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10 Foreign Scholarships for Indian Students to Study Abroad

 

Are you aspiring to pursue your higher education abroad? If yes, you will be thrilled to know that varied scholarship options are available for Indian study abroad aspirants. These scholarships can significantly curtail your cost of education and enable the smooth completion of your overseas studies. These scholarships are nothing short of a blessing to meet the soaring costs of higher education; they are offered by the government, foundations, universities, private institutes and corporations. Despite the availability of many attractive scholarships, most Indian students are unaware of the funding options and hence, consider it difficult to study abroad.

To keep you well informed, we have put together a list of the top ten scholarships for Indian students that will assist you to the greatest extent in smoothly financing your higher education abroad.

 

1. National Overseas Scholarship Scheme

The scholarship is offered by the Government of India to support low-income Indian study abroad aspirants and could be utilised within one year of intimation receipt from the Ministry of Social Justice and Empowerment. An aggregate of 100 slots per year is made available for different groups such as denotified tribes, semi-nomadic tribes, landless agricultural labourers, traditional artisans and scheduled castes.

Expenses Covered: Full tuition, living costs, medical insurance, contingency allowance, visa fee, poll fee, local travel, equipment allowance and air passage get covered by this scholarship. Moreover, it provides a sustenance grant as well as visa sponsorship.

Eligibility Criteria:

  • The applicant must be below the age of 35
  • The annual family income should be less than INR 8,00,000
  • The applicant should belong to one of the following categories: Scheduled Castes, Denotified Nomadic and Semi-Nomadic
  • Tribes, Landless Agricultural Labourers and Traditional Artisans
  • The applicant should possess an undergraduate degree with at least 55 % marks
  • The applicant should be applying for a Masters or PhD program

 

2. Erasmus Mundus Joint Master’s Degree Programs

These are international master’s degree programs jointly provided by a group of international universities. The entire program is funded by the European Union (EU). This scholarship allows students to pursue their graduate studies by studying and working in different countries during the program.

Expenses Covered: Tuition fee, travelling, insurance and living expenses. Furthermore, students are exempted from tuition at their parent university if they stay a full academic year under an Erasmus scheme.

Eligibility Criteria:

  • The student must have an undergraduate degree- a bachelor’s course of a minimum of three years
  • He/She must have a minimum of 6.5 in the IELTS, TOEFL or TOEIC exam
  • He/She should not have applied for more than three Erasmus Mundus scholarship programmes in the same year
  • He/She should not avail of any other European scholarship while applying for the Erasmus Mundus scholarship
  • Note: There is no age limit for the Erasmus Mundus scholarship

 

3. Fulbright-Nehru Master’s Fellowships

These fellowships are designed for meritorious Indian students who wish to pursue a master’s degree program at selected U.S. colleges and universities in the field of arts and culture management including Economics; Environmental Science/Studies; Urban and Regional Planning; Heritage Conservation and Museum Studies; International Affairs; Higher Education Administration; Journalism and Mass Communication; Public Administration; International Legal Studies; Women’s Studies/Gender Studies; Public Health.

Expensed Covered: Visa support, round-trip economy class air travel from home country to the host institution in the U.S, tuition and fees, living and related expenses, accident and sickness coverage, as per the U.S. Government’s guidelines.

Eligibility Criteria:

  • The student must have an undergraduate degree equivalent to a U.S. bachelor’s degree (4 years) with at least 55% marks or else a three-year bachelor’s degree+ one-year post-graduate diploma
  • He/She must have at least three years of full–time professional work experience relevant to the chosen field of study
  • He/She must demonstrate leadership and community service experience
  • He/She should not possess another degree from a U.S. university

 

4. Fulbright-Nehru Doctoral Research Fellowships

This 6-9 months fellowship is specifically designed for Indian scholars who are already registered for a PhD at an Indian institute.

Expenses Covered: J-1 visa support, a monthly stipend, accident and sickness coverage as per the U.S. government’s guidelines, round-trip economy class air travel, applicable allowances and modest affiliation fees.

Eligibility Criteria:

  • The student should have conducted adequate research in the chosen field
  • If employed, the student must have endorsement by the employer
  • He/She must upload a copy of the published research paper from the Master’s/MPhil thesis
  • He/She must demonstrate competence in the English language proficiency
  • He/She should not be living in the US

 

5. Great Scholarships India

There are 20 postgraduate scholarships provided by UK universities across a variety of subjects. These scholarships are jointly funded by the UK government’s GREAT Britain Campaign and the British Council. Each scholarship is worth £10,000 (tuition fee) for a one-year postgraduate course.

Expenses Covered: Full tuition fees, living expenses, health and one-way travel allowance

Eligibility Criteria:

  • The student must be an Indian citizen
  • He/She must possess an undergraduate degree
  • He/She must meet the English language requirement
  • He/She must be willing to attend a networking event for all UK-based GREAT scholars
  • He/She must maintain contact with the British Council as well as act as a GREAT Scholarships ambassador
  • As an alumnus of the GREAT scholarships, the student must be open to speaking to potential candidates about his/her own experience of studying in the UK

 

6. Commonwealth Scholarships

Commonwealth scholarships are granted to talented individuals who are willing to contribute positively to society at the global level. Each year, 800 students are allowed the opportunity to pursue their graduate studies at UK universities. If a student belongs to a Commonwealth country and does not have eligible funds to study in the UK, then he/she can apply for this scholarship.

