Study abroad scholarships for Indian students 2027-28: what is open now, what has closed and what opens next

Study abroad scholarships for Indian students open now

Commonwealth Master's Scholarships (UK): closes 20 October 2026

The Commonwealth Scholarship Commission says applications for 2027-28 close at 16:00 BST on Tuesday 20 October 2026, for study starting September/October 2027. India is on the eligible country list.

• For: a full-time, one-year taught Master's in the UK (no MBAs).
• Pays: return airfare, full tuition, £1,712 a month (£2,000 in London) and a study travel grant.
• Eligibility: Indian citizen and resident; a first degree of at least upper second-class (2:1) standard by September 2027; unable to afford UK study otherwise. No age limit, and the CSC asks for no IELTS score.
• Catch: you must go home afterwards; switching to the UK Graduate visa is not allowed.

The CSC takes no direct applications: you apply on CSC Central and to a nominator, who forwards names by December 2026. India's nominator, per the CSC's list, is the Education Ministry's External Scholarships Division. Nominators can close earlier, and the Ministry's notice on education.gov.in did not load for us on 16 October 2026, so check it now. Results come by July 2027. Then see our UK student visa fees and Graduate Route guide.

DAAD scholarships for Indian students (Germany): 21 and 30 October 2026

The DAAD India scholarship database lists these deadlines:

• Doctoral Programmes in Germany and Cotutelle (bi-nationally supervised PhDs): 21 October 2026; funding from October 2027. You need a Master's by the start. It pays €1,400 a month, insurance contributions and a travel allowance, for up to four years.
• University Summer Courses: 30 October 2026, 23:59 CET. A four-week language course for students enrolled in India who have finished two years of a Bachelor's and hold B1 level. It covers the course, course housing and a travel allowance, plus a one-time €475.
• Research Grants: next deadline 4 March 2027. EPOS development courses: deadline depends on the course.

Also see our Germany guide on costs, APS and the blocked account.

Erasmus Mundus scholarship (Europe): programme deadlines from October

Erasmus Mundus Joint Masters are one- to two-year master's taught by universities in at least three countries. You apply to each programme through the EACEA catalogue; the European Commission says most take applications between October and January. The Programme Guide sets the scholarship at €1,400 a month for travel, visa and living costs, and holders pay no tuition. Final-year Bachelor's students can apply.

National Overseas Scholarship: second round unconfirmed

NOS guidelines reopen the portal for a second round in September/October 2026 for 40 days if seats remain. The NOS portal refused our connection on 16 October 2026, so check it yourself.

Note: the Inlaks Fellowship for Social Engagement (deadline 15 November 2026) funds social-impact work in India, not study abroad.

Closed for 2027-28: Chevening, Fulbright-Nehru Doctoral, MEXT

Chevening scholarship 2027. The India page says 2027-28 applications are closed. Per the official timeline, the window ran from August to October 2026. Shortlists come in mid-February 2027, interviews run March to April 2027, results from mid-June, and you must hold an unconditional UK offer by 17:00 BST on 8 July 2027. Chevening funds one-year master's degrees and needs 2,800 hours of work after your degree, three UK course choices and a promise to return home for two years.

Fulbright-Nehru Doctoral Research Fellowships. Six to nine months of US research for PhD scholars registered in India. The 2027-28 deadline was 1 July 2026; interviews are in early November 2026.

MEXT (Japanese Government) 2027. The MEXT 2027 guidelines put the embassy call around mid-April 2026, with results from January to March 2027. Research students (born on or after 2 April 1992) get ¥143,000 to ¥145,000 a month, free tuition and a return ticket.

Also closed: DAAD's postgraduate grants in architecture, music and the arts (September to 15 October 2026), and the NOS for ST students (20 awards a year), whose 2026-27 portal closed on 15 July 2026.

Coming next: Fulbright-Nehru Master's, Inlaks, J N Tata

Fulbright-Nehru Master's Fellowships. The USIEF page still shows the 2026-27 round (deadline 14 May 2025), and the award is missing from USIEF's current list for Indian citizens. No 2027-28 call was posted as of 16 October 2026. The last round asked for three years of paid work and 55% in a four-year degree, and paid tuition, living costs and airfare. US-bound? Read our H-1B fee explainer.

Inlaks Scholarship. The 2026 round closed on 31 March 2026 (instructions); 2027 was not announced as of 16 October 2026. It paid up to US$120,000 for study in the UK, Europe or the US, for Indian residents born on or after 1 January 1996 holding an offer. Business, computer science, most engineering, MBA and medicine are excluded.

