Top 7 Indian Government Scholarships That International Students Must Keep In Mind

You’ll be delighted to learn that the Indian government provides several scholarships to help Indian students seeking rewarding career opportunities abroad. We have done exhaustive research on 7 top Indian government scholarships that you must keep in mind while submitting your applications. The list is organized by the type of funding and preferred study location.

Overview of Indian Government Scholarships

Studying abroad requires two things, merit, and money to support your dream. When it comes to merit and scoring good marks, everyone needs to work hard. But if funding is an issue, you can always rely on a few sources of external support to sponsor your degree at a foreign institute.

Types of Indian Government Scholarships

There are a variety of scholarships available for different levels of students. The right research and preparation can help you obtain the best of them. Scholarships for studying abroad are mainly divided into the following categories:

• Merit-Based: Here, a student’s academic record or achievements in extracurricular activities, such as sports or community service, decide the eligibility and award. An applicant with higher academic excellence is preferred for the scholarship.
• Student-Centric: Some scholarships are based on the student’s gender, colour, religion, family, etc. Some countries or institutions can also consider scholarships based on a particular medical history or condition.
• Based on Destination: Several government agencies, governments, and universities award scholarships and funding to students from a specific country. For example, the New Zealand and the United Kingdom governments offer fellowships for overseas students from Commonwealth countries.
• For Specific Subjects: Students who wish to pursue a specific subject of study may be eligible for grants from certain universities and institutions. For example, if a student wants to study MBA, they can get a scholarship from institutions providing the same for this particular category.
• According to Needs: These scholarships are awarded based on the student’s financial situation and are aimed at financially challenged students. To obtain these types of scholarships, you may be asked to furnish your family’s income details and submit documents like ITRs, employment certificates, income proofs, etc.
• For Athletes: This type of scholarship scheme is only available to the best athletes. The grants require you to participate in rigorous training and represent your university at tournaments while balancing your studies.

Top Indian Government Scholarships
The Department of Higher Education, a division of the Ministry of Human Resource Development, India is responsible for handling the scholarship application and approval process. Not all the scholarships in the list are provided by the Indian government; some are fully sponsored while others are partially sponsored. The majority of the awards are for advanced degrees such as research, master’s, and doctoral degrees.

1. Agatha Harrison Memorial Fellowship

Under this fellowship, which the government entirely funds, an Indian student is placed at St. Antony College, Oxford University London, for an academic year.

• Type of Scholarship: Merit
• Total Amount Funded: £ 29,944.85
• Subjects: History, Economics, and Political/Social Science

2. Fulbright-Nehru Master’s Fellowship

The Fulbright-Nehru Master’s Fellowship is an Indian government scholarship to study abroad and help excellent Indians who wish to pursue a master’s degree at one of the United States’ top universities.

• Type of Scholarship: Merit
• Amount or Type of Expenses: Tuition, living costs, travel allowance, health cover.
• Subjects: All (only Masters)

Besides this, the Indian government also partners with the same foundation to provide scholarships in other subjects and courses. These include:

• Fulbright-Kalam Climate Fellowship for Indian PhD students
• Fulbright-Nehru Doctoral Research Fellowships for Indian PhD students

3. Dr. Ambedkar Scheme of Interest Subsidy on Educational Loan for Overseas Studies

The scheme aims to provide interest subsidies to meritorious students of Other Backward Classes (OBC) and Economically Backward Classes (ECW) with interest subsidies. The purpose is to help the students pursue higher education overseas and build a better life.

• Type of Scholarship: Need-based
• Amount or Type of Expenses: Provides subsidies on interest payable by students during the study period.
• Subjects: All subjects; Master’s degrees.

These are some of the significant Indian government scholarships to study abroad. Besides them, you can also explore some of the private-run scholarships and fellowship programmes run by private organisations for international students aimed at helping them with study fees and other expenses. These are:

• Orange Tulip Scholarship Programme: For studying in Holland
• Great Wall Program: Set up by the Chinese government and UNESCO for students and scholars from developing countries to study in China.
• The JN Tata Endowment for the Higher Education of Indians: Meant for Indian students for PhD or Postdoctoral studies overseas in countries like the USA, Japan, South Korea, Canada, Ireland, and other European countries.

4. National Overseas Scholarship for SC Students

This is one of the prominent Indian government scholarships to study abroad, helping an Indian student from a Scheduled Caste to go abroad and study. There are 100 awards given in a year. Similar to this, there is another scholarship meant for students of the Scheduled Tribe category, but the number of seats awarded in this one is only 20.

• Type of Scholarship: Student-centric
• Amount or Type of Expenses: Tuition fees, cost of books, airfare, and living costs.
• Subjects: 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.

5. Inlaks Shivdasani Foundation Scholarship

The Inlaks Shivdasani Foundation Scholarships were established in 1976, and since then, it has awarded grants to talented Indian students. This fellowship is available to those who intend to pursue MPhil, Masters, or Doctoral programmes in the United Kingdom, the United States, or Europe.

• Type of Scholarship: Merit-based
• Amount or Type of Expenses: Provides a maximum support of INR 72,000 that covers tuition, accommodation & one-way travel allowance.
• Subjects: Liberal Arts & humanities