Expensed Covered: Full tuition fees, living allowance, airfare to and from the UK

Eligibility Criteria:

  • The student must be an Indian citizen or permanent resident of a Commonwealth country. A refugee or British protected person is also eligible
  • He/She must possess an undergraduate honours degree of at least upper second class (2:1). If you intend to pursue your
  • PhD, then you should have an appropriate master’s degree
  • He/She should be unable to afford higher studies in the UK without the scholarship

 

7. Cornell University TATA Scholarship

This scholarship majorly focuses on lessening the financial burden of the Indian students who are willing to pursue their undergraduate studies at Cornell University. Approximately 20 scholarships to Indian students are awarded by the Cornell University TATA scholarship program for a 4-year program.

Expenses Covered: Tuition fees, annual course fees (full funding)

Eligibility Criteria:

  • The student must be an Indian citizen/permanent resident
  • He/She must have passed out from any Indian senior secondary school
  • He/She must qualify for a need-based financial aid
  • He/She must showcase English language proficiency by submitting either TOEFL (100) or IELTS (7.0)
  • He/She must have an admission offer from Cornell University for any undergraduate degree program

 

8. University of New South Wales (UNSW Sydney) Future of Change India Scholarship

UNSW’s Future of Change India Scholarship is designed for Indian students who wish to pursue their undergraduate or postgraduate studies at the University of New South Wales. The scholarship of 10,000 AUD (5,57,696 INR) is awarded once the admission process is completed and studies have commenced. The recipients’ are selected strictly on a merit basis.

Expenses Covered: USD 10,000 per annum for the program + an additional USD 10,000 per annum to eligible students for the duration of any undergraduate engineering program

Eligibility Criteria:

  • The student must be residing in India
  • He/She must have received an offer of admission at the University of New South Wales
  • He/She must fulfil the eligibility and selection criteria for the desired program+ certain academic level in UG and high school
  • Students applying during their PG may have a prior residence in Australia or India

 

9. 6 Inlaks Shivdasani Scholarships

Meritorious students can apply for Inlaks Shivdasani Scholarship to study in the UK, US or European universities. Grants, awards and scholarships are provided to students who wish to pursue full-time Master’s, M.Phil or Doctoral degree courses.

Expenses Covered: Full tuition fees, living expenses, health and one-way travel allowance; Maximum amount of USD 10,000 is awarded

Eligibility Criteria:

  • The student must be an Indian citizen for the past 6 months
  • Students opting for Mathematics, Environment and other related subjects must have a minimum grade of 70%/CGPA 7.2/GPA 2.8 from a recognised Indian university
  • Students opting for Law, Fine Arts, Architecture, Social Sciences and related subjects must have a minimum grade of 65%/CGPA 6.8/GPA 2.6 from a recognised Indian University
  • Students must be a maximum of 30 years of age in the year of application

 

10. Fullbright- Kalam Climate Fellowship

The Fulbright-Kalam Climate Fellowships are primarily designed to address climate change-related issues in India and the U.S. The objective is to promote further mutual understanding between the United States and India by engaging scientific and technical research scholars from both countries who are working in the field of climate research and education.

Expenses Covered: J-1 visa support, Accident and sickness program as per the US Government guidelines, a monthly stipend, round-trip economy class travel from home country to the US, a settling-in allowance, a professional allowance and opportunities to audit non-degree courses and conduct research in the US

Eligibility Criteria:

  • To pursue postdoctoral research, the candidate must have a PhD degree within the last 4 years and to pursue doctoral research, adequate research in the appropriate field is required
  • Faculty/researchers should have a PhD degree with a minimum of 5 years of relevant research or teaching experience

Wish to know more about USA Scholarships, Study Abroad Consultants, Scholarships for Indian students to Study in USA, or to Study in Canada, Canada scholarships? Please book a session with Manya-The Princeton Review experts!

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FAQs

Can I get a 100 percent scholarship to study abroad?

The answer is ‘NO’. Some scholarship awarding institutes may foot nearly 85% of the total costs while some are fully-funded, however, the number is limited. The competition for these scholarships is cutting-edge and you must possess exceptional academic records and profile and meet specific eligibility criteria to avail of them.

Can an average student get a scholarship to study abroad?

Yes, everyone has a unique talent or passion for a specific subject. Also, it depends on the country and college you are opting for. In some cases, you might get a partial scholarship.

Which countries give full scholarships?

US, UK, Canada, France, Norway and Germany offer a full scholarship to students who meet the eligibility criteria.

What are the easiest scholarships that international students can bag?

Fulbright scholarship is considered to be the easiest scholarship for international students. Some other scholarships are Eiffel Excellence Scholarship Programme, Australia Awards Scholarships and Chevening Scholarships.

What grades are required to get a scholarship?

Academic scholarships require a higher GPA. Also, earning a high GPA increases your chance of getting a robust scholarship. A GPA between 3.5 and 4.0 is considered excellent and makes you stand out to institutions awarding academic scholarships.

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