Every year, students from Nairobi, Kathmandu, Dhaka, Tashkent, Hanoi, Kabul, Addis Ababa and dozens of other cities look at India as a place to earn a degree at a fair price. Tuition at many Indian institutions is far lower than in Europe, North America or Australia, and English is the normal language of teaching in most universities. Still, the first question most families ask is simple: is there money to help pay for it, and who gives it?
The honest answer is that support does exist, but it comes from several different sources, and each one works in its own way. Some awards come from the Government of India and pay almost everything. Some are tuition discounts linked to your marks. Some are short training programmes for working professionals. This guide puts all of them on one page, explains what each one really pays, and shows you how to combine them into a realistic plan.
One Page, Every Source of Funding
Before going into detail, it helps to see the whole picture. The table below lists the main funding routes open to foreign nationals. Amounts and coverage are general descriptions taken from published scheme rules and may change from one admission year to the next.
| Funding Route | Run By | What It Usually Covers |
|---|---|---|
| ICCR scholarship schemes | ICCR, Ministry of External Affairs | Tuition, hostel or housing support and travel under most schemes; medical insurance is usually your own cost |
| Study in India fee waivers | Ministry of Education, with partner institutions | Tuition only, at 100%, 50% or 25% by merit tier; living costs not covered |
| ITEC training | Ministry of External Affairs | Short courses with tuition, airfare, housing and a living allowance for selected candidates |
| AYUSH scholarships | Ministry of Ayush, through ICCR | Small number of seats in Ayurveda, Unani, Siddha and related fields |
| DASA fee concession | Central engineering admission scheme | About 50% lower tuition for eligible SAARC nationals (around USD 2,000 instead of USD 4,000 per semester in 2025) |
| Institution awards | Individual universities | Partial tuition discounts based on marks, country or entrance score |
This overview is for general information only. We are not linked to any university, ministry, council or embassy, and nothing here is an offer of admission or funding. Fees, seat numbers and scheme rules are revised every year, so confirm every detail on the official portal, with the institution itself and with the Indian embassy or high commission in your country.
ICCR: The Closest Thing to a Full Ride
The Indian Council for Cultural Relations, which works under the Ministry of External Affairs, runs the largest group of government scholarships for foreign students. Its online system is called the A2A portal (Admissions to Alumni). At the time of writing, the portal lists more than twenty schemes, each aimed at particular regions or subjects.
Schemes Grouped by Region
- Atal Bihari Vajpayee General Scholarship Scheme: the successor to the older General Cultural Scholarship Scheme, open to students from many Asian, American, European, Eurasian and Oceanian countries at undergraduate, postgraduate and research level.
- India-Africa Maitri Scholarship Scheme: the renamed Africa Scholarship Scheme, for nationals of African countries.
- Commonwealth scholarship: named after Dr. A.P.J. Abdul Kalam, for Commonwealth member countries.
- Neighbourhood schemes: separate awards for Sri Lanka, Nepal, Bangladesh, Bhutan, the Maldives, Mongolia and the Mekong Ganga countries.
- Cultural schemes: such as the Lata Mangeshkar scheme for dance, music and other Indian arts, and cultural exchange awards based on agreements between India and certain countries.
- Quad STEM Scholarship: a newer award for four-year engineering degrees at government-funded technical institutions, listed for Indo-Pacific countries.
What an ICCR Award Pays
Under recent announcements published by Indian missions, ICCR pays tuition and hostel or housing allowances directly, and provides an economy air ticket to join the course and a return ticket at the end. Students are generally told to buy their own medical insurance, and one recent mission notice set the minimum cover at ₹5 lakh per year. The exact stipend amount varies by level of study and is revised from time to time, so read the current scheme document rather than relying on older figures.
Courses Usually Left Out
Many ICCR schemes exclude medicine, nursing and other paramedical subjects, as well as physiotherapy, fashion, law and some five-year integrated degrees. If you dream of becoming a doctor, an ICCR award is usually not the right route, and you should look at the separate medical admission process instead.
How Selection Works
You register on the A2A portal, upload documents, and choose up to five institutions in order of preference from the approved list. Universities review your file and decide whether to admit you. The Indian embassy or high commission in your country then allocates the limited slots and issues offer letters. In recent cycles the portal has opened in February and closed in late April, with university decisions due by the end of May. Age limits in recent notices have been 18 to 40 for degree courses, with a higher limit for PhD study.
Study in India Waivers and the Ind-SAT Story
The Study in India (SII) programme is run by the Ministry of Education. It does not give you cash. Instead, partner institutions agree to reduce tuition for foreign students who apply through the SII portal, and they set aside supernumerary seats so that Indian students do not lose places.
The Four Merit Tiers
According to a government reply in Parliament reported by the education press, the waiver model works like this: the top quarter of foreign applicants admitted by an institution receive a 100% tuition waiver, the next quarter receive 50%, the next quarter receive 25%, and the rest pay the full international fee. The government has also said that institutions must fund these waivers themselves, which is why the number of waived seats depends on each campus.
Where Ind-SAT Fits
To rank applicants fairly, the ministry introduced Ind-SAT, a scholastic aptitude test for foreign students. Its first sitting, in July 2020, was conducted online by the National Testing Agency, with registration handled by EdCIL, for students in twelve countries in Asia and Africa. Since then, the test used for SII ranking and its name have changed in some cycles, so check the current SII notice to see which test, if any, applies in your admission year. For many postgraduate courses, institutions rank applicants on their bachelor’s marks instead.
