Study Abroad Scholarships : Studying abroad is becoming expensive and for students without a sound economic background, the dream to study in their loved foreign varsity is quite difficult without a financial support. The scholarships provided by government, private entities, foreign varsities can act as a major financial aid for students who wish to study abroad .
Over 1.8 million Indian students are currently studying abroad in 2025, a whopping increase of 1.3 million students two years ago, as per the latest data from the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA).
Country-wise Study Abroad programme costs
For studying in USA, the students need to pay Rs 60 to 80 lakh per year, UK- Rs 30 to 40 lakh per year, Canada- Rs 20 to 25 lakh per year, Australia- Rs 20 to 30 lakh per year, as per reports.
How to avail Study Abroad Scholarships
There are various scholarships programme run by central government, renowned institutes that provides full, partial fee waiver for students studying abroad. Here are the following Study Abroad scholarships students can explore- National Overseas Scholarship (NOS), Fulbright-Nehru Fellowships, Fulbright-Kalam Climate Fellowship, Raman-Charpak Fellowship, DST-INSPIRE Overseas Scholarship, Dr. Ambedkar Scheme of Interest Subsidy, JN Tata Endowment.
National Overseas Scholarship- The Scheduled Caste students are eligible to pursue Master’s and PhD degrees abroad under this scholarship. The scholarship covers low-income students belonging to the Scheduled Castes, Denotified Nomadic and Semi-Nomadic Tribes, Landless Agricultural Labourers, and Traditional Artisans to obtain Master’s degree, PhD from foreign varsities.
The scholarships are provided to 125 students every year out of which Scheduled Castes- 115, Denotified, Nomadic and Semi-Nomadic Tribes- 6, Landless Agricultural Labourers and Traditional Artisans- 4.
“In each Selection Year, 125 fresh awards, subject to availability of funds, will be given under the Scheme. However, there will be a cap of 10% of the total slots i.e. Scheduled Castes, Denotified, Nomadic and Semi-Nomadic Tribes and landless Agricultural Labourers and Traditional Artisans for each State while allotting the slots. In case, the slots in the 1st round of selection remains unfilled after applying the 10 per cent cap, these slots will be filled in second round,” the notification mentioned.
Educational qualification: At least 60 per cent marks in the qualifying examination would be required to be eligible for scholarship. In case of Ph. D courses, the qualifying exam would be Master’s Degree and for Master’s Degree courses, the qualifying examination would be Bachelor’s Degree.
Income ceiling: The annual income of the family should not exceed rs 8 lakh.
Age Limit: The upper age limit of the candidates should not cross 35 years.
Application process: The candidates can apply for the scheme on the ministry portal- www.nosmsje.gov.in. The selection year period would be April to March of each year.
Fulbright-Nehru Fellowship- The fellowship is being provided to researchers working in USA varsities. The selected candidates for the fellowship programme will get J-1 visa support, round-trip economy class air travel from fellow’s home city to the host institution in the US. funding for tuition and fees.
Eligibility
The candidates must obtain a US bachelor’s degree from a recognised university with atleast 55 per cent marks. Must have at least three years’ full-time (paid) professional work experience relevant to the proposed field of study by the application deadline.
Application process: The application must be submitted online at apply.iie.org.
Fulbright-Kalam Climate Fellowship- The Fulbright-Kalam Climate Fellowship offers financial aid by United States-India Education Foundation (USIEF) to PhD students pursuing climate change research. The doctoral researchers will receive a monthly stipend, J-1 visa support, accident and sickness insurance, round-trip airfare, and potential research allowances.
DST-INSPIRE Overseas Scholarship- The scholarship is being provided for doctoral and postdoctoral research in STEM fields.
JN Tata Endowment- It offers loan scholarships for students pursuing higher education abroad.
Apart from the central government provided scholarships/ fellowships, there are country-specific scholarships, scholarships/ fellowships provided by private institutes.
