UK Scholarships for Indian Students for 2023

Are you aspiring to Study in the UK? Good News! There are a lot of UK Scholarships for Indian Students available. When applying to any of these scholarships, ensure you read the criteria carefully, along with the application closing date. The United Kingdom occupies an admirable being amongst the best overseas study abroad countries in the world, second only to the USA! Universities in London and several other public and private universities provide thousands of scholarships to International students to ease their financial stress.

International students receive merit-based or need-based Scholarships in the UK. This Blog post will explain in detail about various UK Scholarships available & their benefits. In this blog, you will learn about some of the famous UK scholarships for Indian Students like Chevening Scholarships, Commonwealth Scholarships, Erasmus Mundus Joint Master Degrees, Felix Scholarships, and so on. Let’s find out!

How do Indian students apply for UK scholarships?

1. Look at various scholarship options well in advance & take the requisite application steps. In most cases, the scholarship application process starts a year before admission. Start applying & preparing much in advance since the evaluation process of the application is lengthy and strict. Therefore, start as early as possible.

2. Popular UK Scholarships have set strict eligibility criteria since they have limited seats and funds. Check all requirements thoroughly & make sure you qualify on all points.

3. Some UK Scholarships also require candidates to score required GMAT, GRE, IELTS, or TOEFL marks. Hence, it is best to check the criteria before you give the exams.

UK Government Scholarships for Indian Students

Here are some of the popular government scholarship programs available to study in the UK as an Indian student:

a) Chevening Scholarships

Chevening Scholarships are available to outstanding emerging leaders across the globe to study for one-year master’s degrees in the UK. A typical Chevening Scholar should be a leader who has the passion, ideas, and influence to create a better future.

It is a fully-funded scholarship & covers flights, accommodation, and course fees. 

Hence, you become free to focus on achieving your professional goals. During your one-year stay in the UK, you will develop professionally and academically, build networking, & experience UK culture. Once you finish your studies and leave the UK, you’ll have all the knowledge and networks necessary to bring your ideas to life.

Amount

• Takes care of tuition fees and cost of living allowance. 

Eligibility Criteria

• Required to be a citizen of a Chevening-eligible country. There are around 160 Chevening-eligible countries, of which India is one of them.
• At least two years of work experience.
• He should have applied to three courses and received an unconditional letter from at least one of them by the mentioned deadline. 
• He should have satisfied the required English Language Tests criteria by the specified deadline.

Duration

• One year

b) Commonwealth UK Scholarships

 The UK’s Department for International Development (DFID) offers Commonwealth UK Scholarships to international students. These international students are from developing Commonwealth countries and want to pursue Masters’s and PhD in the UK.

The scholarship covers airfare costs to and from the UK, if applicable, thesis grant, additional allowances to take care of personal basic expenses, examination, and tuition fees. All of these include: 

Amount

• Fully funded: Covers all Tuition fees, Living expenses, Air fare, etc

Eligibility – To be eligible for this scholarship, you must –

• A full-fledged resident of a Commonwealth country
• Require the scholarship to complete education
• Maintained an academic and extracurricular excellence

Duration

• Total Duration of your postgraduate studies (Master’s or Doctorate).

c) Commonwealth Fellowship Plan

A Government initiative especially for the students of Commonwealth countries. These students play an essential part in their home countries post-completion of the higher education program in the United Kingdom. This scholarship includes the entire tuition fee of the scholar, one economy-class return and additional allowances. All those Indian students who want to get a master’s degree or a PhD in the UK can apply for this scholarship.

Eligibility Criteria

• Eligible applicants should be below 40 years of age and must be full-time residents of India.
• Eligible applicants shortlisted for the scholarship have to appear for a personal interview in New Delhi.

d) Rhodes ScholarshipsCommonwealth Fellowship Plan

The Rhodes Scholarship is a fully funded, full-time, postgraduate award. It is awarded to talented young people worldwide to pursue their education at the University of Oxford. Rhodes Scholars study in the UK for two or more years. They can apply to full-time postgraduate courses at Oxford University. This scholarship includes course fees at Oxford University and the actual stipend. The stipend helps the scholars to pay their living expenses, including accommodation. 

For the calendar year 2021-22, the stipend was approx. £17,300 per annum. Once the scholarship finalizes the candidate, the Rhodes Trust will also cover the University of Oxford application fee, the student visa fee, the required International Health Surcharge, and two economy class flights (to and from the UK, at the beginning and end of the session).