J N Tata Endowment. A loan scholarship of up to ₹20 lakh at 2% simple interest, repaid from the third to the seventh year, with a guarantor and no collateral (FAQ). The last window ran from 5 January to 29 March 2026 (homepage); you need 60% in an Indian degree.

How can I get a 100% scholarship to study abroad?

These are the awards whose official rules cover both tuition and living costs:

Fully funded does not mean family costs are covered. The CSC says its child allowances are only a contribution, and Chevening pays travel and visa costs for the scholar only.

How to apply for a fully funded scholarship from India

1. Note each round's real deadline, including any earlier Indian nominator date.
2. Apply for admission early: Chevening needs an unconditional offer by 8 July 2027, NOS round one at application.
3. Book an IELTS or TOEFL slot if your university asks, and the GRE for US programmes that want it.
4. Ask referees early. CSC references must be uploaded as signed PDFs before the deadline.
5. Answer each award's own questions; the CSC wants a four-part development impact statement.
6. Submit on the official portal only and watch your spam folder for interview calls.

National Overseas Scholarship 2026-27: who qualifies and what it pays

The Ministry of Social Justice's NOS scheme funds Master's and PhD study abroad for SC, Denotified, Nomadic and Semi-Nomadic Tribes, landless agricultural labourers and traditional artisans. From its 2026-27 guidelines:

• 125 awards a year: 115 SC, 6 DNT/NT/SNT, 4 landless labourers and artisans; 30% earmarked for women.
• Income: family income up to ₹8 lakh in 2025-26.
• Age and marks: 35 or under on 1 April of the selection year; 60% in the qualifying degree.
• Offer: round one needs an unconditional offer from a QS top-500 university; merit follows the QS rank.
• US rule: a J-1 visa only; F-1 applicants are not eligible.
• Pays: actual tuition, US$15,400 a year for living (£9,900 in the UK), US$1,500 contingency (£1,100), visa, insurance and airfare, for up to 3 years (Master's) or 4 (PhD).
• After: return to India within 30 days of finishing and stay at least one year.

Gujarat foreign study loans: ₹15 lakh at 4%

Gujarat runs its own foreign study loans, applied for on esamajkalyan.gujarat.gov.in:

• Dr. Babasaheb Ambedkar Videsh Abhyas Loan (SC, BCK-15): ₹15 lakh at 4%, no income limit, for Gujarat natives with 50% in the qualifying course; at most two per family. Repayment starts 6 months after the course and ends within 10 years; one solvent guarantor; approval only after you show your visa and ticket (details).
• SEBC and EBC loans: up to ₹15 lakh at 4% simple interest for courses of at least one year. SEBC needs family income below ₹10 lakh and 60% in Class 12 (50% for NT/DNT and most backward classes); EBC needs income up to ₹4.5 lakh. A parent's property is mortgaged (details). The directorate lists 475 SEBC beneficiaries in 2022-23.
• GUEEDC Videsh Abhyas Loan (unreserved classes): ₹15 lakh at 4% for MBBS after Class 12, or a PG degree or diploma after graduation. Needs 60% in Class 12 and family income up to ₹6 lakh; property mortgage above ₹7.5 lakh; repay over 5 or 6 years from a year after the course (details).

The SC and SEBC loans accept applications up to six months after you leave. For study in India, see our Digital Gujarat scholarship guide.

Money rules: TCS, education loans and Section 80E

• TCS: the Finance Act 2026 cut tax collected at source on education remittances above ₹10 lakh a year under the Liberalised Remittance Scheme from 5% to 2%, from 1 April 2026 (Budget memorandum). Other purposes stay at 20%.
• Loan-funded fees: SBI's tax page lists nil TCS since 1 April 2025 on education remittances paid from a financial institution's loan. Confirm with your bank before you remit.
• Section 80E: the Income Tax Department allows a deduction of the full interest on a higher education loan, under the old tax regime only.

Where to go next

• Germany as a study option: costs, APS and blocked account guide
• UK after a scholarship: UK student visa fees and Graduate Route rules
• Australia: student visa 2026 rules, fees and dependants
• Course guides: M.Sc. and MBA, which Commonwealth and Inlaks do not fund
• Scholarships for study in India: NSP scholarship 2026-27 guide
• Latest updates: CareerBox News