There are a number of Government and non-government fully-funded scholarships for Indian students to study abroad. Scholarships are a big relief for Indian students while studying abroad. Education loans in India come with high interest rates. Scholarships keep the burden of debt off the shoulders.
Even if most of the international scholarships for Indian students to study abroad are offered for master’s or PhD programs there are undergraduate scholarship programs available for students too.
In this article, we will be discussing several scholarships available for Indian students to study abroad.
1. Commonwealth Scholarships
This fully funded Commonwealth scholarship is offered as an abroad scholarship for Indian students from across the Commonwealth who cannot otherwise afford to study in the UK. This scholarship is specifically for talented students who have the eligibility to make a positive impact globally.
There are several types of Commonwealth scholarships such as Commonwealth PhD Scholarships, Commonwealth Split-site Scholarships, Commonwealth Shared Scholarships, Commonwealth Master’s Scholarships, Commonwealth Distance learning scholarships, Commonwealth Medical Fellowships, Commonwealth PhD Scholarships and Commonwealth Professional Fellowships.
To receive this scholarship the applicant should be a citizen of a Commonwealth country who have an undergraduate degree of at least upper second class and master’s for PhD students. They also should not be able to afford a UK education without a scholarship.
The scholarship covers tuition fees, round-trip airfare, and a living allowance.
2. Erasmus Mundus Scholarships
This fully-funded scholarship is offered to Indian students in different categories who have not resided, studied or worked for a total of over 12 months in the last five years in any of the eligible countries in Europe at the submission of the application.
They also should belong to one of the target groups – TG1, TG2 and TG3 – where TG! applicants can apply for only exchange programs, TG2 can only apply for full degree programs and TG3 applicants can only apply for full degree programs at master’s and doctorate levels. The scholarship covers tuition fees, round-trip airfare and a living allowance.
3. Cornell University Tata Scholarship
Fully-funded Tata Scholarship is offered by Tata Education and Development Trust to support over 20 scholars for studying at the prestigious Cornell University after clearing class 12th. The applicant must hold an Indian passport. The entire tuition fees and living costs are covered under this scholarship.
In addition to this, students also benefit from medical and travel allowances. Indian students who have attended secondary school in India and have been offered admission to Cornell University as an undergraduate are eligible for this scholarship.
4. National Overseas Scholarship
This is one of the most well-known Indian government study abroad scholarships, assisting an Indian student from a Scheduled Caste to study abroad. A total of 100 prizes are given out each year. This scholarship covers Tuition fees, the cost of books, airfare, and living costs in the subjects of Engineering, Technology, and Science (for ST students). SC students can apply for this Indian government scholarship to study abroad courses in management, pure and applied sciences, medicine, agricultural sciences, commerce, accounting, and finance.
This scholarship can be availed within one year of receipt of intimation from the Ministry of Justice and Empowerment. The applicant should be below the age of 35 years as of April 1 of the election year and come from a family with an income of less than Rs. 8,00,000 per annum. They should be applying for either master’s or PhD courses in any stream of study. Applicant should have obtained a minimum mark of 60 percent in the qualifying degree.
The scholarship provides financial support to cover tuition fees, contingency allowance, maintenance allowance, poll fee, Visa fees, Local travel, Equipment allowance, Air passage of economy class, fees, and medical insurance program.
Please note that, apart from scholarships there are different other options to finance your international education.
5. GREAT Scholarships India
A total of 20 postgraduate fully funded scholarships are provided by the GREAT Britain Campaign and the British Council with participating UK universities across a wide range of subjects for Indian students. These scholarships cover full tuition fees, adequate living expenses, health allowance and one-way travel allowance with a maximum of USD 10,000 funding.
There are also Indian Government fully-funded scholarships for Indian students to study abroad–
(a) Agatha Harrison Memorial Fellowship – This merit-based fellowship is provided to students of History, Economics, and Political/Social Science. Under this fellowship, which the government entirely funds, an Indian student is placed at St. Antony College, Oxford University London gets the benefits for an academic year.
(b) Fulbright-Nehru Master’s Fellowships – This is only for master’s programs that cover tuition, living costs, travel allowance, health cover and helps excellent Indians who wish to pursue a master’s degree at one of the United States’ top universities.
Indian Government partnered fully-funded scholarships for Indian students-
Besides this, the Indian government also partners with the same foundation to provide scholarships for other subjects and benefits, including the –
i) Fulbright-Kalam Climate Fellowship for Indian PhD students.
ii) Fulbright-Nehru Doctoral Research Fellowships for Indian PhD students.
Also read: Scholarships for studying abroad by Indian government after 12th
(c) Dr Ambedkar Scheme of Interest Subsidy on Educational Loan for Overseas Studies – The scheme is designed to provide interest subsidies to deserving students from the Other Backward Classes (OBC) and Economically Backward Classes (ECW) for higher studies. This is a need-based program that covers all the subjects for a master’s degree. It provides subsidies on interest payable by students during the study period.