What the Waiver Will Not Pay
Even a full SII waiver normally covers tuition only. Hostel rent, food, books, insurance, visa costs and travel remain your responsibility. Budget for these before you accept an offer.
Short Courses Through ITEC
The Indian Technical and Economic Cooperation programme began in 1964 and now invites participants from around 160 partner countries. It is not a degree scholarship. It offers short professional courses, often a few weeks long, in subjects such as information technology, banking, public administration, rural development, renewable energy and English. For selected participants, the government pays tuition, international airfare, accommodation and a living allowance. ITEC is best suited to government officers and working professionals nominated through their own ministries, though some private-sector candidates are accepted depending on the course.
AYUSH Seats for Traditional Medicine
Students interested in Ayurveda, Unani, Siddha, Sowa-Rigpa or Homoeopathy can look at the AYUSH scholarships administered through ICCR. The numbers are small. Recent listings show separate quotas for BIMSTEC countries, for SEAR countries, for Malaysia, and a pool for more than a hundred other countries, each with roughly twenty to thirty awards. Competition for these few seats can be strong, so apply early and choose your preferred institutions carefully.
Engineering Through DASA
The Direct Admission of Students Abroad scheme fills engineering, architecture and planning seats at central technical institutions for foreign nationals, OCI and PIO cardholders and NRIs. It is an admission route rather than a scholarship, but it includes a built-in discount. For the 2025 cycle, published fees were about USD 4,000 per semester for non-SAARC candidates and about USD 2,000 for SAARC candidates who passed their qualifying exam in a SAARC country. Recent brochures required a qualifying JEE Main result and strong Class 12 marks, so check the current year’s brochure for the exact rules.
Support Offered by Universities Themselves
Outside government schemes, many universities, both public and private, publish their own help for international students. Common forms include:
- Merit discounts linked to your final school or bachelor’s marks.
- Lower fee bands for students from certain countries or regions.
- Discounts for high scores on the university’s own entrance test.
- Sibling or alumni concessions at some private campuses.
- Teaching or research assistant roles for postgraduate students in some departments.
These awards are usually partial and may depend on keeping a minimum grade each year. Always ask whether a discount is for the first year only or for the whole course, because that changes your total cost a great deal.
Research Students and PhD Funding
Doctoral candidates have more options than undergraduates. Several ICCR schemes include PhD study, and the higher age limit in recent notices makes them open to mid-career researchers. Some research institutes offer fellowships or assistantships that pay a monthly amount in return for teaching or lab work. Joint programmes and exchange agreements between Indian universities and foreign partners can also fund research visits. Rules for foreign nationals in research posts may differ from those for Indian students, so read each fellowship notice closely.
Costs That Stay With You
Whatever award you win, some costs almost always remain. Plan for them from the start.
- Health insurance: most institutions require valid cover for the full stay.
- Visa: fees vary by nationality. Since early 2025, students registered on the SII portal can apply for the new e-Student visa, and their dependants for the e-Student-X visa.
- Registration: most foreign students on a long-term visa must register with the Foreigners Regional Registration Office, now largely online through e-FRRO, usually within 14 days of arrival. Some nationalities and OCI cardholders are treated differently.
- Equivalence: the Association of Indian Universities may need to issue an equivalence certificate for your foreign school or degree results before final admission.
- Daily living: food, local transport, phone and study materials, which are much higher in big metro cities than in smaller towns.
Paid work is generally not permitted on a student visa, so do not count on a part-time job to fill gaps.
A Simple Order for Your Applications
- Decide your course and level first, because each scheme covers different subjects.
- Check whether your country appears in an ICCR scheme, and note the A2A opening date.
- Create an SII account at the same time, since the ID is now linked to the e-Student visa.
- Prepare scanned copies of your passport, transcripts, certificates and a short English essay or statement of purpose.
- Shortlist institutions that are approved by the relevant regulator, such as UGC for universities, AICTE for technical courses, or NMC and INC for medical and nursing courses.
- Apply to more than one route where the rules allow it, and keep a written record of every deadline.
- Once you receive an offer, compare the true yearly cost after any waiver before you accept.
Beware of anyone who asks for money to “guarantee” an ICCR award or an SII waiver. Government scholarships are applied for directly on official portals, and no private person can promise you a slot.
Putting the Funding Puzzle Together
Studying in India can be very affordable for foreign students, but the money rarely comes from a single source. An ICCR award is the most complete package, yet seats are limited and some subjects are excluded. SII waivers can remove all or part of your tuition if your marks are strong. ITEC suits professionals, DASA helps engineering aspirants, and university discounts fill smaller gaps. Start early, read each current notice line by line, apply through official channels only, and keep a clear budget for the costs no scholarship will touch.
Before You Hit Submit: Your Questions Answered
Can I hold an ICCR scholarship and an SII fee waiver together?
Generally no, since an ICCR award already pays tuition through the council. If you apply to both and receive two offers, you will normally have to choose one. Check the current rules of each scheme, as conditions may change.
Do I need to pay anyone to apply for these scholarships?
The ICCR A2A portal does not charge students for applying, and SII registration is done online on the official portal. Some institutions charge their own application fee, but no government scheme requires you to pay an agent.
Is there any scholarship for school students from abroad?
Very few. Most government schemes start at undergraduate level, after Class 12 or its equivalent. Families with younger children usually have to pay school fees themselves or look for individual school bursaries.