Countries outside the main 17 destinations, worth watching for how they’re investing in international students. These are sourced, but not checked every 3 hours the way the main comparator is — treat them as a starting point for your own research, not a verified rule.
-
🇳🇿
New 6-month work visa for graduates opens 16 November 2026
From 16 November 2026, international students who complete a qualification at New Zealand’s Level 5 to 7 (diploma to bachelor’s level), studied full-time in New Zealand for at least 24 weeks, can apply for a Short-Term Graduate Work Visa if their qualification does not lead to the longer Post-Study Work Visa. It gives 6 months of open work rights to look for a job, must be applied for within 3 months of the student visa ending, and requires at least NZ$5,000 to live on. Holders cannot use it to bring a partner or children.
-
🇺🇿
Up to 500 state-funded bachelor’s places a year for foreign students
A presidential decree of 10 April 2026 creates the “New Uzbekistan Scholarship”: each year, up to 500 gifted foreign students can receive a grant covering tuition plus a special stipend for a bachelor’s degree at a public university, using state-funded places that were not filled. From the 2026–27 academic year, foreign students can also apply to universities through a new “Study in Uzbekistan” platform.
-
🇹🇷
Scholarship applications hit a record high
Türkiye Scholarships received nearly 200,000 applications in 2026, up from about 10,000 when the program launched in 2012 — a roughly 20x increase in just over a decade.
-
🇰🇿
Building itself into a regional education hub
Hosted 35,075 international students in 2025–26, up 11% year over year. Its Bolashak government scholarship saw applications rise 17.3% to 16,098 (from 71 countries) while awards held flat at 550. In 2026, it granted its first-ever scholarships to students from the US, Italy, and Germany.
-
🇦🇪
Dubai targets 50% more international students by 2033
Dubai’s “Education 33” strategy, launched in November 2024, aims to grow international student numbers by 50% and move the city from 72nd into the world’s Top 10 student cities.
