UC Berkeley Scholarships for International Students 2026: Eligibility & Amount

UC Berkeley Scholarships for International Students: What You Need to Know First

The most important thing to understand about UC Berkeley financial aid is this: international students are ineligible for federal aid, state aid and the need-based university financial aid processed by Berkeley's central Financial Aid and Scholarships Office. This is confirmed on the official Berkeley Financial Aid eligibility page. What does exist is a separate, smaller set of institutional scholarships, emergency grants and external fellowships.

Most Indian students arrive at Berkeley having budgeted only for tuition. The actual cost is significantly higher once you add living expenses in the Bay Area. Here is what you are actually looking at for 2025-26.

Conversion: 1 USD = INR 96.54 (YCharts, 20 May 2026). All INR figures are approximate. Verify current rates before financial planning. Professional school fees (Haas Business School, Berkeley Law) are assessed differently — check the official fee schedule.

Graduate students pay significantly less in non-resident supplemental tuition (USD 15,102 vs USD 37,602 for undergraduates). This is why the total annual cost for graduate students is lower despite higher living expenses. Many PhD students also receive department-level funding that covers tuition and provides a stipend — covered in the graduate section below.

Check Out: UC Berkeley 2026: Full Fee Structure, Rankings and Admission Requirements

UC Berkeley Institutional Scholarships for International Undergraduates

UC Berkeley offers four institutional scholarship programs specifically for international undergraduate students. All admitted international undergraduates are automatically considered for these programs — no separate application is required. Notifications are sent with admission decisions in late March. Here is what each program offers and who is actually eligible.

Regents and Chancellor's Scholarship

The Regents and Chancellor's Scholarship is UC Berkeley's most prestigious undergraduate scholarship. It is awarded to a select cohort of entering students who demonstrate creativity, leadership, service and strong academic achievement. All applicants — including international students — are automatically considered through a holistic review by the Academic Senate Committee.

The minimum monetary award is USD 2,500 per year. Students with demonstrated financial need can receive grant and scholarship support up to their full assessed need. Beyond the monetary award, scholars receive:

• Priority class enrollment from the second semester onward
• Dedicated faculty mentorship
• Research and Professional Development Fellowship of up to USD 1,000
• Guaranteed on-campus housing for the duration of the scholarship
• Dedicated financial aid advisor
• Access to Scholar Space and the Regents and Chancellor's Scholars Association

The scholarship is renewable for up to 8 semesters for students entering from high school and up to 4 semesters for transfer students. Faculty interviews for first-year candidates take place in early March and decisions are communicated at the end of March with admission notifications.

Carlos Rodriguez-Pastor Scholars Program

This need-based scholarship supports talented international students who demonstrate academic excellence, leadership and a commitment to making a meaningful impact. It provides financial assistance for up to four years and includes all the benefits of the Regents and Chancellor's Scholarship. Priority consideration is given to students from Peru — but the program is open to international students from other countries including India. No separate application is required: all admitted international undergraduates are automatically considered.

Robinson International Scholars Program and Swaniker Scholars Program

Important for Indian students: Both the Robinson International Scholars Program and the Swaniker Scholars Program are frequently listed on third-party websites as general international scholarships. They are NOT open to Indian students. The Robinson program supports students who are refugees or stateless individuals from Sub-Saharan African and developing nations, or who graduated from secondary school in Sub-Saharan Africa. The Swaniker program is exclusively for nominated ALX Africa Pathway participants and African Leadership Academy graduates. Indian students are not eligible for either program.

BIO Tuition and Fees Grant and Need and Merit Scholarship

The Berkeley International Office (BIO) administers two awards for undergraduate international students who face unexpected financial hardship. These are not regular scholarships — they are emergency support mechanisms for students who have already been studying at Berkeley and face a sudden change in their financial situation.

To be eligible, you must:

• Demonstrate financial need due to a significant and unexpected change — such as loss of sponsorship, medical issues, family structure change, severe currency devaluation or geopolitical events
• Have completed two consecutive semesters at UC Berkeley in your current visa status before applying
• Be a full-time, degree-seeking student

The Tuition and Fees Grant is available once per semester and can be received a maximum of two times. The Need and Merit Scholarship is awarded in fall only but disbursed across both semesters — there is no limit on the number of times a student may receive it. Applications open at the beginning of each semester and the next cycle opens in early Fall 2026.

