The Government of India is offering ICCR Scholarship to internation01al students interested in studying in India. The Indian Council for Cultural Relations (ICCR), an autonomous organization under the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA), was established in 1950 with the primary objectives of establishing, reviving and strengthening cultural relations and mutual understanding between India and other countries.
Its aims, as enunciated in the Memorandum of Association, are:

• To participate in the formulation and implementation of policies and programmes relating to India’s external cultural relations;
• To foster and strengthen cultural relations and mutual understanding between India and other countries;
• To promote cultural exchange with other countries and peoples;
• To establish and develop relations with national and inter-national Organization in the field of culture;
• To take such measures as may be required to further these objectives.

Through its scholarship programme, people from different parts of the world have benefited from ICCR. On the one hand, ICCR has helped various countries in capacity-building by providing scholarships to foreign students in the professional fields like engineering, agriculture, management etc.. On the other hand, it has promoted Indian culture by providing scholarships to pursue courses in Indian dance, music, Yoga, Ayurveda and Indian languages. Many of ICCR Alumni have achieved positions of influence in their respective countries and each ICCR scholar is India’s goodwill Ambassador abroad.

ICCR Postgraduate Scholarship

Aim and Benefits of ICCR Postgraduate Scholarship

• Tuition fees
• Living expenses / stipend
• Thesis and Dissertation allowances
• Airfare
• Housing / accommodation
• Health Insurance
• Contingent grant

Requirements for ICCR Postgraduate Scholarship Qualification

• Applicants must note that the Passport should have a minimum validity of two years as on 1 July 2026.
• Applicants with Person of Indian Origin (PIO)/Overseas Citizen of India OCI status should have completed his/her schooling (upto XII standard) abroad (i.e. not in India) and have not been studying in India in the preceding five academic years to be eligible to avail ICCR scholarships for Ph.D. courses and for three years for PG courses.
• Universities/Institutions conduct their classes for foreign students in the English language for all courses. Applicants should ensure that they possess proficiency in English and are willing to prove the same to the extent that they are able to speak fluently in English and comprehend lessons in English without any difficulty. Applicants have to fulfill the eligibility criteria with regard to the proficiency in English as determined by the Indian Mission in addition to the mandatory submission of an essay of 500 words in English on one of the topics/subjects listed on the A2A Portal.
• Applicants also have the option to upload their certificates/scores obtained in global English Proficiency tests like TOEFL, IELTS, etc., as proof of English language proficiency
• Applicants may note that Universities/Institutions have their own age criteria, subject to fulfilling the following Minimum/Maximum Age criteria as 1st July 2026, prescribed by ICCR for foreign students for the award of scholarship under various courses
  • 18 Years – Minimum Age for any level of courses
  • 35 Years – Maximum Age for UG, PG, Certificate and Diploma level courses
  • 40 Years – Maximum Age for Ph.D. level courses
  • No upper age limit for courses in Hindi, Sanskrit, any of the Indian performing arts courses (such as Kathak, Bharatnatyam, Vocal/Instrumental music, etc.) unless prescribed by the concerned institution -3-
• Applicants may note that falsification of date of birth in any manner will lead to automatic rejection/termination of admission and scholarship. In case falsification of date of birth is found after joining the course, the student will be liable to go back to his/her home country on his/her own expenses and to refund the entire amount incurred for him/her on account of any expenses, such as air ticket, any payment of stipend and other scholarship dues, fees of the institutions, etc. A forgery complaint could be registered under the relevant provisions of BhartiyaNyayaSanhita 2023 (BNS 2023) in such cases of falsification.

