If a person is Zakat eligible and the course is also aligned with Sharia principles, and there are no other Shariah considerations or breaches, then it would be acceptable to receive Zakat if only the student is Zakat eligible at the time of receiving Zakat. Since a large sum would be used to fund the student, ideally, the student should be contract the services of the university and enter into an agreement, have the tuition fees binding of that amount and then Zakat can be used to pay off the tuition fees as it represents a debt payable.
Allah alone knows best