Fully Funded Scholarships for Indian Students in 2026

Fulbright-Nehru Fellowships for Indian Students

The Fulbright-Nehru program has two tracks for Indian citizens, but only one is open in 2026. The Master’s Fellowship for 2026–27 closed on May 14, 2025. The next cycle is expected to open in February 2026.

The APEX Fellowship for 2027–28 is currently open and closes on July 1, 2026. It is for faculty, researchers, and professionals to teach or conduct research in the US.

Note for Indian students: You cannot choose or apply to US universities yourself under the Fulbright-Nehru Master’s Fellowship. The Institute of International Education applies to four universities on your behalf after nomination. The fellowship is limited to eight fields and does not include engineering, computer science, or business.

Explore all government-funded scholarships for Indian students in the USA.

Chevening Scholarship 2026 for Indian Students

The Chevening Scholarship 2026–27 cycle is closed. Applications closed on October 7, 2025, and the next cycle for 2027–28 is expected to open in August 2026. It is the UK Government’s flagship scholarship, funded by the FCDO.

Around 45 to 55 scholarships are awarded to Indian students each year from 1,100 to 1,200 applications, with an acceptance rate of 4 to 8%. Selected scholars must return to India for at least two years after completing the program.

Note for Indian students: Chevening requires four 300-word essays on leadership, networking, studying in the UK, and career plans. Generic essays are rejected in the first stage, so start preparing at least three months before August 2026.

You must also select three UK universities and secure offers from all three before the interview stage.

Check the full Chevening Scholarship details and eligibility on Collegedunia.

Commonwealth Master's Scholarship 2026 for Indian Students

The Commonwealth Master's Scholarship has an active deadline for Indian students right now. India's Ministry of Education opened nominations on April 16, 2026. The deadline to submit to the MoE's SAKSHAT portal is May 31, 2026, at 17:00 IST. The Commonwealth Scholarship Commission (CSC) in the UK then selects from the nominations made by the MoE.

India receives only 39 nominations from the MoE to the CSC from the entire country. The CSC then makes its own selection from those 39 nominations. A nomination is not a guarantee of selection. With over 4,500 applications submitted through the MoE portal, the effective acceptance rate for Indian applicants is under 1%.

Note for Indian students: You must sign a declaration stating you cannot afford to study in the UK without this scholarship. Applicants who have stayed abroad for more than six months in the last two years are not eligible, unless they have lived in India for two continuous years.

The scholarship does not require IELTS. English proficiency is assessed through your academic record.

Check the full Commonwealth Master's Scholarship details on Collegedunia.

DAAD Scholarship 2026 for Indian Students

The DAAD (German Academic Exchange Service) is the world's largest scholarship organisation and offers multiple programs for Indian students targeting Germany. Most DAAD programs for the 2026-27 cycle are now closed. The next major application window opens in September to October 2026 for funding starting in October 2027.

DAAD scholarships do not have to be repaid. The monthly stipend is currently €992 for Master's students and €1,300 for doctoral/PhD students. A flat-rate travel allowance and health, accident and personal liability insurance are included in most programs. DAAD does not pay tuition fees, but most German public universities charge no tuition for international students, making this a non-issue for most applicants.

Note for Indian students: The motivation letter is the single most common reason Indian DAAD applications fail at screening. DAAD selection committees assess not just academic qualifications but the quality of the study or research project and the applicant's potential. A generic motivation letter that does not explain why the research must be done in Germany — and at a specific German institution — is rejected at the first stage. For PhD DAAD scholarships, identifying a German supervisor before applying is mandatory for most programs.

Read the complete DAAD Scholarship step-by-step guide for Indian students.

MEXT Scholarship 2026 for Indian Students

The MEXT (Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology) Scholarship from Japan is currently open for Indian students with a deadline of May 15, 2026. This is the Japanese Government scholarship for Research Students at the graduate level (Master's and PhD).

Applications must be submitted by email to scholarship-india@nd.mofa.go.jp in Microsoft Word format only. PDF files, Google Docs, Google Drive links and scanned handwritten documents are automatically rejected without review. The preliminary application form is available at the Embassy of Japan in India website.

Note for Indian students: The MEXT preliminary application must be submitted only in Microsoft Word format with a file size not exceeding 1 MB. No supporting documents are required at the preliminary stage — shortlisted applicants are then asked to submit a full application with supporting documents. The Embassy of Japan in India explicitly states: do not call to confirm information already on the website or for trivial questions.

Erasmus Mundus Scholarship 2026 for Indian Students

The Erasmus Mundus Joint Master scholarship is funded by the European Commission and is open to students from all countries, including India. It funds prestigious international Master's programs jointly delivered by at least three universities in at least three different countries. 

The maximum scholarship amount is calculated at €1,400 per month for the duration of the program, as confirmed in the official Erasmus+ Program Guide. This covers participation costs, travel, visa and a living allowance. Applications for the September 2026 intake closed between October 2025 and January 2026 for most programs. The next cycle for September 2027 starts between October 2026 and January 2027.

Note for Indian students: Only 101 Indian students received Erasmus Mundus scholarships in 2025 — making it one of the most competitive awards available to Indian applicants. Each Erasmus Mundus program has its own eligibility criteria, application portal and deadline. You must apply directly to the institution running your chosen program — there is no central application. Check each program's website individually for exact requirements and deadlines.

Check Erasmus Mundus Scholarship details and eligible programs on Collegedunia.

Inlaks Shivdasani Scholarship 2026 for Indian Students

The Inlaks Shivdasani Scholarship is one of the few fully funded scholarships exclusively for Indian citizens and is awarded by a private Indian foundation, not a government. The 2026 cycle is now closed. Applications for 2027 are expected to open around January 2027.

The scholarship covers tuition fees, living expenses, one-way travel, visa costs and a health allowance — up to a total of USD 120,000. It is awarded for courses of nine months to four years at top-rated universities in the United Kingdom, Europe and the United States of America. Unlike government scholarships, the Inlaks scholarship requires you to have a confirmed admission offer before applying — conditional or unconditional.

Note for Indian students: The Inlaks scholarship explicitly excludes Computer Science, Engineering (except at Imperial College London) and MBA. This rules out the majority of Indian STEM applicants. Students in Social Sciences, Humanities, Law, Fine Arts, Architecture, Environmental Sciences and related fields are the primary beneficiaries. If you are in the final year of graduation and awaiting results, you are eligible to apply — but all conditions in a conditional offer letter must be fulfilled before the final interview.

Explore the complete list of fully funded scholarships for Indian students to study abroad.

Fully funded scholarships for Indian students in 2026 cover tuition fees, living expenses, airfare, and health insurance, but they remain extremely competitive, with acceptance rates often below 10% and in some cases under 1%. The most reliable options include the Fulbright-Nehru Fellowship, Chevening Scholarship, DAAD Scholarship, Commonwealth Master's Scholarship, MEXT Scholarship, Erasmus Mundus Joint Master's, and the Inlaks Shivdasani Scholarship, each with different eligibility rules and funding structures. As of May 2026, only a few major opportunities are still open, including MEXT (deadline May 15), Commonwealth Master’s (MoE deadline May 31), and the Fulbright-Nehru APEX Fellowship (deadline July 1), while most others, like Chevening, DAAD, and Erasmus Mundus, have closed for the 2026–27 cycle and will reopen later in 2026 for 2027–28. Overall, beyond academic merit, these scholarships strongly prioritise leadership, work experience, and well-defined career goals, making high-quality, tailored applications essential for success.