ZedgeMany institutions, organizations, and governments offer fully funded scholarships for Indian students, where they can pursue higher education without the burden of tuition fees, living expenses, and other costs.
Education is one of the major investments for any individual, and for Indian students, the dream of studying abroad often comes with a big price tag.
Understanding Fully Funded Scholarships for Indian Students
A fully funded scholarship is an educational fund awarded to the scholar with coverage of all expenses related to higher education. This usually includes:
- Tuition Fees: The complete amount for your program
- Living Costs: Includes accommodation, food, transportation, and other daily expenses
- Travel Costs: The flight to and from the country where the host institute is situated
- Health Insurance: The medical coverage for the tenure of study
- Study Materials: Books and other necessary materials required during academic work.
These scholarships give students the liberty to focus entirely on their studies, without having to worry about financial constraints.
Types of Fully Funded Scholarships for Indian Students
There are a variety of fully funded scholarships available to Indian students, based on different eligibility criteria such as academic performance, country of study, and field of study. Let’s delve into the most prominent ones:
1. Government Scholarships
a. The Commonwealth Scholarship
The Commonwealth Scholarship is provided by the UK government for students who come from Commonwealth countries. Students from India also have this opportunity. It fully covers tuition fees, airfare, and living expenses.
It is granted to those students who want to pursue a Master’s or PhD in the UK. Candidates selected are based on academic merit with the potential to contribute towards their home country’s development.
b. The Chevening Scholarship
The other prestigious scholarship provided by the UK government is the Chevening Scholarship. It seeks excellence from those who are able to show leadership qualities and a desire to serve their communities for the betterment of humankind. The Chevening Scholarship includes tuition fees, travel costs, and living expenses that enable Indian students to study at top UK universities.
c. The Fulbright-Nehru Fellowship
The scholarship is jointly funded by the Indian and U.S. governments. It targets Indian students who wish to pursue postgraduate or doctoral studies at accredited U.S. universities. The scholarship covers tuition, living expenses, airfare, and health insurance.
2. University Scholarships
Most universities across the globe have full free scholarships that are availed to different international students, including those in India. Most of them are granted on merit, for leadership, or in certain fields of specialization.
a. University of Toronto – Lester B. Pearson International Scholarship Program
The Lester B. Pearson International Scholarship is one that the University of Toronto bestows upon international students that portray outstanding academic performance and remarkable leadership among their peers; the scholarship covers tuition, books, incidental fees, and full residence support for four years.
b. Stanford University Knight-Hennessy Scholars Program
Stanford University’s Knight-Hennessy Scholars Program covers tuition fees, living, and other expenses for graduate students completely. The program aims at building a global scholars’ community that will later become world leaders in their fields.
3. Private Scholarships
Some private organizations and corporations also fund scholarships. Private scholarships may be based on need, merit, academic performance, or research interests.
a. Tata Scholarship for Cornell University
The Tata Education and Development Trust awards the Tata Scholarship to Indian students for undertaking an undergraduate degree study in Cornell University, U.S.A. Tuition fee, accommodation and living expenses related to the cost of attending the University.
b. Inlaks Shivdasani Foundation Scholarships
Apart from this, the Inlaks Shivdasani Foundation offers the most gifted Indian students scholarships for postgraduate studies in highly rated US, UK, and European universities. The scholarship covers tuition fees, travel, and living completely.
Eligibility Criteria of Fully Funded Scholarship
Though each scholarship has a certain set of eligibility, yet the following are the basic common requirements that an Indian student needs to fulfill for applying to these fully-funded scholarships:
- Academic Excellence: A very good academic record is thus highly required, as most scholarships are awarded to those with top grades.
- Leadership Potential: Many of the scholarships, such as the Chevening Scholarship, require applicants to have demonstrated leadership qualities and a commitment to social change.
- Research Interests: A few scholarships are meant for students who wish to pursue research or academic programs in specific fields, like science, technology, or humanities.
- English Proficiency: Many scholarships, particularly those in English-speaking countries, require students to demonstrate proficiency in English through tests such as IELTS or TOEFL.
- Age Limit: Some scholarships have age restrictions, especially for postgraduate students, so it’s important to verify eligibility before applying.
- Nationality: As the name suggests, fully funded scholarships are often country-specific. For Indian students, only those scholarships that specifically target Indian nationals will be applicable.
How to Apply for Fully Funded Scholarships
The application process for fully funded scholarships may vary from one scholarship provider to another. However, the following steps describe the general process:
- Research Scholarships: First, research the scholarships that align with your academic interests and eligibility. There are numerous databases, scholarship portals, and official university websites that list available scholarships.
- Arrange the documents: Most of the scholarship applications require supporting documents such as a transcript, recommendation letters, a statement of purpose, proof of language proficiency, and a CV. Prepare your documents well in advance prior to applying.
- Writing a Statement of Purpose: This is the most crucial part of an application. It clearly states academic background, career goals, and deserves the scholarship.
- Application Submission: Follow the application submission guidelines carefully and submit the application before the deadline. Let all the required documents be correctly attached and as per the specifications of the scholarship.
- Get Ready for Interview: Many scholarships have an interview as part of the selection process. Prepare well by practicing some common interview questions, in addition to your leadership skills, academic achievements, and future goals.
Frequently Asked Questions
1. What is a fully funded scholarship?
A fully funded scholarship is actually related to the financial coverage or award towards all expenses of studies, tuition fees, living expenses, sometimes health insurance, and the cost of travel.
2. How do I apply for fully funded scholarships for Indian students?
You can apply for a fully-funded scholarship by looking into different scholarship programs, gathering the documents needed to apply, writing a statement of purpose, and sending it before the deadline.
3. Are there any scholarships for undergraduate students?
Yes, fully funded scholarships for undergraduate students are available. Prestigious universities and organizations do this to meritorious students from India.
4. Can I apply for multiple fully funded scholarships?
Yes, you can apply to as many as you want, but you should be eligible for each of them.
5. Must I be the top scorer for me to win a full scholarship?
Though most of the fully funded scholarships are competitive, you don’t always have to be at the top. Some scholarship providers place more emphasis on leadership potential or community involvement.
Conclusion
While studying abroad was the dream for many Indian students, now with fully-funded scholarships, it has become damn easy. For students to accesses financial support to study at prestigious universities across the world, there needs to be an understanding of different scholarship opportunities and the respective eligibility criteria.
The fully funded scholarships for Indian students ranges from different government programs, university-specific, to private organizations. The bottom line is research, application, and persistence.
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