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Top Scholarships to Study Abroad after 12th for Indian Students
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Top Scholarships to Study Abroad after 12th for Indian Students

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Priya
Priya Garg
Study Abroad Expert
Updated on Jan 22, 2026 15:27 IST
Indian students who have decided to study abroad will have questions about scholarships after 12th. Since studying abroad is a costly affair, scholarships and funding usually ease the financial burden. There are a couple of international scholarships for Indian students after 12th which can be considered.

Indian students who have decided to study abroad will have questions about scholarships after 12th. Since studying abroad is a costly affair, scholarships and funding usually ease the financial burden. There are a couple of international scholarships for Indian students after 12th which can be considered.

Scholarships after 12th for Indian students

Indian students have many scholarships to study abroad after 12th in India. These scholarships are categorised as - fully-funded and partly-funded scholarships, merit-based or need-based scholarships, university-offered scholarships, government-funded scholarships, country and state-specific scholarships and external scholarships. All these scholarships have stricter selection rules for international students. Scholarships to study abroad after 12th in India often cover tuition, living costs and travel for undergraduate studies in countries like the US, UK, Germany, Canada and Australia.

It must be noted that most of the 100% scholarships, also called the fully-funded scholarships to study abroad are available only for the master’s courses. Thus, there are very less options for students looking for scholarships to study abroad after 12th. This makes scholarship hunting even more difficult for Indian students. 

To apply for scholarships abroad, one needs to submit a personal essay for the scholarship awarding committee to understand:

  1. your reason for choosing the course and university you’re choosing and 
  2. why should you be awarded the scholarship. 

Check out how to write a winning scholarship essay to study abroad. This article will discuss in detail about scholarships to study abroad after 12th in India.

Table of contents
  • What are International Scholarships for Indian Students after 12th?
  • Types of Scholarships for Indian Students after 12th to Study Abroad
  • Top Scholarships to Study Abroad After 12th for Indian Students
  • Top 15 Fully Funded Scholarships to Study Abroad afer 12th
  • Scholarships for Studying Abroad by the Indian Government after 12th
  • Scholarship Exams after 12th to Study Abroad
  • Merit Based Scholarships for SAT & ACT Top Scorers
  • Scholarships after 12th for Indian Students to Study Abroad FAQs
View More

What are International Scholarships for Indian Students after 12th?

International scholarships are scholarships offered to Indian students while they are applying for admission abroad. Indian students after 12th can apply for various undergraduate courses and can consequently apply for scholarships for which they are eligible. There is not just one type of scholarship for Indian students after 12th, there are various types of them, and thus there are a lot of options.

Types of Scholarships for Indian Students after 12th to Study Abroad

There are basically, four broad types of scholarships to study abroad for Indian students after 12th and they are as follows:

  1. Merit-based Scholarships
  2. Need-based Scholarships
  3. Government funded Scholarships
  4. External Scholarships

Apart from the above-given types of scholarships abroad, there are also Athletic Scholarships, Community Scholarships and National Merit Scholarships. Though these are lesser popular ones but can be considered. Understand the difference between Need and Merit-Based Scholarships and apply accordingly.

Top Scholarships to Study Abroad After 12th for Indian Students 

Let's look at the top scholarships to study abroad after 12th for Indian students applying to universities abroad:

Best Scholarships to Study Abroad after 12th

Scholarship Name, Course level

Eligibility Criteria

Scholarship Type

Maximum Scholarship Amount Per Student
Inlaks Shivdasani Foundation Scholarships

Master's
  • Must be an Indian passport holder and residing in India at the time of application.
  • Must hold a good first-class bachelor's degree.
  • Candidates who have done their bachelor's abroad must be residing in India for at least 2 years after the completion of their graduation. However, students having completed their master's abroad are not eligible. Check the link on the left for complete details. 

Merit-based

Rs 83,08,000/- 

QS ImpACT Undergraduate Scholarship

Bachelor's
  • Applicants must start their undergraduate studies from the next year of scholarship application.
  • Applicants must be going to study in a QS-ranked institution. 
  • Applicants must have accepted an offer from a university at the time of release of awards in the month of May. 

Merit-based

Rs 2,13,750/-

JN Tata Endowment Loan Scholarship 

Master's
  • Applicants must be Indian and under 45 years of age.
  • Candidates must have graduated from a recognised Indian university with at least 60% of marks in their UG/PG level. Candidates who have not graduated from an Indian university are not eligible to apply. 
  • Note:- Applications for courses commencing in Fall 2025 and ending Spring 2026 are now available on the official website and remain available till 07 March 2025. Applicants shortlisted will be required to take an aptitude test dated 30 March 2025. 