Selection of Course/Institution

• ICCR scholarships are provided to study only at the Universities/Institutions empanelled with ICCR. The list of these Universities/Institutions is available on the Portal. Applicants are advised to go through the weblink of these Universities/Institutions available on the Portal to make the choice of courses according to the eligibility criteria.
• Applicants have the choice to opt maximum of 5 Universities/Institutes and Courses in order of priority. Applicants are advised to carefully make the choice of courses, keeping in view the eligibility criteria of the concerned University/Institution. Please note that a change of course and/or University after the award of a scholarship is not permissible under any circumstances.
• The application will be scrutinised by the respective Universities/Institutions independently for the grant of admission in the course and stream chosen by the applicant.
• Candidates opting for admission in science/engineering UG level courses may ensure that they have studied Mathematics, Physics and Chemistry at the final/High School level (Standard XII).
• Candidates opting for admission in science courses with biology as a major subject may ensure that they have studied Biology, Physics and Chemistry at the final/High School level (Standard XII).
• As a general precondition in most of the Indian Universities/Institutions, applicants are required to have studied the same subjects at the Higher Secondary level for which they aspire to take admission.
• No admission is provided to foreign students for B.Tech Courses in the IITs
• Applicants opting for admission in MBA courses may note that a GMAT score is mandatory in some of the Universities/Institutions.
• Scholarships are provided only for structured courses for the duration of one year or above at the levels of UG, PG, Ph.D. Certificate/Diploma (only in Indian Languages/Literature, Performing/Visual Arts and Yoga). No scholarships are provided for any short-term certificate, diploma or research courses. Admission in research courses is provided only at Ph.D. level.
• Applicants for Ph.D. courses are required to submit a synopsis of their research topic along with their application. Applicants must ensure that the research topic does not involve data collection in the home country or any other country outside India, as far as possible.
• Applicants opting to pursue performing arts courses are required to upload the latest video/YouTube link of their performance.
• Courses at the levels of UG, PG and Ph.D. levels in the disciplines of Ayurveda, Yoga, Unani, Siddha and Homoeopathy are provided under the AYUSH Scholarship Schemes
• Applicants must note that no scholarships are provided to study courses in the fields of Medical Science; Para-medical courses like Nursing, Physiotherapy, anaesthesia, Lab technicians, etc., Law, Integrated courses such as BALLB (5 Years), B.Sc. & M.Sc. (5 Years) etc.

Interview date, Process and Venue for ICCR Postgraduate Scholarship

• After completion of the admission process by the Universities/Institutions, Indian Missions evaluate the candidates for the award of scholarship on various parameters.
• Applicants must note that the grant of admission in one or more than one University/Institution does not guarantee the award of a scholarship. Indian Mission selects the candidates for the award of scholarship according to the number of slots allocated under the Scholarship Scheme for the country and reserves the right to accept or reject any candidate for the award of scholarship at any stage.
• Any confirmation of admission provided by the University/Institution directly to the student will not be considered.
• Right to grant scholarship is reserved with the Indian Mission/ICCR, and no communication in this regard will be entertained.
• Once the applicant is selected by the Indian Mission, an offer letter for the award of a scholarship is issued by the Indian Mission for acceptance by the applicant. Applicant is required to accept or reject the offer within 7 days on the A2A Portal, and in case the student does not respond within the prescribed time limit, the award of scholarship will be cancelled by the Mission. If the student opts to accept the offer, he/she has to process his/her acceptance on the portal and is required to upload his/her medical fitness as per the format within the prescribed time limit, failing which the scholarship offer will be cancelled.
• If on arrival, it is found that the student does not possess the required original documents on the basis of which the admission has been finalized, the students will themselves be responsible for the consequences including denial of admission by the Universities and student will have toreturn to his/her country at own cost. ICCR will not bear cost on such student’s return airfare.

Documents Required for Application

It is a compulsory requirement of Indian Universities/institutes for foreign students to have a passport to study in India, which also include applicants from countries not requiring passport for travel to India. The students while coming to India to join their respective University/Institute should invariably bring the following documents:

• Passport size photograph of applicant with white background and visibility of both ears should be uploaded.
• Original documents relating to their qualifications for verification by the respective University/Institute.
• English Translation of the documents in original.
• Certified copy of the syllabus of the last qualifying examination.
• Valid passport with appropriate visa. Student visa for Undergraduate/Post graduate studies and research visa for Ph D studies.
• Award of scholarship letter issued by the concerned IndianMission/Postabroad.
• Undertaking from the student that the course and the University as conveyed is acceptable and that he/she will not request for change at the time of admission.
• Undertaking from the student that they have read the terms and conditions/Guidelines of ICCR scholarship as specified in the Scholarship Manual 2026-27 [The one time undertaking will be applicable even when scholarship manual is updated (as per para 36 like provision)], available on ICCR website.

Application Deadline

April 15, 2026

How to Apply

• All applications will be accepted online through A2A ICCR Scholarship Portal (https://a2ascholarships.iccr.gov.in) only. Once the student has obtained admissionon A2A portal and the Mission/Post has decided to award scholarship to thatparticular student, he/she(student) may be advised to register on SII portal forobtaining Unique ID and further process including obtaining visa and registrationwith FRRO (VISA and registration with the FRRO are to be processed on Study inIndia (SII) portal).
• Applications will not be accepted physically in Indian Missions abroad / ICCR / Universities.
• Applications will not be accepted locally(in India)
• Applications should be complete in every detail to avoid rejection of the same by theA2A portal/University/Institute.

More than one application of one candidate on A2A Portal will lead to disqualification of candidate.

Government of India ICCR Scholarship Guidelines.

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