Global Scholarships for Indian Students to Study Abroad in 2024

Experts project that by 2024, 1.8 million Indian students will be studying abroad. Are you hoping to be part of that number? If funds are the question mark holding you back, we are here with some valuable information. Today, we’re looking into scholarships for Indian students to study abroad in 2024!

Studying abroad is not a cheap endeavour, but it doesn’t have to break the bank. This is especially so when you access global scholarships for Indian students! Gradstar Global breaks down everything you need to know to discover your ideal funding opportunity to study abroad.

International Scholarships by Global Universities

Universities in major study abroad destinations are keen to internationalize their campuses. And one of the ways they incentivize international students to enroll is through scholarships! Your key source of scholarships is likely going to be your target universities themselves. Top institutions set aside hundreds of thousands of dollars every year to support prospective and current students through funding.

Now, there are hundreds of thousands of global universities. And with universities offering multiple scholarships a year, there are far more scholarship opportunities than we can summarize in one blog post. Which, we would say, is a great thing – this means you have plenty of options to choose from!

To give you an idea of the available range of scholarships for Indian students to study abroad in 2024, have a look at the types of scholarships you have to choose from:

University Name	Destination	International Scholarship
Monash University	Australia	Monash University International Merit Scholarship Up to AUD 50,000 for international students with an offer from or enrolling at Monash University (merit-basis)
University of Western Australia		Global Excellence Scholarship Up to AUD 48,000 across 4 years for undergraduate programs/Up to AUD 24,000 across 2 years for postgraduate programs (merit-basis)
University of Sunshine Coast		International Student Scholarship 15% tuition fee reduction for international students enrolling in 2024 (merit-basis)
University of Calgary	Canada	International Entrance Scholarship CAD 20,000 renewable scholarship for international undergraduate students (merit-basis)
University of Alberta		President’s International Distinction Scholarship CAD 120,000 scholarship payable over 4 years for international undergraduate students (merit-basis)
York University		President’s International Scholarship of Excellence CAD 180,000 scholarship payable over 4 years for international undergraduate students (merit-basis)
University of St. Andrews	UK	International Excellence Scholarship Full-tuition fee waiver for international undergraduate students (merit-basis)
Loughborough University		International Scholarships 25% fee reduction off first-year tuition fees for undergraduate students
University of Stirling		Postgraduate International Excellence Scholarship GBP 7,000 tuition fee waiver for first-year Master’s program students
Michigan State University	USA	MSU Non-Resident Scholarship – President’s Scholarship USD 15,000 for first-year non-resident students (merit-basis)
University of Minnesota		Global Excellence Scholarship USD 10,000 – 15,000 per year for four years for international freshmen (merit-basis)
Miami University		University Merit Scholarship Variable scholarship amount depending on merit

Categories of University Scholarships

If you glance through the scholarships above, you’ll notice a couple of keywords. “Merit-basis”, “renewable scholarship”, “post-graduate scholarship” are a few of these.

Universities often have major flagship scholarship awards. These include the University of British Columbia (UBC)’s International Major Entrance Scholarship. We want to give you a tip – don’t limit your scholarship options to these major awards!

Typically, these scholarships will see the highest numbers of applications and therefore the most competition. However, universities often also offer tiers of scholarships depending on things like study level, faculty, qualification, and even sociodemographic factors like citizenship and gender.

Merit-Based Scholarships

As the name implies, these scholarships reward students for academic or other merit. Different universities will offer different rewards with different eligibility criteria. Typically, to qualify for these scholarships you need to be high-performing in academics and/or other areas of student life, like sports or leadership.

Need-Based Scholarships

Some universities also offer scholarships on the basis of financial need. So, even if you are not a “self-funding” student – meaning a student who is capable of covering their tuition fees independently, you may still have a chance to access a global higher education.

Need-based scholarships can be either need-blind or need-aware:

Need-Blind:

For these scholarships, universities do not consider your ability to cover your tuition fees as part of the admissions process. If you receive an offer, the university may pledge to provide financial aid to cover your funding needs.

