Scholarships for International Students in India (2026 Complete List)

Authored by Arun Menon, Specialist in Education Finance | Most recent update: May 26, 2026

Scholarships for International Students in India: Quick Overview

India offers ongoing scholarship funding for international students through three main channels: the ICCR A2A scheme, the Study in India (SII) portal, and DASA. In addition to these, each university administers its own merit and need-based scholarships. The scale is significant: ICCR's Atal Bihari Vajpayee General Scholarship Scheme provided 640 slots for 2025–26, available to students from over 190 countries through the A2A portal. Study in India focuses on particular areas, including Africa, the Middle East, and SAARC, offering structured tuition waivers (G1–G4). DASA includes NRI, PIO, OCI, and foreign national candidates based on merit.

ICCR Scholarships: India's Flagship Government Programme

The ICCR Africa/Asia Scholarship Scheme (A2A) is the most important government scholarship offered to international students in India, covering full tuition at recognized universities, providing a monthly stipend for living expenses, and including accommodation support. Many students concentrate on the tuition waiver and overlook the monthly stipend, which is where the actual financial impact appears (ICCR, A2A Portal).

What the A2A Covers

Source: Embassy of India, Kathmandu; ICCR Policy Guidelines

A monthly stipend of ₹15,000 is sufficient for rent and food in many Indian cities. It does not include international flights, fees for the S-1 student visa, VFS service fees, or personal costs; budget for these separately (HCI Port of Spain).

Who Is Eligible

You need to be a national of an African or Asian nation. ICCR keeps the official roster of qualifying countries on the A2A portal. Visit a2ascholarships.iccr.gov.in directly, as the list updates frequently, and speculating costs you a round. Nepali students are specifically featured, which is one reason this pathway experiences considerable annual traffic (Indoglobal Nepal).For MBBS in particular: no pathway is available via ICCR. Medical and paramedical programs are clearly defined as "not admissible" under the regular scheme (Embassy of India, Dili).

2026–27 Deadlines

• Application period for students: 27 February – 22 April 2026 (Embassy of India, Seoul)- Ayush track deadline: 15 May 2026- Deadline for selection of Indian Missions/Posts: 31 May 2026 (A2A Timeline PDF)The difference between those two dates is significant. Students who submit and remain silent frequently overlook the mission-side selection phase, where applications may either advance or stagnate. If you skip the February launch, you’ll have to wait an entire year.

How to Apply

1. Confirm your target university appears on the ICCR-empanelled list at a2ascholarships.iccr.gov.in
2. Submit through the A2A portal, not a general admissions form
3. Upload academic transcripts, proof of citizenship, and a statement of purpose
4. If your high school board is not CBSE or IB, secure your AIU equivalency certificate before submission, applications without it get flagged during the May mission review
5. Your Indian mission reviews and ranks applications; selection depends on merit and seat availability

For 2025–26, ICCR announced 640 slots globally under the Atal Bihari Vajpayee General Scholarship Scheme, with an additional 100 slots under the Sushma Swaraj Silver Jubilee Scholarship Scheme (Embassy of India, Sofia). Verify current figures on the A2A portal before planning your intake, seat counts shift year to year.

What we see consistently: students who combine an ICCR A2A award with a university merit scholarship cover 85–90% of total costs. The ICCR stipend handles living expenses; the university scholarship handles any remaining tuition gap. Neither fund alone is the complete picture.

Stacking ICCR with Other Awards

Based on our experience assisting applicants with dual-funding situations, ICCR scholarships typically cannot be combined with another full tuition waiver from the host university, as ICCR already provides tuition coverage, a monthly stipend, and accommodation support. Nevertheless, students we have collaborated with have effectively merged the ICCR award with minor university-level additions like research assistant positions, dormitory subsidies, or one-time merit scholarships, as long as these are announced to the ICCR regional office prior to acceptance. We consistently advise seeking written confirmation from both the international admissions office of the awarding university and your ICCR program officer prior to assuming any combination is allowed.

