Eyeing the University of Oxford? Or finding it difficult to finance your education at the Stanford University? Well, there’s nothing to worry about. The answer is really simple, and well, you’ve heard it quite a lot of times…SCHOLARSHIPS! While we may not be aware of the gamut of opportunities available to Indian students to finance the extremely expensive studies abroad, there are innumerable scholarship programs to help us steer our way through.
As per the data mentioned above, the total annual cost to study in Australia is $42,093 (INR 34 lakh approx.) which is not financially feasible for most of the Indian families. Due to the same, students often do not consider the option of studying abroad. And that’s where the various scholarship programmes come to their rescue.
Scholarships are blessings in disguise to people who decline offers to study at leading universities abroad because of financial crunch. Many scholarships cover 100% of university and college fees and also provide a grant for living costs. Isn’t that amazing? Though one has to meet a specific range of criteria to avail them, yet you must explore your options as such an opportunity lost will make you repent for an entire lifetime.
Therefore, to make your work a little easier, the below-list contains the top 20 International scholarship opportunities for Indian students you must go through. The direct links for the same have also been provided. You never know how things might suddenly change for you at the click of just a button.
1. Sussex India Scholarship: The University of Sussex, United Kingdom offers scholarships worth £3,000 by way of a reduction in the fee for all overseas fee paying students from india who have accepted an offer of a full-time place on a masters course at the university. A multitude of full-time taught Masters degree courses (e.g. MA, MSc, LLM. MRes) are covered under this scholarship.
To avail the scholarship, one must apply for admission to an eligible Masters course before the expiry of the deadline for application.
2. Commonwealth Shared Scholarship: These scholarships are offered by the Commonwealth Scholarship Commission (CSC) in the UK in partnership with the UK universities to students from developing countries who would not otherwise be able to afford to undertake Master’s level study in the UK. 100% of University and college fees and a grant for living costs (at least £11,376) is the value that the scholarship provides. A wide range of leading UK universities including University of Oxford, Cranfield University, King’s College London, Sheffield Hallam University, University of Cambridge, University of Nottingham and many more are participants of this scholarship for a plethora of courses.
For a detailed view of the eligibility conditions, application process, covered courses and scholarship benefits, have a look at the 2015 prospectus by clicking on the link below.
3. Dr Abdul Kalam International Post Graduate Scholarship: All international applicants with an offer of admission for a Master by coursework program in the Faculty of Engineering and IT at the University of Sydney are eligible to avail the scholarship. The scholarship is valued at 50% of the tuition fees for the Master program and year offered, subject to satisfactory academic performance deemed to be a minimum of credit average (65%) each semester. It is available for both undergraduate (semester 1) as well as postgraduate IT courses.
4. International Leader of Tomorrow Award: International undergraduate students who exhibit superior academic achievement, leadership skills, involvement in student affairs and community service, and who enthusiastically participate in extra-curricular activities are welcome to apply for the International Leader of Tomorrow Award which is awarded by The University of British Columbia, Canada. One needs to apply to their first undergraduate degree and be admissible to the first choice program they are applying to. A wide range of Bachelor’s degree courses can be opted for. The value of awards is commensurate with demonstrated financial need, up to full tuition costs for the relevant program of study, and living expenses minus the financial contribution the student and their family can make annually towards these costs.
5. UC International First Year Scholarship: The University of Canterbury, New Zealand offers the UC International First Year Scholarship to high end achievers who are citizens of countries other than New Zealand and Australia and are about to commence an undergraduate degree programme at the university. The scholarship is currently awarded with values of $10,000, $15,000 or $20,000 which would be very beneficial for you to cut down your cost of studying abroad.
6. British Council IELTS Award: Yet another highly rated award comes in the form of INR 3,00,000 towards the cost of tuition fees if you are planning to undertake your undergraduate or postgraduate studies at a university in any country outside India that recognizes IELTS. The basic eligibility conditions require you to be an Indian citizen with a minimum overall IELTS band score of 6.0.
7. International Office Scholarship: The University of Bristol, UK awards five scholarships of £8,500 each to international applicants who hold an offer of a place on an undergraduate course or a one year taught Master’s course in any discipline at the university. The wide range of courses to choose from makes it a viable opportunity to grab.
8. Eric Bleumink Scholarship: The University of Groningen, Netherlands targets talented young researchers who will pursue a 1 year or 2 years Master’s degree program or a 4-year Ph.D program at the university. The scholarship seeks to cover the tuition fee, costs of international travel, subsistence, books, and health insurance. To be able to apply for the same, the student needs to be (conditionally) admitted to one of the Master’s programs.
9. Stanford Reliance Dhirubhai Fellowship: Stanford Reliance Dhirubhai Fellowship program targets Indian students who need financial assistance in obtaining an MBA at Stanford Graduate School of Business in USA.
Finalists will receive financial support for the cost of tuition and associated fees for each year of the two-year Stanford MBA Program (approximately $145,000 total). They are required to return to India for a period of at least two years to work for an Indian organization after completing their MBA program.
10. Principal’s International Scholarship: Queen’s University, Canada offers the Queen’s University Principal’s International Scholarship for students planning to pursue an undergraduate programme of study at the university. The scholarships are awarded on the basis of grades scored during their higher secondary exams. The total value of the scholarship is $8,000 ($4,000 annually) spread over a period of two years. No separate application is required. Every candidate applying to any course of study at the university will automatically be considered for the scholarship. The basic eligibility criteria requires the applicant to be entering the first year of post-secondary education for the first time and also have high school grades of more than 95% or IB Diploma Programme requirements of more than 39 core.