Need-Aware

Universities will consider your ability to finance your studies as part of your application. Don’t let this discourage you, though – universities may use this as a means of understanding how much financial aid to offer you.

Renewable vs. Non-Renewable Awards

In your search for scholarships for Indian students to study abroad, you will run into “renewable” and “non-renewable” awards:

Renewable: Scholarships that are initially applicable for a set time (e.g., one semester or academic year) but which you can qualify to renew for a subsequent time period

Non-Renewable: Scholarships that are only applicable for a set time (e.g., one semester or academic year)

Scholarships by Study Level

Some universities offer general scholarships for all study levels. Others set aside specific scholarships for students at different study levels. For example, if you are enrolling in a pathway program, you may qualify to study abroad after 10th with scholarship. At post-secondary level, you can look into international scholarships for Indian students after 12th!

Here are a couple of examples to consider:

University Name	Destination	Scholarship	Study Level
University of Wollongong	Australia	University Excellence Scholarship	Undergraduate
		UOW Postgraduate Academic Excellence Scholarship	Postgraduate (Master’s – coursework)
University of Guelph	Canada	International Undergraduate Entrance Scholarship	Undergraduate
		Graduate Entrance Scholarship	Graduate/Postgraduate
Brunel University London	UK	Postgraduate Academic Excellence Scholarship	Postgraduate
		The Vice Chancellor’s Excellence Award	Postgraduate – taught courses
American University	USA	Merit Awards for International 1st Year Students	Undergraduate
		Merit Awards	Postgraduate – Master’s and doctoral students

This is just a small sample of the opportunities you can find at the same university for scholarships at different study levels. The terms and conditions of each scholarship will depend on the university and award program. For example, the scholarship can be partial or full, renewable or non-renewable. The eligibility criteria, deadlines, and qualification process will vary too.

As you research your scholarship opportunities, be sure to read the fine print to target funding options you are eligible for.

Scholarships by Subject

Faculties and departments at global universities often set aside specific scholarships for applicants to particular fields! Let’s take a look at the types of scholarships for Indian students to study abroad available by subject:

University Name	Subject	Scholarship
Monash University	Accounting	Accounting Honours Scholarship (Undergraduate)
University of Queensland	Music	Barbara Hebden Music Bursary (Undergraduate)
University of Waterloo	Science	Faculty of Science scholarships for international students
University of Toronto	Arts & Science	Arts & Science Global Scholarship (Undergraduate – Faculty of Arts & Science)
Aston University	Business	MBA Scholarships (Graduate)
Nottingham Trent University	Law	LLM Scholarships (Graduate)
UCLA	Medicine	Leaders of Tomorrow Scholars Program (applicants to UCLA David Geffen School of Medicine)

It’s always worth looking into the types of scholarship your faculty or program is offering. While the major international entrance scholarships are likely to be highly competitive, you might find securing these faculty-specific awards easier.

Scholarships for Indian Students to Study Abroad

To diversify their campuses, universities often offer scholarships to specific sociodemographic groups to encourage applications. These can be on the basis of gender, financial standing, and even nationality!

Have a look at these global scholarships that universities offer specifically for Indian students to study abroad!

University Name	Destination	Scholarship Name
Deakin University	Australia	Deakin India 25% Merit Scholarship
Australian National University	Australia	Research School of Finance, Actuarial Studies and Statistics India High Achievers Scholarship
UCL	UK	UCL India Excellence Scholarships
University of Manchester	UK	Bicentenary Global Futures Scholarships
University of Alberta	Canada	India First Year Excellence Scholarship
University of Waterloo	Canada	Five Faculty of Mathematics International Elite Awards; India
University of Sydney	Australia	Sydney Scholars India Scholarship Program
La Trobe University	Australia	Vice-Chancellor Scholarship – India & Sri Lanka
University of Adelaide	Australia	Ashok Khurana University of Adelaide Scholarship for Outstanding Indian Students
Cardiff University	UK	Cardiff India Scholarships
Cornell University	USA	Tata Scholarship for Students from India

Again, these are just a handful of the scholarships for Indian students to consider to study abroad! Research really is key in discovering the funding opportunities tailor-made to your needs.

