Funding your dream to study abroad can feel like the biggest hurdle that you would come across but for Indian students who are aiming for 2026 intakes, there are several well-established scholarships and funding schemes that can make a world-class degree affordable (or even fully-funded).
This blog summarizes the most important options you should know about, so that you can target easily and also quick steps to strengthen your applications.
Scholarships
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Chevening
Scholarships (UK)
The UK government’s flagship scholarship for future leaders, is offering a fully funded one-year master’s program in the UK. It’s competitive and focuses on leadership potential and work experience. This scholarship covers tuition fees, living expenses, travel costs, and requires applicants to have at least two years of work experience and a strong commitment to returning to their home country after the scholarship.
•
Commonwealth Scholarships
(UK)
These scholarships are funded by the UK for students from Commonwealth countries, including India, to pursue master’s and PhD programs, which is often with full funding options like the Commonwealth Shared Scholarships. Students from eligible Commonwealth countries who meet academic and professional criteria can apply for these Commonwealth Scholarships. It usually covers tuition fees, living allowance, travel and transportation, along with other allowances, depending on the scholarship.
• Fulbright-Nehru
Fellowships (USA)
Fulbright-Nehru Fellowships are administered by the United States – India Educational Foundation (USIEF). This Fellowship covers master’s, PhD research and faculty/ professional exchange programmes in the US. The mid-career applicants, students with strong hold in academics and leadership, and research proposals that fit in the US university strengths can apply for this fellowship.
• Erasmus
Mundus Joint Master’s (Europe)
Erasmus Mundus Joint Master’s degree is a multi-university master’s program across Europe which offers highly competitive full scholarships to top applicants worldwide. Its a jointly offered program due to which you can study at two or more partner universities. The European Union provides funding for these programs and it covers tuition fees, living allowance, travel and insurance for the duration of the programme.
• DAAD
Scholarships (Germany)
Germany’s DAAD offers a wide range of scholarships to students who want to pursue master’s, PhD, and other short courses, and is particularly strong for research, STEM, and development related fields. Graduates and researchers who aim to study or conduct research in German universities. It can also cover monthly stipend, travel and transportation, medical insurance and tuition.
•
Australia Awards
Scholarships
It is a long-term scholarship funded by the Australian government for students from partner countries, with a focus on development outcomes and leadership. India has a dedicated Australia Awards portal. This scholarship is for the students who are from developing countries and are aiming to pursue undergraduate, master’s, or PhD degrees in Australia. It covers tuition, living expenses, and travel, and aims to build long-term relationships between Australia and partner countries by supporting “change-makers” who return to their home country to contribute to its development.
•
MEXT (Japanese
Government) Scholarships
The Japanese Government Scholarship, also known as the MEXT scholarship, is a prestigious program for international students studying in Japan. It includes categories like research, under graduation, masters, PhD and research students and Japanese studies with applications submitted via Japanese embassies or universities.
• Inlaks,
Narotam Sekhsaria & Tata scholarships (India-based funds)
The Inlaks Shivdasani Foundation offers highly competitive awards for students admitted to prestigious international universities; the Narotam Sekhsaria Foundation, which is well-known for its merit-based, interest-free loan scholarships for postgraduate studies abroad; and Cornell University's Tata Scholarship, which supports financially needy Indian students admitted to undergraduate programs at Cornell, are just a few of the Indian foundations that provide important funding for students pursuing education abroad. Before applying for these scholarships, it's important to thoroughly understand their guidelines and application schedules because many have very stringent eligibility conditions, including age limits, course kinds, and financial requirements.
How to choose which scholarships to apply for?
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Match eligibility:
Do not waste time on programs for which you are not eligible (age restrictions,
work experience, citizenship).
•
Aim for alignment:
Funding bodies value applicants whose goals clearly advance the funder’s
mission (leadership, development, research excellence).
•
Apply early and prepare all documents:
Standard documents include transcripts, SOP, LORs, CV, test scores and for
research awards, a clear proposal.
• Polish impact statements: Scholarships increasingly ask how your degree will benefit your community, sector or country, so be concrete and realistic about your future goals.
FAQs:
Which scholarships are fully funded for Indian students in 2026?
Chevening, Commonwealth, Erasmus Mundus,
Fulbright-Nehru, and some DAAD programs offer fully funded options.
Do I need work experience to apply for study-abroad scholarships?
Some scholarships like Chevening require 2 years of
work experience, but many others (DAAD, Erasmus, MEXT) do not.
Can undergraduate students also apply for these scholarships?
Yes, scholarships like MEXT and the Tata Cornell
Scholarship support undergraduate studies.
Do all scholarships require IELTS/TOEFL scores?
Most English-taught programs need proof of language
proficiency, depending on the university and scholarship criteria.
Can I apply to multiple scholarships at the same time?
Yes, as long as the scholarship rules allow it and you meet
the eligibility criteria, you can apply for multiple scholarships at the
same time.
Which are the common documents that are required for scholarship applications?
SOP, LORs, transcripts, CV, test scores, and in some cases, a research proposal.
For further assistance or queries students can contact us, Edwise International, and avail our wide range of services for students on destinations like Universities in Canada, study in Canada, study in UK, study in USA, study in Ireland, study in Australia, study in New-Zealand, study in Singapore and many other countries.