Scholarships for Indian Students Studying Abroad 2026

Many foreign governments, universities, trusts and endowments fund Indian students who want to study abroad. This guide lists the awards that actually pay out in 2026, what each one covers, who qualifies, and when the application window opens and closes. Every figure below was read off the funding body's own page.

What Types of Scholarships Can Indian Students Get to Study Abroad?

The distinction matters because it decides what you submit. Merit awards want transcripts and test scores. Need based awards want income proof. Host government awards run their own national competition on a fixed calendar, while many university awards need no separate form at all and are decided straight from your admission file.

How Do You Apply for a Study Abroad Scholarship from India?

1. Fix your intake year and shortlist courses, because most awards are tied to a specific degree level and start date.
2. Read the funder's eligibility page in full: nationality, residency, class of degree, age cut off and work experience are all hard gates.
3. Sit any English or admissions test the university requires, so your scores are ready before the scholarship deadline.
4. Submit the university application by the scholarship linked deadline, which at Oxford is the December or January deadline for your course.
5. Line up referees early. The Rhodes Scholarship, for example, needs references submitted before the national closing date.
6. Apply on the funder's own portal and keep proof of submission, since almost no funder accepts late or emailed applications.

Two rules cause most rejections. First, work experience is counted in hours, not job titles, and it must fall after your first degree. Second, several awards bar you if you already hold a degree at the same level or a degree from outside India, so read the exclusions as carefully as the requirements.

Which Fully Funded Scholarships Should Indian Students Target in 2026?

Chevening Scholarship

Chevening funds a one year master's in the UK and is open to emerging leaders worldwide. You need an undergraduate degree that qualifies you for a UK master's, at least 2,800 hours of work experience gained after that degree, and an unconditional offer from one of three eligible UK courses. Applications for the 2027-28 cohort opened on 4 August 2026 and close on 6 October 2026 at 11:00 UTC.

Commonwealth Master's Scholarship

The Commonwealth Scholarship Commission in the UK covers approved tuition in full and pays GBP 1,712 a month, rising to GBP 2,000 for scholars at London metropolitan area universities, plus return airfare and a study travel grant. Applicants from 43 eligible Commonwealth countries, India included, apply through a nominating agency on CSC Central.

Rhodes Scholarship for India

The Rhodes Scholarship is the oldest international scholarship programme in the world, with its first scholars selected in 1902. It covers University of Oxford course fees and pays a stipend of GBP 20,400 a year at the 2025-26 rate, alongside two economy flights, visa fees and the health surcharge. Five Rhodes Scholarships are available for India each year.

Felix Scholarship

Felix funds Indian graduate students at Oxford, Reading and SOAS. At Oxford it pays 100 percent of course fees, a living cost grant of around GBP 19,000 and one return flight from India, with up to seven awards a year. You need a first class Indian degree, must not already hold a degree from outside India, and there is no separate application form.

Fulbright Nehru Master's Fellowship

Administered by the United States India Educational Foundation, this fellowship funds up to two years of master's study in the United States. You need the equivalent of a US bachelor's degree from a recognised Indian university with at least 55 percent marks and three years of full time paid professional experience in your proposed field. The award covers tuition and fees, living costs, J-1 visa support, round trip economy airfare and accident and sickness cover.

Inlaks Shivdasani Scholarship

Inlaks funds Indian students at top universities in Europe, the United Kingdom and the United States, with awards worth up to USD 120,000 covering tuition, living expenses, travel, visas and a health allowance. Applicants must have been born on or after 1 January 1996 and hold a bachelor's degree from a recognised Indian university, with 65 percent in social sciences, humanities, law or fine arts, or 70 percent in mathematics, sciences and environment.

JN Tata Endowment Loan Scholarship

Founded in 1892, the JN Tata Endowment supports only overseas postgraduate study, meaning master's, doctoral and postdoctoral programmes. It awards loan scholarships of up to Rs 20 lakh carrying 2 percent simple interest a year, and selected scholars also become eligible for a travel grant and gift award from the allied Tata Trusts. Applicants must be no older than 45 as of 30 June 2026.

What Does the Indian Government Offer for Studying Abroad?

The National Overseas Scholarship is a central sector scheme, and 30 percent of the scholarships in each selection year are earmarked for female candidates. Funds are released to Indian missions abroad, which pay tuition fees, the maintenance allowance and other approved allowances on the scholar's behalf rather than transferring a lump sum to the student.

• Level of study: Master's degree or PhD courses at a foreign institution.
• Total slots each selection year: 125 fresh awards.
• Category split: 115 Scheduled Castes, 6 denotified, nomadic and semi-nomadic tribes, 4 landless agricultural labourers and traditional artisans.
• Reservation: 30 percent of awards in each selection year are earmarked for women.
• Applications are filed on the scheme portal run by the Ministry of Social Justice and Empowerment.

How Much Do Scholarships in Germany, Japan and Europe Pay?

DAAD also covers health, accident and personal liability insurance in many cases, and some programmes add research grants, family allowances or language course funding. MEXT waives the entrance examination, matriculation and tuition fees at the receiving Japanese university and adds a supplemental regional allowance of 2,000 or 3,000 yen a month in designated regions.

Erasmus Mundus Joint Masters run for one to two academic years, worth 60, 90 or 120 ECTS credits, and are delivered by a consortium of universities across several countries. The scholarship covers your participation costs and contributes to travel, visa costs and a living allowance, with individual programmes setting their own award levels.

When Do the Big 2026-27 Scholarship Deadlines Fall?

Chevening adds a second hard date: the deadline to submit at least one unconditional UK university offer is 17:00 BST on 8 July 2027, and scholars start in September or October 2027. Commonwealth results are notified by July 2027 for study beginning that September or October, so plan for a gap of roughly a year between applying and departing.

Can You Get a Scholarship to Study Abroad After Class 12?

Under the MEXT undergraduate route, candidates apply through the Japanese diplomatic mission in their home country and sit a first screening. Grantees normally complete a preparatory education course before entering an undergraduate degree, although applicants with sufficient Japanese language ability may be placed directly at a university. The academic year runs from 1 April to 31 March.

Beyond MEXT, school leavers should focus on university funded merit awards, which are decided from the admission application itself, rather than on the national competitions listed above. Trust awards such as Inlaks and JN Tata and government awards such as the National Overseas Scholarship all require a completed undergraduate degree, so they open only after graduation.