Other Scholarship Types

If the list of options above is not enough, there are plenty of other types of scholarships to consider too. If you are a doctoral student, it may be worth looking into:

Fellowships:
Research students at doctoral level may access generous fellowship opportunities to fund and support their academic work.

Research assistantship:
You have the opportunity to get hands-on research experience supporting a professor conducting research. This is a paid position and your earnings go towards offsetting your cost of tuition! Plus, your name appears in the research publications you work on, building your own authority as a researcher.

Teaching assistantship:
Also a paid position, this allows you to offset your tuition fees by becoming a teaching assistant for a professor in your program. Teaching assistants grade essays and exams for undergraduate classes, run tutorial classes and sometimes teach classes of their own.

External Scholarships

University scholarships, while countless, are not the only types of scholarships out there either! External organizations, like home and host country governments, also offer scholarships for international students.

Below, you’ll find some of the major programs on offer at key study abroad destinations like the UK and Australia:

Scholarship	Destination	Provider
Australian Government Research Training Program (RTP)	Australia	Australian Government
Chevening Scholarship	UK	UK Government
GREAT Scholarship	UK	British Council, UK Government
Commonwealth Scholarship	UK	UK Government
UKRI Research Funds and Grants	UK	UKRI Research Councils
Vanier Canada Graduate Scholarship	Canada	Canadian Government
Pierre Elliott Trudeau Foundation Scholarship	Canada	Canadian Government
Fulbright-Nehru Master’s Fellowship	USA	US Government
The JN Tata Endowment for the Higher Education of Indians	Multiple Destinations	Tata Group (India)
Inlaks Shivdasani Foundation Scholarships	Select schools in destinations like the UK, France, Germany	The Inlaks Foundation (India)

Tips to Secure Scholarships

Understand the Minimum Eligibility Criteria

Aim for the scholarships that you meet the eligibility criteria for and keep an eye on application deadlines. Some scholarships will automatically consider you as soon as you apply for admission to a university. Others require specific and separate applications.

Focus on submitting solid, error-free applications with time to go before the deadline. If scholarships are on a first-come, first-served basis, applications too close to the deadline are risky. It may be more worth it to focus on other scholarship opportunities instead of losing the opportunity elsewhere too.

Don’t Aim Only for the Major Awards

The university’s flagship scholarships and major awards are usually the most attractive ones. Chances are they are the ones that offer the greatest monetary value and benefits. But they are also the scholarships that see steep competition.

On the other hand, there may be scholarships that see a smaller number of applicants (if any) because they are not as prominent. While the monetary reward and benefits may not be as spectacular as the bigger scholarships, something is absolutely better than nothing!

You might also be able to qualify for multiple smaller awards to add up to a bigger sum. Look into scholarships on offer for your program, your study level, faculty, and even other factors like geographic location and nationality.

Do note, though, that scholarships have their own sets of terms and conditions and awards might be conditional upon you not accepting any other scholarships. Be sure to read the terms and conditions carefully before applying for a scholarship.

Keep an Eye on In-Course Scholarships

Most international students exclusively look at entrance scholarships. But don’t fret if you fail to secure one. You might still qualify for in-course scholarships too! These are scholarships you may be eligible for after you already start classes and finish semesters in your program. You will have to meet the scholarship’s eligibility criteria by, for example, meeting the appropriate grade point average.

Attend Global Education Fairs

One of the best ways to discover scholarships and quick admissions turnaround is by engaging with universities directly. Researching the right opportunity out of all the universities and programs out there can be a daunting task.

Education fairs are an excellent option to speak one-to-one with university representatives. At events like Gradstar’s GRADFair, university representatives personalize their course and scholarship recommendations depending on your needs and preferences. They can guide you towards the ideal solution!

Rounding Up

Scholarship opportunities are aplenty when it comes to studying abroad. The trick is knowing what to look for and how to look for it. Hopefully, this breakdown is a great starting place for your search into scholarships for Indian students to study abroad. For personalized guidance, we invite you to contact Gradstar Global for a free appointment. You can access end-to-end application support, including exploring scholarship and funding options!