Indian Government Schemes to Help Study Abroad Aspirants

Abroad education is expensive and most of the time aspirants are unaware of the various scholarships and their benefits and perks. This is where financial aid helps a student get closer to their dream university. There are many Indian government-funded schemes and scholarships in collaboration with other renowned organisations that offer full/semi-funded to deserving students. 

In order to help the students not miss out on the advantages of these scholarships, we will be discussing some of the schemes provided by the Indian government that help students study abroad.

National Overseas Scholarship Scheme

The National Overseas Scholarship Scheme is funded by the Indian government as a financial award to uplift the social and economic status of students who belong to the low-income strata of society. It is specially designed for the scheduled tribes, scheduled castes, denotified nomadic and semi-nomadic tribes, landless agricultural labourers, and traditional artisans, by providing financial aid in higher education abroad. Every year approximately 125 new awards are distributed to deserving students subject to the availability of funds.

Category	Total Number of Scholarships Available
Scheduled castes	115
Nomadic and semi-nomadic and denotified	06
Landless agricultural labourers and traditional artists	04

Eligibility Criteria

In order to be eligible for this scholarship, candidates must ensure that they fulfil the following eligibility criteria:

• The applying candidate must not be more than 35 years of age.
• The candidate must belong to any one of the categories: scheduled castes, landless agricultural labourers, denotified nomadic and semi-nomadic tribes or traditional artisans.
• The applying candidate must have passed their last qualifying examination with a minimum of 60% marks in graduation and post-graduation from a government-recognised institution for those applying for a Master’s and PhD respectively. 
• The applying candidate’s combined family income must not be more than 8 lakhs per annum and the certificate must be issued from the competent authority.
• No more than two children of the same guardian/parent can be eligible for this scholarship.

Expenses Covered

The scholarship amount received by the awardee will cover the following expenses:

1. Annual maintenance allowance
2. Contingency allowance
3. Tuition fees
4. Visa fees
5. Medical insurance premium
6. Incidental journey allowance and equipment allowance
7. Air passage

Terms and Conditions

The validity of the scholarship is for 3 years for a Master’s degree and 4 years for a PhD programme from the date of issue. This Government scholarship is only meant for students applying for a Master’s and PhD in the field of humanities and social science and pure sciences and applied sciences, engineering and management; international commerce, agricultural sciences and medicine; accounting and finance.

Also Read: Tata Scholarships

Goa Education Trust Scholarship

Goa Education Trust Scholarship is provided to eligible students in collaboration with the British Council of India. It is a one-time scholarship, where the awardees receive a scholarship of varying amounts to pursue higher education in various postgraduate programmes in the UK. The selection of the candidate is not only made based on educational qualifications but extracurricular activities and references as well. The scholarship can be made available at any university in the UK. However, preference is given to the residents of Goa over other applicants.

The amount of the scholarship for the year 2023 is not announced yet however the recipient will either receive a partial or full amount of the tuition fee; depending upon the merit of the applying student and the master programme chosen. Furthermore, the expenses covered under the scholarship are variable. 

Eligibility Criteria

In order to be eligible for this scholarship, candidates must ensure that they fulfil the following eligibility criteria:

• The applying candidate must not be more than 30 years of age at the time of application.
• The candidate must belong to or be a resident of Goa, India.
• The applying candidate must have passed their last qualifying examination with an exceptionally good score in graduation from a government-recognised institution for those applying for a Master’s degree. Additionally, the candidate must have an excellent record of extracurricular activities.
• The candidate must be enrolled or hold an unconditional offer letter for any Master’s degree programme from any recognised university in the UK at the beginning of the fall semester (September/October intake).

Terms and Conditions

The validity of the scholarship is for 1 year for a Master’s degree from the date of issue. The scholarship will be awarded based on merit. This scholarship is only meant for students applying for a Master’s degree in the field of architecture, education, communication, journalism, and business management. 

Fulbright-Nehru Master’s Fellowship

The Fulbright-Nehru Master’s Fellowship is offered to exceptionally talented students who want to pursue further studies in the USA in various fields such as the ones noted below. The scholarship is provided with the aim that the recipients of this scholarship will work for the welfare of society.

Expenses Covered

The scholarship amount will cover the following expenses of the awardee:

1. Tuition fees
2. Cost of living
3. Travelling expenses
4. Cost of J-1 visa
5. Roundtrip airfare
6. Health cover as per the US government guidelines

Eligibility Criteria

• The applying candidates must have completed the equivalent of a USA bachelor’s degree with a minimum of 55% of marks. The candidate must hold a four-year bachelor’s degree or a completed master’s degree; or a full-time postgraduate diploma from an Indian government-recognised institution only if the duration of the bachelor’s degree is of less than four years.
• The candidate must have a full-time work experience of a minimum of three years in the relevant field of study. 
• The candidate must not hold any prior degree from universities in the USA.
• The candidate must commit to return and contribute to the welfare of their communities.

Terms and Conditions

The scholarship is awarded based on merit. The validity of the scholarship varies between 1-2 years for a Master’s degree from the date of issue. This scholarship is only meant for students applying for a Master’s programme in the field of women’s studies/gender studies, urban and regional studies, journalism and mass communication, public administration, public health, international affairs, international legal studies, economics, environmental study/science, higher education administration and arts and culture management including museum studies and heritage conservation.

FAQs

Getting financial aid in the form of a scholarship for higher education is a huge step towards achieving your goal. Make sure to send the application for the scholarship on or before the deadline to avoid missing out on the benefits and perks of the scholarship. Hopefully, this article proved helpful for candidates looking to avail the benefits of the mentioned scholarships and they can use this to kickstart their application process.

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