- A UK Student visa now costs 558 pounds from outside the UK, plus the 776 pounds a year Immigration Health Surcharge
- You must show 1,529 pounds a month for London or 1,171 pounds a month elsewhere, for up to nine months
- Chevening applications for 2027-28 opened on 4 August 2026 and close on 6 October 2026
- GREAT Scholarships give Indian students 10,000 pounds towards a one-year taught master's.
What Does It Cost an Indian Student to Study in the UK in 2026?
International undergraduate tuition in the UK runs from 11,400 to 38,000 pounds a year and postgraduate tuition from 9,000 to 30,000 pounds. On top of that you pay a 558 pound visa fee and 776 pounds a year for healthcare, and you must prove monthly living funds before the visa is granted by the Home Office.
Every scholarship decision starts with the real bill. Split the cost of studying in the UK into the money you pay before you fly and the money you spend once you land. The Home Office fixes the first set of numbers, so they are the same for every Indian applicant.
| Upfront Cost 2026 | Amount |
|---|---|
| Student visa application from outside the UK | 558 pounds |
| Immigration Health Surcharge for students | 776 pounds per year of visa |
| Maintenance funds to show, courses in London | 1,529 pounds a month, up to 9 months |
| Maintenance funds to show, courses outside London | 1,171 pounds a month, up to 9 months |
Tuition and living costs vary far more, because they depend on the subject and the city. Laboratory and clinical degrees sit at the top of the range, while humanities courses sit near the bottom. The ranges below reflect published international fee levels for 2026 entry across UK universities.
| Annual Study Cost 2026 | Typical Range |
|---|---|
| Undergraduate tuition, international student | 11,400 to 38,000 pounds a year |
| Postgraduate tuition, international student | 9,000 to 30,000 pounds a year |
| Living costs in London | 1,300 to 1,400 pounds a month |
| Living costs in the rest of the UK | 900 to 1,300 pounds a month |
Which UK Government Scholarships Can Indian Students Apply For?
Four government-backed schemes are open to Indian students. Chevening and the two Commonwealth Scholarship Commission awards are fully funded and cover tuition, a monthly stipend and return airfare. GREAT Scholarships, run with the British Council, give 10,000 pounds towards tuition on a one-year taught master's course at a participating UK university.
These are the largest and most competitive scholarships for study in the UK for Indian students. All four are for postgraduate study, and all four require you to hold or expect a strong undergraduate degree before you apply.
| Government Scholarship 2026 | What It Covers | Key Eligibility |
|---|---|---|
| Chevening Scholarship | Full tuition, monthly stipend and return airfare for a one-year UK master's | 2,800 hours of work experience gained after your undergraduate degree, and a commitment to return to India for at least two years after the award ends |
| Commonwealth Master's Scholarship | Full tuition, approved return airfare and 1,712 pounds a month, or 2,000 pounds a month in the London metropolitan area | Indian citizen permanently resident in India, holding a first degree of at least upper second-class honours standard, unable to fund UK study otherwise |
| Commonwealth Shared Scholarship | Full tuition, approved return airfare and 1,452 pounds a month, or 1,781 pounds a month in London, plus thesis and study travel grants | Upper second-class degree, and you must not have studied or worked for one academic year or more in a high income country |
| GREAT Scholarships, British Council | 10,000 pounds towards tuition on a one-year taught postgraduate course | Indian citizen with an undergraduate degree who meets the university English requirement, applying to one of the 12 participating UK universities |
Chevening and the Commonwealth awards are applied for centrally, not through the university. GREAT Scholarships work the other way round: each participating university sets its own deadline and you apply to the institution directly.
Commonwealth Scholarship: eligibility and application guideRead →Which Fully Funded Scholarships Cover Oxford and Cambridge?
Oxford and Cambridge run four major fully funded routes for Indian students. Clarendon awards over 200 scholarships a year at Oxford, Rhodes adds a 20,400 pound stipend, Gates Cambridge pays 22,050 pounds maintenance for twelve months, and the Felix Scholarship funds Indian nationals at Oxford, Reading and SOAS.
None of these awards ask for a separate scholarship form in the usual sense. You apply for the course first, then tick a box or meet the relevant December or January deadline to be considered.
| Fully Funded Award 2026 | University | What It Covers |
|---|---|---|
| Clarendon Fund | University of Oxford | Course fees and a living-costs grant for the period of fee liability. Over 200 new fully funded scholarships each year, with no restriction on nationality or field of study |
| Rhodes Scholarship | University of Oxford | University fees, a stipend of 20,400 pounds a year, visa and health costs, two economy flights and a settling-in allowance |
| Gates Cambridge Scholarship | University of Cambridge | University Composition Fee, maintenance of 22,050 pounds for twelve months, one economy airfare at each end of the course, inbound visa costs and the Immigration Health Surcharge |
| Felix Scholarship | Oxford, Reading and SOAS | 100 percent of course fees, a living-costs grant of around 19,000 pounds and one return flight from India. Up to seven awards a year at Oxford |
Gates Cambridge offers around 80 full-cost scholarships a year, split into roughly 25 in the US round and 55 in the international round. It does not fund undergraduate degrees, MASt courses or professional programmes such as the MBA, EMBA, MFin and PGCE. The Felix Scholarship is reserved for Indian nationals ordinarily resident in India who hold a first-class Indian degree.
What Scholarships Can Indian Undergraduates Get in the UK?
Undergraduate funding in the UK is handled almost entirely by the universities themselves, as tuition-fee discounts rather than living-cost grants. Sheffield gives 2,500 pounds a year, worth up to 10,000 pounds over four years, and Hertfordshire awards between 500 and 4,000 pounds. Most are applied automatically with no separate form.
