified funding routes for environmental science, sustainability and climate related degrees, from EU joint master's programs to a Swiss technical university's own scholarship.

15 September 2026 · Reviewed by the [Worldwide Scholarships editorial team](https://worldwide-scholarships.com/about/)

## Why This Field Needs Its Own Guide

Environmental science doesn’t sit neatly inside one funding category. Depending on your specific program, you might be applying as an engineer, a natural scientist, a policy specialist, or some mix of the three, and a generic “fully funded scholarships” search mostly surfaces programs that were never built with your field in mind. This guide covers four funding routes that are actually documented to support environmental, sustainability and climate related study, what each one covers, and who each one actually fits.

## Erasmus Mundus Joint Master’s Degrees: The Route Built for This Field

Erasmus Mundus Joint Master’s Degrees (EMJMDs) are EU funded programs run jointly by a consortium of universities, usually in two or more European countries, leading to a single joint or double degree. The European Commission’s own catalogue of these programs lists several built specifically around environmental and sustainability themes, including Renewable Energy and Sustainable Construction (RESCO), Sustainable Transportation and Electric Power Systems (STEPS), Renewable Energy in the Marine Environment (REM++), Sustainable Catalysis (SuCat), and Insects as Solutions for a Sustainable Future (ISSF).

Scholarship coverage differs by consortium. The European Commission’s own page for these programs says only that scholarships “cover your participation costs and contribute to” travel, visa costs and a living allowance, without publishing one figure that applies across every program. Each master’s own website carries the actual numbers along with its specific application steps, so treat the EU’s general description as a starting point, not a budget.

Applications for most Erasmus Mundus programs open in the autumn, typically between October and January, for a degree starting the following academic year. If you’re building a wider list of European funding options alongside this one, this site’s [guide to funding a master’s in Europe](https://worldwide-scholarships.com/fully-funded-dreams-top-scholarships-for-international-students-in-europe-2026/) covers the wider set of options these programs sit inside.

## Commonwealth Scholarships: If Your Work Touches Climate Resilience

The UK’s Commonwealth Scholarship Commission (CSC) doesn’t run a dedicated environmental science scholarship. Its funding is organized around six development themes instead, and climate change shows up specifically inside the fifth theme, “strengthening resilience & response to crises,” which the Commission’s own materials describe as including training in subjects that address a broad range of threats, “including natural and physical disasters, pandemics, climate change and sudden economic or technological disruption.” If your proposed research or coursework fits that framing, the fit can be genuine even without an “environment” label attached.

Where it applies, the funding is substantial and clearly documented. A Commonwealth Master’s Scholarship covers full tuition fees agreed directly between the CSC and the UK university, a stipend of £1,712 per month (£2,000 for universities in the London area), approved return airfare, and study travel and child allowances where relevant. The scholarship is open to applicants from 43 eligible Commonwealth countries, with particular encouragement for applicants from Small Island Developing States, a group especially exposed to climate impacts. You apply either through the CSC’s own online portal, CSC Central, or through a national nominating body, and for the 2027/28 cycle the closing date is 16:00 BST on Tuesday, 20 October.

One caution before you build a case around this route: the Commission states plainly that it “does not provide new direct financial or promotional support for the fossil fuel energy sector overseas,” so a proposal framed around fossil energy development won’t fit here even if it touches climate policy indirectly.

## Chevening: The UK’s Any Subject Option, If You Can Make the Policy Case

Chevening, the UK Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office’s scholarship scheme, doesn’t restrict applicants by subject the way most funding on this list does. Its own FAQ page describes the award as covering tuition fees, a monthly living allowance, arrival and departure allowances, a travel top up allowance, return economy travel to and from your home country, the cost of your UK visa application, and up to £75 toward TB testing where it’s required. Tuition, living costs and travel are all confirmed covered, which is what makes “fully funded” an accurate description here rather than marketing language.

Chevening funds a one year UK master’s degree at a university and course you choose yourself, using its own “find a course” tool, rather than a fixed program built around one field. It states that scholars work across areas including “building climate resilience,” among others, so an environmental policy, environmental law, sustainable development or environmental economics master’s can fit comfortably. A lab based environmental science degree is a harder sell under this particular award, since Chevening scholars are generally expected to return home and apply what they’ve learned in policy, business or public sector roles rather than continue into research.

## ETH Zurich’s Excellence Scholarship: A Technical University Specific Option

If a Swiss technical education is on your list, ETH Zurich runs its own merit based funding: the Excellence Scholarship & Opportunity Programme (ESOP). ETH’s own student portal states the award covers living and study expenses at CHF 12,000 per semester, rising to CHF 13,500 from the HS27 semester onward, plus a full tuition fee waiver, for the entire length of a master’s program.