Merit-based

Rs 10,00,000/-

K.C. Mahindra Scholarships For Post-Graduate Studies Abroad
Master's
  • Applicants must be Indian and have applied to a university abroad.
  • Applicants must possess a first-class bachelor's degree or an equivalent diploma from a recognised university. 
  • Note:-  Applications fr commencing from August 2024 but not later than February 2025, the applications for KC Mahindra Scholarships will be opened on 31 January 2025. 

Merit-based

Rs 10,00,000/-

Generation Google Scholarship - USA

Bachelor's
  • Applicant must be currently enrolled in a bachelor's programme in computer science, computer engineering or a related technical course.
  • Must demonstrate a strong financial need and academic record

Merit-based

Rs 8,33,500/-

Mawista Scholarship

Bachelor's and Master's
  • This scholarship is only for applicants with a child (single parents may also apply)
  • must be studying abroad with a child and have strong determination to complete the course. 

Need-based

Rs 2,77,950/-

CCSE Undergraduate Scholarship

Bachelor's
  • The applicant must be already pursuing or planning to pursue a course in cybersecurity. 
  • Must have obtained a 3.3 GPA on a 4.0 scale. 
  • Can be a citizen of any country.   
  • Note:- The applications for this scholarship can be found on the official website until March first week of 2025. 

Need & Merit-based

Rs 4,08,150/-

Young Women in Public Affairs Awards

Bachelor's and Master's
  • Applicant must be a woman aged between 16 to 19 years of age as of April 1 and studying in a secondary school/university/college of Zonta district/region or the applicants can be studying anywhere else and be a citizen of a Zonta country. 
  • Applicants must possess an active commitment to volunteerism
  • Must have experience in local government, student government, or workplace leadership

Merit-based

Rs 4,27,500/-

Amberscholar Scholarship

Bachelor's and Master's

 
  • Candidates can be of any nationality and
  • Must be applying for a higher studies program in the UK, USA, Canada or Ireland. 

Need and Merit-based

Rs 5,11,680/-
Q:   How can I study abroad for free?
A:

For studying abroad for free after 12th from India - focus on:

  • fully funded scholarships (like DAAD Scholarships for Germany, Chevening Scholarships for the UK and GKS Scholarships for South Korea), and
  • tuition-free countries like Germany and Norway, which accept students on the basis of their good grades (high GPA), language skills (IELTS/TOEFL), SOPs, LORs and extracurricular activities, and
  • applying early to cover tuition and living costs and exploring government-backed programs or university aid. Applying early can ensure that you receive a waiver/bursary or secure a scholarship from the university.  
Q:   Can I get a scholarship to study abroad after 12th?
A:

Yes, one can get a good scholarship to study a bachelor's programme abroad given that you will have to search for suitable scholarships available for the country, university and course you are applying to. However, merely applying for the scholarship does not confirm your chance of getting a scholarship. You will have to be prepared and receive the desired merit in your qualifying class 12th exams to win the scholarship award.

Q:   Which country offers 100% scholarship for Indian students?
A:

Several universities in the USA, the UK, Germany, Norway, France, Austria and Iceland provide fully funded scholarships to Indian students. It deoends on your application and profile whether you receive a complete funding aid from the university or not. 

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There may be other scholarships for Indian students to study abroad after 12th. Check out some of the popular scholarships for UG courses for Indians.







 

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Top 15 Fully Funded Scholarships to Study Abroad afer 12th

There are very less fully funded scholarships options are available to study bachelor's courses abroad. Most fully funded scholarships cover the master's or higher courses only. But, there are a few government schemes and a few colleges/universities as well, that cover the complete tuition for bachelor's courses as well. These fully funded scholarships for bachelor's are given below.

