Scholarships for Indian students studying abroad

At a glance

Where destination-independent funding comes from

• Indian government schemes, including the National Overseas Scholarship for eligible categories, which fund study abroad directly.
• Private trusts and endowments — the J.N. Tata Endowment, Inlaks and others — which have funded Indian students abroad for decades.
• State government schemes, which vary by state and are frequently under-subscribed.
• Multi-country awards such as Erasmus Mundus, which fund a degree spanning several countries.

These are invisible from a university's scholarship page, which is why students who research only their destination never find them.

Start earlier than you think

1. Many of these close a full year before the intake, before you have an admission offer.
2. Several require an offer, so the sequence matters — check whether yours does.
3. Trusts often interview, and the interview weighs intent and background as much as marks.
4. State and category-based schemes have their own documentation requirements that take weeks to assemble.

The most common reason an Indian student misses this category is not eligibility. It is finding out about it after the deadline.

Awards open across destinations

Showing 12 of 36, most searched first. Each one carries its own deadline, eligibility and the source we read it from.