Scholarships for Indian Students in USA: Check Eligibility, Benefits, and Types of Scholarships

Scholarships for Indian Students in USA: Check Eligibility, Benefits, and Types of Scholarships

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Shahid Murshed

Content Writer - Study Abroad | Updated On - May 3, 2024

Highlights

  • You can apply for merit-based, need-based scholarships in USA for Indian students.
  • There are over 1100 scholarships for Indian students to study in USA.
  • Some scholarships are one-time stipend based, while some cover tuition and living expenses.
  • Few universities offer an average monthly stipend of USD 2,000 as scholarships.
  • Among those who availed scholarships in 2023, 65% obtained them from their college or university.
  • You have the flexibility to apply for scholarships at the time of admission application or later.
  • If applying later, make sure to submit all the required documents like SOP, financial statement etc.

Pursuing higher education in USA can be financially challenging due to its high tuition fees. The cost of living for international students in USA has increased by 14% from previous years. Irrespective of this increase, there has been a rise of 5.4% in the number of Indian students studying in USA. But why? This is due to wide availability of scholarships for Indian students in USA. Being an international student, you can get funding for scholarships, fellowships, and educational loans. The different types of scholarships for Indian students to study in USA are as follows:

  • Government-funded scholarships
  • Non-government scholarships
  • University-funded scholarships
  • Merit-based scholarships
  • Sports scholarships

Scholarships for Masters in USA for Indian Students

While searching for studying abroad, you must have heard the phrase ‘MS in USA’. It is one of the popular programs to study in USA. But what are the scholarship options available if you choose to study this program? As the tuition for postgraduate programs is high, given below are the US scholarships for Indian students who wish to pursue master’s, M.Phil, or doctorate degrees in the US. Some of these scholarships for MS in US for Indian students have additional support as well. Scholarships like Inlaks Shivdasani, Fulbright are also included under LLM scholarships for Indian students in USA.

Scholarships Eligibility Benefits Additional Support
Fulbright Scholarships for Indians Indian resident.
Outstanding academic or professional history.
English language proficiency.
Monthly stipend.
Tuition and cost of attendance cover.
J1 visa support.
Round trip cover.
Inlaks Scholarship Indian citizen and resident at the time of application
Age limit- 30 years.
A maximum of 100,000 USD (~75.86 lakhs) is offered covering full tuition fees One-way travel allowance
Living expenses
Health allowance.
National Overseas Scholarship Minimum qualification- 55% in bachelor’s or master’s degree for masters or Ph.D. applicants, respectively.
Family income should not be more than 6,00,000 INR.
An award of 15,400 USD (~11.66 lakhs) is offered as an annual maintenance allowance. None
SN Bose Scholarship Indian students pursuing UG or PG courses in Atmospheric & earth sciences, mathematical & computational sciences, chemical sciences, physical sciences, and engineering sciences One time Stipend Airfare
Health insurance to exchange students
KC Mahindra Scholarship Must hold a first-class degree or equivalent diploma from a standard recognized institution. Three top scholars are offered 8 lakh INR each. 4 lakh INR each to the remaining successful scholars
Narotam Sekhsaria Scholarship Field of study- Applied sciences, social sciences, pure sciences, architecture, humanities, law, or management.
Age limit 30
2 million INR are offered to the selected students None

Note: USD 1= INR 83.43 as of April 30, 2024

MBA Scholarships for Indian Students in USA

With the expansion of the business industry opportunities, there has been a rise in the number of Indian students studying MBA in USA. The cost of the MBA program in the US can range from 60,000 to 100,000 USD (49 to 83 lakhs INR). A higher cost of tuition leads to students opting for monetary aid. There are several MBA scholarships in USA for Indian students and fellowships available to students enrolled in MBA programs. Some of these are discussed below:

Scholarships Eligibility Benefits
Stanford Reliance Dhirubhai Fellowship Eligible for Stanford University MBA program
Students with financial need and academic excellence
80% of the tuition and associated costs
Ramakrishnan Family Scholarship Indian students pursuing MBA in USA and facing financial hardship The fund supports three Indian students and offers an award of 25,000 USD (20.63 lakhs INR) per year.
Aga Khan Foundation Scholarship Candidates with excellent academic records as well as financial needs Awarded as a half grant and half loan, meaning 50% of the award amount needs to be paid back by the applicant.
India Trust Fellowship Indian students who have worked and studied in India at the time of admission at the Chicago Booth MBA program Two awards of 10,000 USD (8.25 lakhs INR) each
SelfScore International Student Scholarship Indian students studying MBA in any US university 6 awards of 5000 USD each
Global Students Scholarship Students with excellent academic record 10,000 USD