It’s competitive by design. ETH requires applicants to have achieved a result in the top 10% of their bachelor’s degree program, and the university assigns approximately 60 scholarships a year across all its master’s programs combined, evaluated separately by each program’s own admissions committee. ETH offers both an MSc in Environmental Sciences and a separate MSc in Environmental Engineering, so applicants in either track can apply through their program’s committee. The application window for degrees starting the following autumn opens November 1 and closes November 30.

## How to Actually Use These Four Routes

None of these four programs will turn up if you search “scholarship for environmental science” and stop at the first result. Each one funds a specific structure, a joint European degree, a UK development themed award, a UK any subject master’s, or a Swiss merit scholarship, and getting funded means angling your application toward the structure that’s actually in front of you rather than waiting for a program labeled exactly for your field.

That’s also where your application materials do the real work. If a PhD or research heavy master’s is part of your plan, this site’s [guide to funding a PhD](https://worldwide-scholarships.com/funding-a-phd-how-the-money-actually-works/) walks through how that funding model differs from the taught master’s routes covered here, and it’s worth reading before you decide which of these four paths fits your actual plans best.

## Claims

CLAIM: The European Commission’s Erasmus Mundus catalogue lists Renewable Energy and Sustainable Construction (RESCO), Sustainable Transportation and Electric Power Systems (STEPS), Renewable Energy in the Marine Environment (REM++), Sustainable Catalysis (SuCat), and Insects as Solutions for a Sustainable Future (ISSF) as Erasmus Mundus Joint Master programs. EVIDENCE: The official EACEA Erasmus Mundus catalogue lists these five programs (the marine energy programme listed as “Renewable Energy in the Marine environment REM Plus Plus”) under environmental and sustainability related fields, each with its own consortium website. SOURCE: [https://www.eacea.ec.europa.eu/scholarships/erasmus-mundus-catalogue\_en](https://www.eacea.ec.europa.eu/scholarships/erasmus-mundus-catalogue_en)

CLAIM: Erasmus Mundus Joint Master scholarships cover participation costs and contribute to travel, visa costs and a living allowance, with exact amounts varying by program, and most programs take applications between October and January for the following academic year. EVIDENCE: The official Erasmus+ page states scholarships “cover your participation costs and contribute to” travel, visa, and “a living allowance,” directs applicants to each program’s own website for exact figures, and states that “in most cases, you should submit your application between October and January.” SOURCE: [https://erasmus-plus.ec.europa.eu/opportunities/opportunities-for-individuals/students/erasmus-mundus-joint-masters](https://erasmus-plus.ec.europa.eu/opportunities/opportunities-for-individuals/students/erasmus-mundus-joint-masters)

CLAIM: The Commonwealth Scholarship Commission organizes funding around six development themes, and climate change is referenced within the theme “strengthening resilience & response to crises,” not as its own standalone theme. EVIDENCE: The CSC’s official page lists six development themes and states that the theme “strengthening resilience and response to crises” includes training in subjects addressing “natural and physical disasters, pandemics, climate change and sudden economic or technological disruption.” SOURCE: [https://cscuk.fcdo.gov.uk/csc-development-themes](https://cscuk.fcdo.gov.uk/csc-development-themes)

CLAIM: A Commonwealth Master’s Scholarship covers full tuition fees, a stipend of £1,712 per month (£2,000 in the London area), approved return airfare, and study travel and child allowances, is open to 43 eligible Commonwealth countries, and closes for the 2027/28 cycle at 16:00 BST on Tuesday, 20 October. EVIDENCE: The official page states “Approved tuition fees: full fees are covered by agreement between the CSC and the UK university,” lists a stipend “at the rate of £1,712 per month, or £2,000 per month for those at universities in the London metropolitan area,” lists “Approved airfare” and other allowances, names 43 eligible Commonwealth countries in its published country list, and gives the 2027/28 closing date as “16:00 BST on Tuesday 20 October.” SOURCE: [https://cscuk.fcdo.gov.uk/scholarships/commonwealth-masters-scholarships/](https://cscuk.fcdo.gov.uk/scholarships/commonwealth-masters-scholarships/)

CLAIM: The Commonwealth Scholarship Commission does not provide new direct financial or promotional support for the fossil fuel energy sector overseas. EVIDENCE: The official Commonwealth Master’s Scholarships page states the Commission “does not provide new direct financial or promotional support for the fossil fuel energy sector overseas.” SOURCE: [https://cscuk.fcdo.gov.uk/scholarships/commonwealth-masters-scholarships/](https://cscuk.fcdo.gov.uk/scholarships/commonwealth-masters-scholarships/)

