Studying abroad could be an expensive affair for Indian students. To support students who wish to study abroad, Government of India implements multiple schemes. In addition, many State Governments implement similar schemes. Here is a listing of all such schemes by Government of India.

National Overseas Scholarship for Scheduled Tribe Students

The scheme is implemented by the Ministry of Tribal Affairs and was formulated during the UPA government. Financial assistance is provided to the meritorious Scheduled Tribe students for pursuing Master level courses, Ph.D. and Post-Doctoral Research Programs in foreign universities in the field of Engineering, Technology and Science. A total of twenty (20) scholarships would be provided every year between the period 2017-18 to 2019-20. The family income ceiling for availing this scholarship is Rs 6 lakh per annum. The scholarship consists of various components like annual maintenance allowance, annual contingency & equipment allowance, poll tax, visa fee, incidental journey expenses, fees, medical insurance premium, cost of air travel, cost of local travel, domestic travel assistance for attending interview.

National Overseas Scholarship for Scheduled Caste Students

The scheme is implemented by the Ministry of Social Justice and Empowerment and was formulated during the UPA government. Financial assistance is provided to the meritorious Scheduled Caste students for pursuing Master level courses and Ph.D. in foreign universities in the field of Pure and Applied Sciences, Social Science, Agricultural Science etc.A total of hundred(100) scholarships would be provided every year. The family income ceiling for availing this scholarship is Rs 6 lakh per annum. The scholarship consists of various components like annual maintenance allowance, annual contingency & equipment allowance, poll tax, visa fee, incidental journey expenses, fees, medical insurance premium, cost of air travel, cost of local travel, domestic travel assistance for attending interview.

Raman-Charpak Fellowship

The Raman-Charpak Fellowship is jointly funded by the Department of Science and Technology (DST) and Ministry of Foreign Affairs & International Development, Government of France and was launched in the year 2013. The scheme aims to improve the doctoral skills of Indian and French students under which the fellow is given an opportunity to carry out part of their research work in a University / Research Institute based in France or India respectively.

Science and Engineering Research Board, a statutory body of Department of Science and Technology is implementing the following fellowship programs in addition to the ones listed above.

Overseas Doctoral Fellowship Program

The objective of the scheme is to build national capacity where the talent supply of researchers in areas of interest to the country is sub-critical. Fellowship amount of $2000 per month is provided for a duration of 4 years, for undertaking the Doctoral Research Program in Science, Technology, Engineering and Medicine from overseas top ranking universities in USA, UK and Canada.

Overseas Postdoctoral Fellowship

The scheme aims to build national capacity in frontier areas of Science which are of interest to India. The applicant should have acquired PhD degree in Science and Engineering not earlier than the preceding two years from a recognized institution in India. Under the program, candidates are admitted in chosen areas in the overseas top ranking universities around the globe, other than USA.

SERB Newton – Bhabha International Fellowships

Under the scheme, fellowship is provided to the Indian research community to undertake Postdoctoral level research in the fields of Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM) in United Kingdom for a period of two years. The award will provide a stipend, research expenses and one-off relocation expenses and will provide up to £99,000 for two years.

As per latest government data, following is the number of scholarships provided under each of the above schemes in the last two years.

Internship Programs

Apart from the scholarship & fellowship schemes listed above, Department of Science and Technology is implementing the following internship programs for Indian students in foreign universities.

S.N. Bose Scholars Program

Under the program, opportunity is provided to Indian students and students from United States of America (enrolled in Bachelors and Masters programs in Atmospheric and Earth Sciences; Chemical Sciences; Engineering Sciences; Mathematical and Computational Sciences; and, Physical Sciences) to undertake a research internship at partner Universities in the U.S.A for a period of 10-12 weeks, beginning each summer. The internship program is conducted for 50 Indian students and also supports 30 students of USA to intern at a recognized Indian educational institution for a similar duration. Indian students receive a stipend of $2000, health insurance and air-fare.

India-Korea Research Internship

The internship program is jointly implemented by the Department of Science and Technology (DST) and National Research Foundation of Korea (NRF), with the objective to facilitate bilateral cooperation between scientists and researchers from the two countries by way of joint R&D projects, research fellowships and technical missions in the fields of Robotics & Engineering Sciences, Renewable Energy, Chemical & Biochemical Technologies, Health & Medical Science, Material Science & Technology, Water Resources & Environment, Information Technology, Nutrition & Food Safety and Green Transportation. The funding for selected proposals includes research expenses, air-fare, living expenses, local travel etc.

Other Education Exchange Programs (EEPs)

Government of India has signed Memorandum of Understanding (MoUs)/ Education Exchange Programs (EEPs)/ Joint Declaration of Intent (JDIs) with 54 countries for cooperation in the field of education. One of the major objectives of such signed agreements is promotion of exchange of students. The list of countries and the relevant agreements made can be accessed form the website of Ministry of Human Resource Development (MHRD).

Under exchange program, eight (8) countries namely Italy, Mexico, Israel, China, South Korea, Hungary, Commonwealth Scholarship (New Zealand) and Commonwealth Scholarship (UK) are offering scholarship in their respective countries for Indian students for higher education. MHRD facilitates the nomination process for these scholarships and interested students can apply online. As per government data, a total of 578 candidates were nominated for these exchange programs in the last two years.