Note: USD 1= INR 83.43 as of April 30, 2024

Undergraduate Scholarships for Indian Students in USA

USA is equipped with several undergraduate programs that can make you job-ready. Some scholarships for Indian students to study in USA after 12th are elaborated below. Among the scholarships, there are some fully funded scholarships for Indian students in USA

Scholarship Eligibility Benefits
Tata Scholarship for Cornell University Must be an Indian resident and should have completed secondary school in India
Financial need
Varied and awarded annually based on your performance
Rotary International Ambassadorial Scholarships Citizen of a country in which rotary clubs are present
Completed two years of college-level course-work or its equivalent
Academic Year Ambassadorial Scholarship: 25,000 USD
Multi-Year Ambassadorial Scholarship: 12,000 USD
Cultural Ambassadorial Scholarship: 12,000 to 19,000 USD
Chevron Scholarship Students with excellence academic scores 1.5 Lakhs
Asian Women in Business Female Indian students enrolled to business related programs at any US university 19 lakhs
Western Union Foundations Global Scholarship Program Applicants within the age bracket of 16 to 20 years
Selections are based on perseverance, aspiration, and community-mindedness
2,500 USD each

Note: USD 1= INR 83.43 as of April 30, 2024

Other Types of USA Study Scholarships for Indian Students

Apart from the scholarships mentioned above as per academic levels, there are several other scholarships as well. These are either externally funded or US university scholarships for Indian students. Some of the popular university-specific scholarships are stated below:

  • Stanford University Scholarships
  • Yale University Scholarships
  • Boston University Presidential Scholarship
  • Clark Global Scholarship Program
  • University of Minnesota Fellowship
  • MBBS scholarships offered by Stanford, Harvard, University of Florida etc.

Options of PHD in USA for Indian Students with Scholarship

Prospective applicants must do extensive research to find scholarships that fit their eligibility requirements, as well as their academic and professional aspirations. PhD in USA, the highest level of academics, also allows you to study with a scholarship. Some of the scholarship for us universities for Indian students, willing to study PhD are:

  • Richard A. Freund International Scholarship
  • P.E.O. International Peace Scholarships
  • Knight-Hennessy Scholars Program
  • Zuckerman STEM Leadership Program

External Masters Scholarships for Indian Students in USA

Some of the externally funded scholarships for Indian students for Masters in USA are given in the following list:

  • Generation Google Scholarship
  • AAUW International Fellowship
  • Global Study Awards
  • Sushil Jajodia Indian Student Scholarship
  • Dean’s Scholarship

How to Apply for Scholarships for Indian Students in USA

To apply for one of the best scholarships for Indian students to study in USA, you can refer to the presentation below.

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You can consider the above-mentioned details in search of the best scholarships for Indian students to study in USA. About 1.1 million international students study in USA. Over 193,000 students of the total international applicants are Indians. India ranks #2 for the number of students who apply for admission to the US and scholarships. A large number of students studying in the US are offered a variety of scholarship for masters in USA for Indian students. With a wide range of scholarship options available for Indian applicants, the financial burden of choosing to pursue higher education in the US is reduced. It is, however, suggested that students should invest time in researching a best-fit scholarship according to their needs and academic achievements.

FAQs

Ques. Do Indian students in USA receive scholarships?

Ans. Yes, there are several international scholarships in USA for Indian students. Students can get government funded scholarships, university scholarships, program-specific scholarships and also scholarships from external organizations.

Ques. What are the basic documents required for applying to a scholarship in USA?

Ans. Candidates are required to submit a copy of passport/ID, transcripts, SOP, LOR (2 or 3), CV, essay, Standardized test scores, parents financial information along with the tax returns, medical information, and portfolios.

Ques. Can Indian students receive a full scholarship to study in the US?

Ans. With a large number of scholarships offered to Indian applicants, there are a few that help in covering the complete cost of living in USA. Some of these are- Inlaks Scholarship, Tata Scholarship, and others.

Ques. Which universities in USA offer the most scholarships to international students?

Ans. Universities offering multiple scholarships are Harvard University, Princeton University, Yale University, MIT, etc.

Ques. What shall I include in the scholarship essay to study in USA?

Ans. You must include leadership experience, degree of accomplishment, obstacles faced and overcome, learnings from the obstacles and how they shaped you as a leader, including work done or planned to impact the community in their scholarship essay

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