Top Fully Funded Scholarships after 12th
Scholarships Coverage Applicable Bachelor's Courses
MEXT Scholarships - Japan
  • may cover your full tuition for the bachelor's course for 4-5 years, depending on your route of enrollment at the university.
  • A monthly allowance of  117,000 yen (approx. Rs.68,800 ).
  • Round-trip airfare
  • Social Sciences and Humanities Courses including - law, politics, economics, etc.
  • Natural Sciences courses including - Electric and Electronic Studies, Mechanical Studies, Natural Science, Civil Engineering and Architecture, Chemical Studies, Hygienic Studies and more
DSU Scholarship - Italy
  • accommodation
  • university dining halls' free meals 
  • complete tuition fees
  • miscellaneous expenses of studying in Italy - books, games, etc.
  • bachelor's / degree level courses at University of Pisa
Chinese Government Scholarship - China
  • complete tuition fee
  • accommodation
  • stipend for living costs
  • bachelor's in courses such as - Humanities, Economics, Law, Education, Management, Science, Engineering, Agriculture, medicine and fine arts 
GKS Scholarships - South Korea
  • tuition fee
  • accommodation
  • round-trip airfare
  • language training course 
 Humanities, Social Sciences, Natural Sciences, Engineering, Arts, Physical Education, and specialised areas like Fine Arts, Music, Agriculture, Health Sciences
Australia Awards Scholarships - Australia
  • tuition fee
  • accommodation
  • round-trip airfare
 Health, Education, Engineering, Agriculture, IT and Governance
Stipendium Hungaricum - Hungary
  • tuition fee
  • accommodation
  • monthly stipends
  • health insurance
 Engineering, Computer Science, Medical & Health Sciences, Agricultural Sciences, Economic Sciences, Legal Sciences, Natural Sciences, Architecture, Nursing, Pilot Training and more
Yale University Need-Based Financial Aid - Yale University, USA
  • 100% of demonstrated financial requirements for the studies - with no income cut-off
 all undergraduate courses
Cornell University Tata Scholarship - Cornell University, USA
  • full tuition fees - for the entire 4-year UG degree 
 Generally all fields but preference is given to - Engineering (Civil, Electrical, Mechanical, Chemical, Environmental, Computer Science), Architecture & Planning, Applied Economics & Management (Business), Biological Sciences, Physical Sciences and Social Sciences
Stanford/Harvard/MIT Need-Based Aid Scholarship - USA 100% of demonstrated financial need - granted through grants, scholarships and work-study opportunities without needing loans  all undergraduate courses
 Dr. Manmohan Singh Scholarships - University of Cambridge
  • tuition fees
  • living costs
  • travel airfare
 various undergraduate courses except Medicine/Vet Science
Oxford & Cambridge Society of India Scholarships - UK part-cost scholarships all undergraduate courses
Lester B. Pearson International Scholarship - University of Toronto, Canada  full funding for tuition, books, fees and residence for four years for exceptional international students. all undergraduate courses

Scholarships for Studying Abroad by the Indian Government after 12th

Apart from the above-given list of popular scholarships, the following are some of the scholarships for studying abroad by the Indian Government after 12th:

1. SN Bose Scholarship (USA)

Applicable for bachelor’s applicants who are Indian citizens applying to US universities. Applying for courses in - Atmospheric and Earth Sciences, Chemical Sciences, Engineering Sciences, Mathematical and Computational Sciences, and Physical Sciences.

2. National Overseas Scholarship for Scheduled Cast (SC)  Students

This scholarship by the Indian Government is for SC/ST students and covers the costs of airfare, tuition fees, living costs and books. There are only 20 scholarships available for both SC and ST students based on their choice of course selection. 

3. Cornell University Tata Scholarship

Cornell University Tata Scholarship is also an Indian Government-backed scholarship for those aiming to get admission to Cornell University in the USA. Here, the scholarship is need-based, unlike the others above, which are merit-based. This is a fully funded scholarship program which is exclusively for Indian students. 

There are limited Indian Government-funded scholarships for students going to take up a bachelor's course. Majority of them are for Master's level courses and for Doctorates that require fellowships in and out of the country. 

Also Read:

Scholarships for Bachelors Courses Abroad Scholarships for Masters Courses Abroad

Scholarship Exams after 12th to Study Abroad

As such, there is no specific exam designed for students to avail scholarships after class 12th exams to study abroad. However, those who score well in standardised tests like the SAT or ACT for undergraduate admissions can go for merit-based scholarships. Such scholarships are usually offered by the universities in question or the Department under which applicants apply for admission. Check out some more details in the section below about scholarship exams to study abroad after 12th for Indian students. 

Also read: Bursary Vs Scholarship

Merit Based Scholarships for SAT & ACT Top Scorers

There are various merit-based scholarships for SAT and ACT high scorers. Those who score above 1300 on the SAT exam and above 30 on the ACT exam are eligible for a scholarship. A majority of SAT and ACT score based scholarships are offered in US universities, like:

These are collective universities which offer scholarships to applicants based on their ACT and SAT scores. There are many others too which offer ACT and SAT scholarships. Around 10-20% tuition fee waiver is offered for those qualifying for these scholarships. 

Thus, there are no specific scholarship exams to study abroad after 12th for Indian students, they are assessed based on their scores in standardised exams only.  

Also Read: Top 10 Life-Changing Scholarships to Study Abroad for Free

There are a plethora of scholarship options available for Indian students after 12th to fund their education abroad. But minimum scholarship options are available for Indian students from the Indian Government. Have more queries? Post your questions below in the comments box. For admission-related queries, sign up for free Shiksha Abroad Counselling and request a call back from our team of expert counsellors.

Scholarships after 12th for Indian Students to Study Abroad FAQs

About the Author
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Written by
Priya Garg
Study Abroad Expert
Priya Garg is an experienced content writer and editor. With her rich experience in content writing, teaching and research & analysis, Priya believes in providing only the correct information which is also up-to-dat Read Full Bio
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