This is the biggest single difference between undergraduate and postgraduate funding. Chevening, the Commonwealth awards and GREAT are all postgraduate schemes, so an Indian student going to the UK after class 12 has to look at university-level awards instead.
| Undergraduate Award 2026 | University | Value and How It Works |
|---|---|---|
| International Undergraduate Scholarship | University of Sheffield | 2,500 pounds a year, up to 10,000 pounds on a four-year programme. Awarded automatically as a tuition discount to self-funded overseas students who choose Sheffield as firm or insurance choice |
| Chancellor's International Scholarship | University of Hertfordshire | 500 to 4,000 pounds, assessed automatically from your application form, academic performance and English ability |
| UG Tri Annual Scholarship | University of Hertfordshire | 2,000 pounds a year, up to 6,000 pounds across a three-year course or 8,000 pounds across four years, continuing on successful progression |
Check the international fees and funding page of every university on your UCAS list. Awards of this type are usually tied to holding an offer, paying a deposit by a stated date, or naming the university as your firm choice, so the deadlines fall much earlier than the course start.
Cost of living in the UK for Indian studentsRead →Which India-Based Trusts Fund UK Study for Indian Students?
Two India-focused trusts fund UK study directly. The Inlaks Shivdasani Foundation covers costs of up to 120,000 US dollars for Indian passport holders resident in India, and the Charles Wallace India Trust makes two long-term awards a year covering UK accommodation and living costs in arts and heritage subjects.
These trusts are far smaller than the government schemes, which makes them worth applying to. Both restrict entry by age and by residence in India, so read the current cycle rules before you spend time on the form.
| India Trust Award 2026 | What It Covers | Key Eligibility |
|---|---|---|
| Inlaks Shivdasani Scholarship | Up to 120,000 US dollars covering tuition, living expenses, travel, visa and a health allowance | Indian passport holder resident in India, born on or after 1 January 1996 for the 2026 round, with at least 65 percent in humanities or social sciences or 70 percent in sciences and mathematics |
| Charles Wallace India Trust long-term award | Accommodation and living costs in the UK plus 700 pounds towards international travel. Two long-term awards are offered each year | Indian citizen living in India, aged between 28 and 38, working in visual arts, performance, film, photography, design, curating, art history or heritage conservation, with no CWIT grant in the last five years |
The Charles Wallace India Trust also runs short-term research grants and visiting fellowships, including a term-long fellowship in Cambridge, rather than only funding full degrees.
Are There Scholarships for Medicine and Engineering in the UK?
Subject-specific awards are rare, so most medicine and engineering students use the general schemes. Clarendon and Gates Cambridge accept every field of study, and Chevening funds any one-year master's. Hertfordshire offers a 2,000 pound MBBS International Scholarship for international students joining its Medical School in September 2026.
For engineering, the practical route is the same as for any other postgraduate subject. Clarendon places no restriction on field of study, Gates Cambridge funds research and taught degrees across the university, and GREAT Scholarships are offered on taught master's courses at the 12 participating universities.
- Clarendon Fund at Oxford: no restriction on nationality, residence or field of study, so engineering and clinical research courses qualify
- Gates Cambridge: funds PhD, MLitt and one-year postgraduate courses in any department, but excludes the MBA, EMBA, MFin, PGCE and MBBChir Clinical Studies
- Chevening: any one-year taught master's at a UK university, which includes engineering and public health programmes
- University of Hertfordshire MBBS International Scholarship: 2,000 pounds, awarded once to international students joining the new Medical School, not repeated in later years
Fully funded undergraduate medicine scholarships in the UK are effectively non-existent for international students, and international applicants cannot access UK government tuition loans or the NHS bursary. Plan an MBBS in the UK as a self-funded degree with a partial fee discount at best.
Fully funded scholarships for Indian studentsRead →How Do You Apply for a UK Scholarship Step by Step?
Work backwards from the deadline. Identify the scheme, confirm you meet the eligibility rules, secure a university offer where one is required, then submit through the correct channel, which is a central portal for Chevening and the Commonwealth awards but the university itself for GREAT and institutional scholarships.
- Confirm eligibility against the official page, not an aggregator. Chevening needs 2,800 hours of post-degree work experience, and the Commonwealth awards need a first degree of at least upper second-class honours standard
- Shortlist courses. Chevening asks you to name three eligible courses, and GREAT Scholarships only apply at the 12 participating universities
- Apply for admission first where the scholarship requires an offer. Clarendon and Felix consideration is triggered by the December or January course deadline at Oxford
- Submit through the right channel. Commonwealth applications go through CSC Central and nothing submitted elsewhere is accepted
- Track the follow-up deadlines. Chevening scholars must hold and submit at least one unconditional UK university offer by 17:00 BST on 8 July of the year they start
The window is narrow and it does not move, so build your timeline around these dates for the current cycle.
| Scheme | 2026 Application Window | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Chevening Scholarship, 2027-28 entry | Opened 4 August 2026 at 11:00 UTC, closes 6 October 2026 at 11:00 UTC | Shortlist notifications mid-February 2027, interviews March to April 2027, results mid-June 2027 |
| Commonwealth Master's Scholarship, 2027-28 entry | Opens Tuesday 8 September, closes 16:00 BST on Tuesday 20 October | Outcomes expected by July 2027, applications only through CSC Central |
| Commonwealth Shared Scholarship, 2026-27 entry | Closed. Universities nominated candidates to the CSC in March 2026 | Study begins September or October 2026 |
| Sheffield International Undergraduate Scholarship | Closed for September 2026 entry. Sheffield had to be named firm or insurance choice by 4pm UK time on 3 June 2026 | No application form, awarded automatically as a tuition-fee discount |
| Clarendon Fund, Oxford | Automatic with the December or January course deadline for your programme | No separate scholarship application required |