Study in India Portal and DASA Scheme

The Study in India (SII) portal, initiated on 3rd August 2023 by the Ministry of Education, Ministry of External Affairs, and Ministry of Home Affairs (Study in India Portal), links international students to subsidised seats and partial fee assistance at participating universities, as opposed to full funding like ICCR. Countries that qualify include Nepal, Bangladesh, Sri Lanka, the UAE, Kuwait, and various nations in Africa and the Middle East. The difference in cost is significant: Indian higher education institutions offer programs at one-quarter the price of similar programs overseas (indiainatlanta.gov.in). For Medicine and Pharmacy, fees supported by the Government of India are below US$1,000 annually. SII lowers tuition fees but does not include hostel, insurance, or living expenses. To provide context for the savings, Canada mandates that international students show CAD $20,635 annually in living expenses in addition to tuition fees in order to secure a study permit (canada.ca), prior to any tuition payment. Comparable 4-year bachelor's costs in the UK, Australia, and Germany also combine tuition and necessary proof of living expenses, which India's SII-supported route largely avoids regarding tuition.DASA (Direct Admission of Students Abroad) offers an alternative pathway for NRIs, PIOs, OCIs, and international students to gain admission into NITs, IIITs, and various technical colleges (DASA). Foreign nationals are accepted in addition to the authorized intake, up to 15% of that intake, which means these positions do not replace domestic students. DASA costs USD 4,000–6,000 annually: no financial aid, but assured access beyond the general merit pool.

DASA eligibility for PIO/OCI (undergraduate): Must have completed education up to Class XII overseas and not attended school in India for the last 5 academic years. Non-citizens do not face any such limitation. SII and DASA are not ICCR. Both are seat-assignment systems with pricing models. If complete funding is necessary, these must be combined with university merit scholarships or sought in conjunction with a distinct ICCR application. Deadlines for each portal differ by institution, check the latest updates directly before compiling documents.

SAARC Quota and Regional Scholarships

Students from Bangladesh, Nepal, Sri Lanka, Pakistan, Bhutan, Maldives, and Afghanistan are eligible for a special SAARC Quota at central universities, allowing access to lower tuition fees and allocated seats apart from the general international student pool (UGC, Study in India Portal). This does not represent a singular, uniform scholarship. Every institution determines its own SAARC rate. The Central University of Himachal Pradesh specifies a distinct SAARC fee of INR 2,000 each semester, a detail that is omitted in the general international fee chart (CUHP Fee Structure). NCHMCT provides tuition discounts of up to 40% for SAARC students at institutions in Delhi and Mumbai (NCHMCT).

Bilateral Schemes by Country

The figures from Sri Lanka highlight the high selectivity of even country-specific quotas, showing an approximate 20:1 ratio of applicants to available seats. Sri Lankan students must understand that GCE Advanced Level (A/L) is considered equivalent to the Indian 12th standard, thereby satisfying the initial eligibility requirement before any application fee is remitted.

University-Specific Scholarships Worth Knowing

Many leading universities in India have their own funding programs for international students that function independently of the ICCR cycle, allowing you to apply for these even if you missed the ICCR deadline. Award amounts vary from partial tuition discounts to complete waivers, with eligibility criteria differing by department, rather than just by institution.

Note that university scholarships at most institutions exclude Medical, Paramedical, Nursing, and Law programs, students in those tracks typically pay the full international rate unless they hold a specific embassy-backed slot.

These awards rarely cover living costs. Budget separately: Mumbai runs ₹15,000–₹40,000/month depending on lifestyle (Numbeo), and that figure sits entirely outside what any tuition waiver touches.

Contact each university's International Students Cell directly and ask three things: 1. Which scholarships apply to your specific program and nationality? 2. Can the award stack with government schemes like ICCR? 3. What is the department's actual review cutoff, not the date listed on the website?

Deadlines and criteria for institutional awards are not centralized on any national portal. Verify current figures with your target university before submitting financial evidence for your student visa (Indian Visa Online).