Amount/Expense covered

• Tuition fee
• Visa fee
• Monthly stipend
• One time to and from the Economy Class UK airfare
• Health insurance (HIS – International Health Surcharge)
• Settling allowance

Eligibility

• Applicant needed to be an Indian citizen
• Not should be over the age of 25 years
• Undergraduate degree with first-class marks
• Extracurricular achievements and social causes commitment.

e) GREAT Scholarships

For the 2023-24 academic year, UK universities offer 25 postgraduate scholarships across various subjects for students from India. A minimum of £10,000 is offered as the amount of each scholarship to cover the tuition fee for a one-year postgraduate course. UK’s GREAT Britain Campaign and the British Council jointly fund this scholarship with help from participating UK higher education institutions

Other Popular UK Scholarships for Indian Students

a) Dr Manmohan Singh Scholarships

St John’s College awarded the Dr Manmohan Singh Scholarships to honour Dr Singh for his outstanding achievements. Academically meritious Indian students who want to pursue doctoral degrees in Science & Technology, Economics, Aerospace Engineering, Energy Studies and Social Sciences at St. John’s College, the University of Cambridge. This fully funded scholarship covers academic fees, international airfare, the monthly stipend to cover living expenses, & UK visa.

Eligibility Criteria for Indian Students:

• Age limit: Applicant should be less than 35 years
• Received a postgraduate degree from an affiliated Indian institution
• Received both first-class award in their graduation and postgraduate degrees in the field they are seeking for
• Strong Leadership qualities proved through their work experience and personal statements
• English proficiency (Both Written and Spoken Skills)

b) Felix Scholarships

These scholarships are available to academically outstanding but underprivileged Indian students and other developing countries. To be eligible for these scholarships, students should be less than 30 years of age and possess a bachelor’s degree from a renowned Indian university.

Felix scholarship gives the opportunity to underprivileged students to pursue their postgraduate education at any of the universities in the UK. These scholarships are available at the Oxford University, the School of Oriental and African Studies (SOAS), & the University of Reading.

Amount/Expense covered:

• Around £15,000 towards the cost of living expenses
• Scholarship Allowance for clothes, books, and a return flight ticket covered.

Eligibility:

• Studying a master’s or doctoral degree in a UK university
• No previous experience of study in the UK
• Having a first-class degree from an Indian university.

c) Scotland’s Saltire Scholarships

The Scottish Government, in collaboration with Scottish Universities and colleges, offers this scholarship programme. Fifty awards, each worth £8000, are awarded. This award covers the tuition fee for any one-year full-time study on a postgraduate master’s programme at any of Scotland’s universities. Citizens of Canada, China, India, Japan, Pakistan, and the USA can apply for these scholarships.

d) Goa Education Trust Scholarships

GET (Goa Education Trust) offers the Goans the opportunity to pursue their desired areas of education. It provides scholarships and research fellowships to eligible students to complete their postgraduate studies in the United Kingdom in all departments of study. The scholarship recipients can complete their studies in various subjects, including Journalism, Education, Ancient History and Law. It also covers fully or partial tuition fees for the courses. An applicant should be at most 30 years of age at the time of application. This scholarship is applicable for courses up to 1 year in duration.

e) Charles Wallace India Trust Scholarships

Every year Charles Wallace India Trust Scholarships offers ten long-term awards ranging from 2–3 months up to a maximum of a year. It provides accommodation and living costs in the UK, Tuition fees, and a contribution to international fares. This scholarship does not support two-year courses.

Eligibility Criteria for Indian Students:

• Age limit: Between 25-38 years.
• Graduate degree or diploma/certification in their chosen area of field.

f) Hornby Scholarships

This scholarship covers all the academic costs in the UK. It provides a monthly stipend that covers accommodation and living expenses, tuition fees, return air tickets, visa, and language test costs. The eligibility factor for the applicants requires a full university degree & at least three years of full-time English language teaching experience. Also, the applicants need to have the level of English proficiency set by the university. Hornby Scholarship prefers experienced English language teachers who can make a future contribution to English language teaching.

Eligibility:

• The applicant should have received a full-time university degree in English or Education.
• At least three years of experience as a full-time teacher.
• The applicants need to satisfy the English proficiency test set by the university.

g) Inlaks Scholarships

These Scholarships are for full-time Masters, MPhil, or Doctoral courses. These are offered to the brightest students to meet all their basic requirements, including tuition fees. The maximum funding provided by the Foundation is USD 100,000. Business and Finance, Computer Science, Engineering, Fashion Design, Film and Film Animation, Hospitality and Tourism, Management Studies (i.e. MBA), Medicine, Dentistry, and related therapies courses are not covered.

Amount/Expenses covered:

It is a one-time payment that covers the following:

• Tuition fee
• Costs of Living
• Travel expenses

Eligibility:

• Received a Degree from an Indian University
• At least Below the age of 30 years
• Satisfy the admission requirements of the course.

Conclusion

One of the best things about UK Scholarships for Indian Students for 2023 is that you don’t have to worry about anything once selected. The UK scholarships are complete in terms of covering all the expenses. It covers Tuition Fees, Living Expenses, Cost of Traveling to the university from the native place. Pursuing higher education in the UK can prove to be expensive, so the UK Government and UK Universities offer a wide range of UK scholarships for Indian students. Hope his blog post has successfully removed confusion about various UK Scholarships for Indian Students. Please like and share this blog! Drop a Comment!