All About the Scholarships in Europe for Indian Students

For decades, European countries have been on the top of the list to study abroad for Indian students. However, studying at many of these is a quite an expensive affair for Indian students. This article presents the top scholarships to study in Europe for Indian students in 2026-27.

Studying in Europe is expensive. Even if there’s a country that offers free education, its cost of living might be high due to excessive demand and competition among incoming crowd - as there are two types of international crowds that move to any country - the student crowd (looking for cheaper but good accommodation and everything else on a budget too) and the working professionals’ crowd (looking for quality living and the best experience of the city). But as the student crowd also brings in potential business for local universities and a pool of best talents for the companies, these countries invest heavily to attract more and more international students to their universities. For that reason, there are various attractive scholarships to study in Europe for international students - that not just cover their cost of education but also their cost of living so that the most brilliant minds don’t have to engage in work or side hustle activities apart from their studies in order to meet their day-to-day needs in the country. Read this article further to learn everything about the scholarships to study in Europe for international students in 2026-27.

Different Types of Scholarships in Europe for Indian students

There are over 100,000 scholarships to study in EU for non-EU international students. Out of these scholarships, some cover part of students’ tuition and some - only the full-ride ones or the 100%/fully-funded ones cover full tuition, living costs, airfare and even health insurance in some cases. However competition for getting these scholarships is fierce as there are over millions of applicants for 1 scholarship award. Here are the different kinds of scholarship awards in Europe for Indian students - 

1. Pan-European / European Union Scholarships: These are prestigious, highly competitive awards funded directly by the European Commission. They often encourage multi-country academic exposure - which means sometimes you may even be required to complete your degree in two or three countries (semester-wise movement). This gives you valuable diverse experience and your network also grows which boost your chances of getting a job

2. Country-specific government scholarships: National governments across Europe offer scholarships -  designed to attract minds and great leaders of the future. Most of these are fully funded like DAAD for Germany, France Excellence Eiffel Scholarship to study in France, Chevening & GREAT Scholarships in the UK and more.

3. University-Specific Merit Scholarships: Individual universities in Europe also allocate separate funds to waive tuition fees for academically excellent or need-based students applying from outside the EU/EEA.

4. Private and Trust Foundation Scholarships: Independent external trusts and non-profit organisations offer niche grants to Indian students based on academic excellence, leadership traits, or social impact fields like the Inlaks Shivdasani Foundation Scholarships.

Best Scholarships to Study in Europe 2026-27

The top scholarships to study in EU chosen by Indian students are often the fully funded scholarships - which cover tuition, living and traveling costs for students. The 20 best scholarships for international students in Europe are given below. 

Best Women Scholarships to Study in Europe

To give an equal opportunity, most countries and organisations design scholarships for just women. This section lists the top women scholarships to study in Europe. 

General Eligibility Requirements for Scholarships in Europe

Every year, millions of international students apply for scholarships or grants to study in Europe. This makes the selection of the right candidates extremely difficult for the panel of selection authorities. For this reason, these highly sought-after scholarships have some specific requirements in place to put a filter on applicants and inviting applications from meritorious and dedicated students who are committed to completing their course in expected time. Some of these general requirements of scholarships for Indian students to study in Europe are - 

1. You must hold a completed degree (usually a Bachelor’s for Master’s programs) equivalent to a European system. A high GPA or strong class ranking is required for merit-based awards.

2. You must demonstrate fluency in the language of instruction. For English-taught programs, this means an IELTS, TOEFL, PTE or Cambridge score. For programs taught in local languages (like German, French, or Spanish), official test certifications may be required.

3. Most European scholarships like the DAAD in Germany or the Eiffel Scholarship in France) require you to have already secured an offer of admission from a European university before you can apply for funding.

4. Nationality: Many major scholarships are explicitly designed for non-EU/EEA students, while others are targeted at specific developing nations.

Documents Required

Here is the list of documents required for scholarships in EU for international students- 

1. Academic transcripts/marksheets

2. Motivation Letter / Statement of Purpose

3. Letters of Recommendation

4. Updated Curriculum Vitae (CV)

5. Offer Letter from the host university

How to Get a Scholarship to Study in Europe?

To get a scholarship in Europe for Indian students, abiding by the following steps is generally recommended - 

1. Start researching for the scholarship that meet your purpose and covers your course in the selected university and country. This must be done at least 12-18 months before your target intake

2. Build a highly competitive profile that stands out among others

3. Prepare your documents - make sure nothing misses out as a half application will get rejected and you won’t have the chance to re-apply until next year. Make sure all your documents meet the European standards or protocols of the scholarship

4. Apply in time. Remember that the best fully funded scholarships in Europe usually have deadlines 1 year ahead of the course start dates. In such cases you may get to submit offer from the university in a later window.

How to Get Fully Funded Scholarships in Europe Without IELTS in 2026-27?

To get full scholarships in Europe without IELTS, Indian students might either be required to take an alternate exam or look for scholarships that may accept a MOI certificate from your previous educational institution. The MOI certificate acts as a proof that your previous education was completed entirely in English. 

However, it’s good for Indian students to know that the European universities and governments award these scholarships holistically, placing maximum weight on your GPA, statement of purpose, and interview performance rather than just on the standardised language test scores. Some European scholarship panels may skip the English test scores entirely and evaluate your communication live via Zoom or Skype. Here are the steps to get fully-funded scholarships for Indian students to study in Europe without IELTS - 

1. Secure one of the alternatives to the IELTS test - whether it’s just another accepted English test, MOI certificate or sitting with the panel of interviewers

2. Target fully funded scholarships in Europe that offer IELTS waiver - you may try to get a course or scholarship which does not has English as a primary medium of communication

3. Because you are not submitting an IELTS score, the committee will scrutinise the rest of your application closely. So - 

1. Submit an immaculate SOP

2. Prepare for the video interview

3. Verify the visa requirements

Scholarships to Study Master’s in Europe

Europe offers some of the world’s most prestigious, fully funded scholarships for international master’s students. These master’s scholarships in Europe typically cover 100% of your tuition fees, monthly living stipends, travel allowances and health insurance. The top postgraduate scholarships in Europe are divided into pan-European initiatives, government-funded country awards, and university-specific schemes. So below is the list of top scholarship for master’s degree in Europe - 

1. Erasmus Mundus Joint Masters (EMJM)

2. DAAD Scholarships for Germany

3. Stipendium Hungaricum - Hungary

4. Chevening Scholarships - UK

5. Eiffel Excellence Scholarship - France

6. NL Scholarship (formerly Holland Scholarship) - Netherlands

Bachelor’s Scholarships in Europe

The criteria for getting bachelor’s scholarships in Europe for Indian students includes getting good grades in class 12th examinations in the relevant stream of subjects. Students must score at least 60% of marks in their qualifying exams and must show dedication towards joining and completing their new course in a completely new environment. Most of these scholarships are looking for students who actually commit to complete the course in time and willing to bring a positive change in the society and the world. Other common requirements of bachelor’s scholarships in Europe are the same as those for the MS scholarships in Europe. Some common bachelor’s scholarship programs in EU for Indian students are - 

1. Amba Dalmia Scholarship - especially for women applying to study in France

2. DSU Scholarships in Italy

3. JN Tata Endowment

4. University-based scholarships and fee waivers

5. Narotam Sekhsaria Foundation Scholarship Program

Scholarships to Study in Europe FAQs