CLAIM: Chevening Scholarships cover tuition fees, a monthly living allowance, arrival and departure allowances, a travel top up allowance, return economy travel, UK visa costs, and up to £75 toward TB testing where required, funding a one year UK master’s degree chosen by the applicant. EVIDENCE: Chevening’s official FAQ page lists “Payment of tuition fees,” a monthly living allowance, “An arrival allowance,” “A departure allowance,” “A travel top up allowance,” “Economy travel to and from your country of residence,” “The cost of an entry clearance (visa) application,” and “A contribution of up to £75 for TB testing, where this is required,” for a one year UK master’s degree. SOURCE: [https://www.chevening.org/faqs/what-does-a-chevening-scholarship-cover/](https://www.chevening.org/faqs/what-does-a-chevening-scholarship-cover/)

CLAIM: Chevening states its scholars work across priority areas including “building climate resilience.” EVIDENCE: Chevening’s official “About” page lists scholars working in areas including “promoting growth and prosperity, building climate resilience, strengthening global security and stability, developing more inclusive and effective societies.” SOURCE: [https://www.chevening.org/about/](https://www.chevening.org/about/)

CLAIM: ETH Zurich’s Excellence Scholarship & Opportunity Programme covers living and study expenses at CHF 12,000 per semester (rising to CHF 13,500 from the HS27 semester) plus a full tuition fee waiver, requires a result in the top 10% of the applicant’s bachelor’s degree program, assigns approximately 60 scholarships a year, and has an application window of November 1 to November 30 for master’s programs starting the following autumn. EVIDENCE: ETH’s official student portal states the scholarship “consists of a scholarship covering living and study expenses (CHF 12’000 per semester, from HS27 onwards 13’500 CHF) as well as a tuition fee waiver,” requires “very good result in Bachelor’s degree programme (top 10% of Bachelor’s degree programme = grade A),” states “there will be assigned approximately 60 ESOP scholarships” for the 2027/28 intake, and opens applications “November 1 - 30.” SOURCE: [https://ethz.ch/students/en/studies/financial/scholarships/excellencescholarship.html](https://ethz.ch/students/en/studies/financial/scholarships/excellencescholarship.html)

CLAIM: ETH Zurich offers a separate MSc in Environmental Sciences and a separate MSc in Environmental Engineering. EVIDENCE: ETH Zurich’s official site maintains distinct program pages for its Master’s in Environmental Sciences and its Master’s in Environmental Engineering. SOURCE: [https://ethz.ch/en/studies/master/degree-programmes/system-oriented-natural-sciences/environmental-sciences.html](https://ethz.ch/en/studies/master/degree-programmes/system-oriented-natural-sciences/environmental-sciences.html) and [https://ethz.ch/en/studies/master/degree-programmes/architecture-and-civil-engineering/environmental-engineering.html](https://ethz.ch/en/studies/master/degree-programmes/architecture-and-civil-engineering/environmental-engineering.html)

## Sources

Every deadline and award amount above was checked against these pages before publication.

1.  [Erasmus Mundus Catalogue, EACEA](https://www.eacea.ec.europa.eu/scholarships/erasmus-mundus-catalogue_en)
2.  [Erasmus Mundus Joint Masters, Erasmus+](https://erasmus-plus.ec.europa.eu/opportunities/opportunities-for-individuals/students/erasmus-mundus-joint-masters)
3.  [CSC development themes, Commonwealth Scholarship Commission](https://cscuk.fcdo.gov.uk/csc-development-themes)
4.  [Commonwealth Master's Scholarships, Commonwealth Scholarship Commission](https://cscuk.fcdo.gov.uk/scholarships/commonwealth-masters-scholarships/)
5.  [What does a Chevening Scholarship cover?](https://www.chevening.org/faqs/what-does-a-chevening-scholarship-cover/)
6.  [About Chevening](https://www.chevening.org/about/)
7.  [Excellence Scholarship & Opportunity Programme, ETH Zurich](https://ethz.ch/students/en/studies/financial/scholarships/excellencescholarship.html)
8.  [Master Environmental Sciences, ETH Zurich](https://ethz.ch/en/studies/master/degree-programmes/system-oriented-natural-sciences/environmental-sciences.html)
9.  [Master Environmental Engineering, ETH Zurich](https://ethz.ch/en/studies/master/degree-programmes/architecture-and-civil-engineering/environmental-engineering.html)

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