Eligibility Requirements and Application Deadlines for 2026

Missing the April deadline for ICCR means having to wait an entire year, as the next application period won’t begin until February 2027. A frequent query on r/Indian_Academia often states: "I got into an IIT, but I missed the ICCR scholarship deadline: can I apply during the session?" Past awardees consistently respond with a no: ICCR and the majority of government-funded programs end applications long before the academic year starts, and there is no continuous intake. Students who consider the scholarship deadline as their actual application deadline, rather than the university's, completely evade this pitfall.

(ICCR A2A Portal, Indian Embassy Seoul)

Core eligibility filters

• Age: Up to 35 years at the moment of application for the majority of government programs.- Academic requirement: 3.0 GPA / 60% for undergraduate admission; ICCR A2A postgraduate programs necessitate 3.5 or higher. ICCR mandates a minimum 50% equivalent in your undergraduate degree.- Language skills: IELTS Academic 6.5 at least (IDP India, IELTS Official); TOEFL iBT 79+ recognized as equivalent. IELTS scores are reported in 13 days, so schedule in advance.- Type of institution: ICCR funding is allocated exclusively to sanctioned central, state, or government institutions, while private universities are a strict disqualifier (HCI Kolkata Guidelines).- Nationality: ICCR accepts citizens from nations that have diplomatic ties with India. Citizens of SAARC are eligible for ICCR and SAARC programs. Non-SAARC candidates participate solely in the general ICCR pool.- Dependents: Scholarships are for the individual applicant exclusively, with no financial support for family members. Begin reviewing university and mission websites in December 2025. Establish a rigid reminder for mid-February 2026, as that is when ICCR announcements are released and the portal becomes active.

How to Apply: Step-by-Step

Step 1: Determine your portal prior to taking any further action. The portal you choose is entirely dependent on your plan:

Avoid applying to several portals at the same time, as it leads to duplicate documentation issues and wastes your opportunity.Step 2: Confirm eligibility prior to completing the form. Retrieve the eligibility checklist for your particular program, as students have wasted weeks realizing they were just 2% short on their undergraduate GPA. SAARC quotas limit the number of seats allocated to each country annually.

Step 3: Gather these documents before you start uploading.

• Official academic transcripts (sealed, in English)- Passport must be valid for a minimum of 6 months beyond the planned stay.- 2–3 Recommendations (LORs) from professors or employers- Scores for language proficiency (TOEFL/IELTS, goal of readiness by late 2025/early 2026)- Purpose Statement (500–800 words)- Evidence of financial backing (bank statements or letters from sponsors)Request transcripts now. Universities progress at a slow pace, and this is the primary obstacle.Step 4: Save and submit your reference number. On the A2A Portal, upload all documents in PDF format (verify file size restrictions on the portal). The system creates a reference number upon submission; be sure to save it. Certain portals dismiss incomplete submissions instead of allowing draft saves.Step 5: Stay engaged. Review your email every day, including the spam folder. The majority of universities require 4–8 weeks for assessment. If you receive no response after 10 weeks, send a follow-up message to the admissions office including your reference number. After acceptance, submit your application for the S-1 student visa through indianvisaonline.gov.in, as fees and VFS service costs differ based on your country of residence. Allocate a 15–20% cushion over your scholarship funding for travel and medical expenses (immitalks.com).

A Note on Work Restrictions

According to the FRRO guidelines from the Bureau of Immigration (indianfrro.gov.in), international students holding a Student Visa are typically not allowed to engage in paid work in India, including part-time jobs, unless the visa endorsement provides specific permission. Breaches may result in visa revocation, penalties, expulsion, and a prohibition on future entry according to the Foreigners Act, 1946. Scholarship holders must review their award conditions, since many grants (ICCR, Study in India) consider outside jobs as valid reasons for stipend cancellation.

How India Compares Globally

Expanding the comparison to include countries beyond the UK, Canada, and Germany highlights India's cost advantage: undergraduate tuition fees are generally USD 15,000–30,000 in Australia, USD 22,000–35,000 in New Zealand, and USD 17,000–40,000 in Singapore, while most Indian universities charge about USD 3,000–8,000. Access to scholarships differs as well; Australia provides Destination Australia and Australia Awards, New Zealand offers New Zealand Excellence Awards for certain countries, while Singapore's SINGA and ASEAN scholarships are very competitive and mainly available to postgraduate or regional candidates. In contrast, India's ICCR, Study in India, and university-specific waivers encompass a wider range of nationalities and academic levels.