11. University of Manitoba Graduate Fellowships (UMGF): The UMGF is a merit-based award that is open to international students willing to pursue any Master’s or Ph.D level study (except those in the Faculty of Medicine and in the Master of Business Administration – MBA) at The University of Manitoba, Canada. The value of this fellowship is $18,000 (Ph.D.) and $14,000 (Master’s) for a 12 month period. Students are eligible to receive the UMGF for the first 24 months of their Master’s program and the first 48 months of their Ph.D program.
12. Ontario Graduate Scholarship (OGS): The Ontario Graduate Scholarship program encourages excellence in graduate studies at the Master’s and doctoral levels at leading universities in Ontario, Canada by providing a scholarship value of $5,000 per term ($10,000 for two terms or $15,000 for three terms as the case may be). One-term awards are not granted. Awards are available to students in all disciplines of academic study who plan to be enrolled full-time in a graduate program at an Ontario university.
For details regarding eligibility, participating universities and other details, visit: Ontario Graduate Scholarship (OGS) Program
13. India Master’s Scholarship: India Master’s Scholarship is offered to Indian students who wish to study postgraduate courses at King’s College London. The post graduate courses at the college include programmes like Philosophy, Literature, Classical Art, History, Policy and Music among others. The scholarship is offered as a tuition waiver and each award carries £5,000 towards the candidates tuition fees at the college. There is no separate application form for India Master’s Scholarship 2015. The candidates who apply for any of the chosen postgraduate full time course are considered for the scholarship.
14. ADB-Japan Scholarship programme: Well-qualified citizens of ADB’s developing member countries of which India is a part, can undertake postgraduate studies in economics, management, science and technology, and other development-related fields at participating academic institutions under the purview of this programme. It covers the full tuition fees, a monthly subsistence and housing allowance, an allowance for books and instructional materials, medical insurance, travel expenses and also provides special grants for thesis preparation. University of Auckland, University of Melbourne, University of Tokyo, National University of Singapore and also the Indian Institute of Technology, Delhi are some of the participating institutions.
15. Université Paris-Saclay International Master’s Scholarship: International students who wish to obtain a Master’s degree in one of Paris-Saclay University’s member establishments (entering an M1 or an M2 directly) under any discipline provided by them can apply for the Université Paris-Saclay International Master’s Scholarship. The value for the scholarship is 10,000€ per year awarded by the establishment the candidate is registered in for the duration of the academic year and for a period of not less than 10 consecutive months per year. Travel and VISA expenses (maximum 1,000€) is also awarded depending on the candidate’s country of origin.
16. University of Westminster Full International Scholarship: The University of Westminster, UK offers full tuition fee waivers, accommodation, living expenses and flights to and from London to international students from developing and middle income countries who wish to pursue a full-time undergraduate degree at the university. The criteria for awarding the scholarships are academic excellence, development potential and financial need.
This scholarship is considered to be the most competitive programme of the university which covers a wide range of undergraduate courses.
17. University of Geneva Excellence Masters Fellowship: If you intend to pursue your Master’s degree in any discipline related to science (Astronomy, Biology, Chemistry and Biochemistry, Earth Sciences, Environmental Sciences, Computer Sciences, Mathematics, Pharmaceutical Sciences and Physics), then The University of Geneva, Switzerland could be the right choice. The Faculty of Science of the university, has established an Excellence Fellowship Program to support outstanding and highly motivated candidates by providing CHF 10’000 to CHF 15’000 per year as the value of the scholarship.
The basic eligibility criteria requires one to have completed their Bachelor’s degree or expect to complete it within 6 months, and belong to the top 10% of their bachelor’s program.
18. Gates Cambridge Scholarships: Awarded to outstanding international students to pursue a full-time postgraduate degree in any subject available at the University of Cambridge, UK, this scholarship covers the full cost of studying at Cambridge, namely: the University Composition Fee and college fees at the appropriate rate, a maintenance allowance for a single student, one economy single airfare at both the beginning and end of the course, and inbound visa costs.
19. University of Bern Master’s Grants: University of Bern, Switzerland offers Master’s grants for foreign students for the duration of a Master program at the university with the exception of Biomedical Science. The monthly value is CHF 1,600, exemption from one-off application fee, and exemption from tuition fees. A student whose permanent domicile at the time of application is outside of Switzerland, and who obtained their Bachelor’s degree in the relevant filed of study outside of Switzerland is eligible to apply for the scholarship.
20. La Trobe Academic Excellence Scholarship: The scholarship aims to cover the tuition fees for high-achieving international students accepted into any full-time undergraduate and postgraduate coursework programs at La Trobe University, Australia . The worth lies between $10,000 and $20,000 which is paid across a maximum of two semesters (or 12 months).
You must have scored 85% or equivalent in your previous degree/award, and meet the English language and academic entry requirements of the university.
These were some of the many scholarships provided by international universities to students who belong to India. Before applying to any scholarship, one must be fully aware of the eligibility criteria and the additional tests (if required) for not only acquiring the scholarship, but for also securing a seat in your preferred field of study at the university you wish to graduate from. Keep track of the application deadlines of various university grants as they vary from university to university and also from course to course.
I hope the article was helpful. GOOD LUCK!