UC Berkeley Scholarships and Fellowships for International Graduate Students

Graduate international students at UC Berkeley have more funding options than undergraduates. Beyond the BIO emergency grants, there are named fellowships specifically relevant to Indian students, department-level funding for PhD students and academic employment opportunities that provide both income and fee remission.

BIO Graduate Tuition Grant and Parent Grant

The BIO Graduate Tuition and Fees Grant works on the same emergency hardship basis as the undergraduate version. You must have completed two consecutive semesters at Berkeley, demonstrate unexpected financial need and be a full-time degree-seeking student. Students in self-supporting programs — including MFE, LLM, Evening-Weekend MBA, Executive MBA, MRED+D, MPA, M.Eng and MIDS — are not eligible. The grant cannot be applied toward Professional Degree Supplemental Tuition (PDST).

The International Grad Student Parent Grant is available to graduate students who have a child living with them in the US and face financial hardship. It can be applied toward tuition and fees or disbursed as a stipend. Applications for both awards open again in early Fall 2026.

Guru Gobind Singh Fellowship — Most Relevant for Indian Students

The Guru Gobind Singh Fellowship is the single most relevant named fellowship for Indian graduate students at UC Berkeley. It is specifically intended for graduates of universities in the Punjab region of India and Pakistan who are currently pursuing a graduate degree at a University of California campus.

The fellowship amount is USD 36,000 (approx. INR 34.76 Lakhs). Key eligibility requirements:

• Must be a graduate of a university in the qualifying Punjab region of India or Pakistan — check the official qualifying map on the Berkeley Graduate Division website
• Must be committed to returning to your country of origin after completing the graduate degree
• Must not have previously engaged in graduate study at any other US institution
• Students at any stage of graduate study may be nominated — preference is given to those at the dissertation stage who have exhausted normal funding sources
• Application deadline: April 24 (annual)

This fellowship is administered through the Berkeley Graduate Division and applications are submitted through the Berkeley graduate application portal. If you are from Punjab — whether from Chandigarh, Ludhiana, Amritsar or the broader qualifying region — this fellowship should be your first priority application at Berkeley.

International House Gateway Fellowship

The Gateway Fellowship provides USD 5,000 (approx. INR 4.83 Lakhs) in stipend funding to incoming graduate students with demonstrated financial need, along with single-occupancy room and board at International House Berkeley for one academic year and tuition and fees covered by the academic department. It is a collaborative program between International House, the Graduate Division and the student's academic department. Candidates must be nominated by their department — you cannot apply directly. Application deadline: April 1 annually.

Department-Level Fellowships and Academic Employment

For PhD students, the most significant source of funding at UC Berkeley is not a named scholarship — it is department-level fellowship packages offered at the time of admission. Most PhD programs in STEM, social sciences and humanities offer admitted doctoral students a funding package that includes tuition remission, a stipend and health insurance. This funding typically comes through a combination of:

• Graduate Student Instructor (GSI) appointments: Teaching assistantships that provide a salary and partial or full fee remission
• Graduate Student Researcher (GSR) appointments: Research assistantships funded by faculty grants
• University fellowships: Awarded at the departmental level as part of the admissions process for outstanding doctoral students

If you are applying to a PhD program at UC Berkeley, the funding package offered in your admission letter is the most important financial document you will receive. Always ask the department directly about funding availability before accepting an offer.

Prestigious External Scholarships Open to Indian Students at UC Berkeley

Beyond Berkeley's own institutional programs, several highly competitive external scholarships are open to Indian students enrolled at or applying through UC Berkeley. These are administered by Berkeley's Office of Undergraduate and Interdisciplinary Studies (OURS) National Scholarships office, which provides advising and support for applicants. All three below are open to Indian citizens.