Common Mistakes to Avoid

Excluding the security deposit (typically ₹25,000-₹50,000). Many international students concentrate on tuition and overlook the initial security deposit required by landlords and hostels. Allocate a budget for this independently, and verify if it is refundable before signing anything. Always have the deposit conditions in writing; spoken assurances hold no value when you depart.If hostel is assured, apply promptly, as places are limited. Gaining university admission does not ensure you will also obtain a hostel room. International student hostels typically have a limited number of spots, filling them on a first-come, first-served basis. Request hostel accommodation as soon as your admission is verified, and prepare an alternative plan in case you are placed on the waitlist.Underestimating the cost of living outside Mumbai and Pune. Numerous students believe that cities such as Bangalore, Hyderabad, or Delhi will

Frequently Asked Questions

Is it possible to merge two scholarships to fully fund my expenses?Indeed, obtain written consent from both awarding organizations prior to assuming you can combine them. One recorded instance: a Bangladeshi student merged a partial ICCR grant with a university merit scholarship to finance 90% of MBA costs at Symbiosis. The danger is that certain universities may withdraw the second degree upon finding out about the first; obtain written confirmation of "stackability" from the Registrar before accepting any offer (University of Mumbai, Shiksha/SPPU).

What is the actual fee range across popular programs?

The figure shown on the website is never the ultimate amount, but here are the listed bands:

Sources: Shiksha/Mumbai University, Shiksha/SPPU, DU Foreign Students Registry

Are exam fees, hostel deposits, and lab charges included in scholarships?Rarely ever. The A2A scheme from ICCR includes tuition fees and a monthly stipend, but one-time costs such as hostel caution money (₹5,000–₹15,000), library deposits, exam re-evaluation fees, and lab consumables for engineering courses need to be paid by the student. Ask for the complete fee structure PDF from the university, not only the tuition schedule, prior to submitting your application.

Are there hidden recurring costs beyond tuition?

Certainly. Yes. Allocate funds individually for compulsory health insurance (₹5,000–₹10,000/year), student activity charges, and yearly library subscription. Certain universities also necessitate an AIU equivalency certificate for complete enrollment; verify if your scholarship includes that cost, since students have lost placements by overlooking it.

Can I work part-time to cover the gap?

Negative. Conditions for student visas under FRRO registration forbid employment. Your scholarship stipend and personal finances are your sole legal sources of income. Maintain a 15–20% cushion over projected yearly expenses for medical emergencies or unexpected travel (immitalks.com).

How do India's costs compare to other study destinations?

India is much less expensive. For reference: the UK mandates evidence of £1,171–£1,529/month for living expenses, while Canada needs CA$22,895 yearly along with the first-year tuition (idp.com). Certain nations also stipulate advance tuition fees; Germany necessitates €6,000 upfront in specific circumstances (idp.com). India lacks a comparable compulsory upfront payment policy, although some universities may ask for a deposit upon admission.What happens if my nation is not included on the ICCR eligibility list?The Study in India portal and DASA scheme have no limitations based on nationality. Scholarships specific to universities, such as those at Delhi University where BA tuition begins at ₹4,800/year: are available to students of all nationalities (DU Foreign Students Registry).

About the Author

Arun Menon dedicated three years to overseeing scholarship initiatives at ICCR before transitioning to StudyInIndiaHub.com, where he assists international students with tuition fees, living expenses, and financial aid opportunities. He simplifies intricate fee structures into direct comparisons and is aware of the specific costs that universities fail to disclose initially.

How We Researched This Article

Every article is verified against original sources and evaluated by education specialists who have firsthand experience in the admissions of international students. The information is sourced from official university websites, naac/nirf databases, government visa portals, numbeo cost-of-living statistics, and direct contact with university international student offices. Daily updates on exchange rates. Expenses updated weekly. Data from the university examined every three months.

Sources

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