Schwarzman Scholars

The Schwarzman Scholars program funds 150 scholars annually from the US, China and around the world for a one-year MA in Global Affairs at Tsinghua University in Beijing. It is open to applicants of all nationalities. The program covers full tuition, room and board, travel, health insurance and a personal stipend — making it effectively a fully funded postgraduate year.

Eligibility requirements:

• Hold an undergraduate degree from an accredited institution by August 1 of your enrollment year
• Be at least 18 but not yet 29 years of age as of August 1 of your enrollment year
• Be proficient in English
• Open to all nationalities including Indian students

The next US and global application deadline is September 9, 2026 (for the 2027-28 cohort). Berkeley's campus representative for Schwarzman Scholars advising is available through the OURS National Scholarships office. Contact them before applying — Berkeley has a strong track record of producing Schwarzman Scholars.

Gates Cambridge Scholarship

The Gates Cambridge Scholarship funds approximately 80 scholars per year from countries outside the UK to pursue a full-time postgraduate degree at the University of Cambridge. Indian students are eligible — this is one of the most prestigious scholarships in the world and is open to any non-UK citizen applying to a PhD, MPhil/MLitt or one-year postgraduate course at Cambridge.

Selection is based on:

• Outstanding intellectual ability
• Reasons for choice of course
• Commitment to improving the lives of others
• Capacity for leadership

The deadline for non-US applicants (including Indian students) is December 2026 or January 2027 depending on the course — exact dates to be announced. Approximately two-thirds of awards go to PhD students. Berkeley's OURS office provides advising for Gates Cambridge applicants.

Yenching Scholars

The Yenching Academy at Peking University offers a fully funded one-year interdisciplinary master's program focused on China studies. It is open to students of all nationalities. Eligibility requires holding a bachelor's degree by August 31, 2027 and being 25 years old or younger (preferred) on that date. The program covers full tuition, accommodation, a monthly stipend and travel costs. Berkeley students have been named Yenching Scholars in recent cycles.

The table above covers every verified scholarship open to Indian students at UC Berkeley. Note that the Robinson International Scholars Program and Swaniker Scholars Program are excluded because they are not open to Indian students — despite being listed on many third-party scholarship websites.

How to Maximise Your Scholarship Chances at UC Berkeley

Most Indian students apply to UC Berkeley without a clear scholarship strategy. The students who receive funding — whether through the Regents and Chancellor's Scholarship, department fellowships or external programs — do specific things differently. Here is what actually works.

For undergraduate applicants:

• The Regents and Chancellor's Scholarship is awarded through holistic review of your UC application — there is no separate form. Your personal insight essays, extracurricular depth and demonstrated leadership in your UC application are what drive scholarship consideration. Treat your UC application as your scholarship application.
• Apply early in the UC application window (October 1 to November 30). While UC Berkeley does not have rolling admissions, a strong, complete application submitted early signals seriousness.
• If you are from Peru, explicitly highlight this in your application — the Carlos Rodriguez-Pastor Scholars Program gives priority to Peruvian students.

For graduate applicants:

• Contact your target department directly before applying and ask about funding packages for international PhD students. Many departments fund all admitted PhD students — but this is not advertised prominently.
• If you are from the Punjab region of India, apply for the Guru Gobind Singh Fellowship immediately after admission. The April 24 deadline comes quickly in your first year.
• Ask your department to nominate you for the International House Gateway Fellowship if you have demonstrated financial need. You cannot self-nominate — the department must initiate this.
• Register with Berkeley's OURS National Scholarships office in your first semester. They provide advising for Schwarzman, Gates Cambridge and Yenching applications and Berkeley has a strong institutional track record with all three programs.

For all international students:

• Do not rely on BIO grants as planned funding. They are emergency hardship mechanisms, not scholarships. Plan your finances assuming you will not receive BIO support.
• Explore education loans from Indian banks — SBI, HDFC Credila and Avanse all offer loans for US university programs. These can bridge the gap while you pursue scholarship opportunities.
• Check department-specific fellowship databases on your school's website. Many Berkeley schools — including the College of Engineering, Haas School of Business and the School of Public Health — maintain their own fellowship lists that are separate from the Graduate Division database.