Scholarships for Masters in UK 2026-27: Fully-Funded and University Awards for Indian Students

Top Government Scholarships for Masters in UK for Indian Students

A one-year UK Masters degree typically costs between £10,000 and £40,000 in tuition (approximately Rs. 12.7 lakh–Rs. 50.8 lakh), plus Rs. 11.4 lakh–Rs. 21.6 lakh in living costs depending on whether you study in London. Government scholarships are the only awards that cover this gap in full. Here are the six that Indian students can apply for.

1. Chevening Scholarship

India’s Chevening programme is the largest in the world, having benefited over 3,900 scholars and fellows since its inception. Approximately 1,500 scholarships are awarded globally each year.

• Coverage: Full tuition (up to £22,000 / approx. Rs. 27.9 lakh for MBA programs), monthly living stipend of £917-£1,134 (Rs. 1.16-1.44 lakh), return economy airfare, visa costs, arrival/departure allowances. Total Value: Approx. Rs. 45-55 Lakh
• Eligibility: Indian citizen; bachelor’s degree equivalent to a UK 2:1 (60%+ or CGPA 6.5+); at least 2,800 hours of post-graduation work experience; must return to India for a minimum of two years after the programme ends.
• Deadline: Applications for 2026-27 closed 7 October 2025. For 2027-28, expect the same August-October window. The university offer deadline for confirmed scholars is typically July of the scholarship year.

Counselor insight: Chevening is a leadership award, not an academic one. Applicants who build their essays around grades consistently underperform. The four Chevening essays require demonstrated community impact and professional influence. Your CGPA matters far less than your track record of influence and vision.

2. Commonwealth Masters Scholarship

Funded by the UK Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office (FCDO) and managed by the Commonwealth Scholarship Commission (CSC).

• Coverage: Full tuition, a living stipend of up to £1,652/month (approx. Rs. 2.10 lakh), return economy airfare, and a thesis grant where applicable.
• Eligibility: Indian citizen and permanent resident; minimum 2:1 bachelor’s (60%, or 50–59% if combined with a relevant postgraduate qualification); demonstrated financial need; study must align with one of six CSC Development Themes (Science and Technology, Global Health, Access to Learning, and others). MBA programmes are not eligible.

Note: MBA programs are not eligible under this scholarship.

How Indian applicants apply: Applications must be submitted through two portals simultaneously: the CSC’s Online Application System and the Ministry of Education’s SAKSHAT portal. Indian applicants cannot apply through the British Council or directly to the CSC alone. The MoE typically opens the SAKSHAT window between September and December. Watch the MoE portal, not the British Council website.

For the 2026/27 cycle, CSC Central closed on 14 October 2025, but the MoE’s SAKSHAT portal ran an extended window and stayed open until 31 May 2026, several months later than the CSC deadline. Watch both portals independently rather than assuming a fixed September–December window; the dates have shifted year to year.

Common mistake: Students navigate to the British Council website, find no direct application form, and assume the scholarship is closed or inaccessible. The correct entry point for Indian students is always the MoE SAKSHAT portal. Starting anywhere else means missing the window entirely.

3. GREAT Scholarships India

A joint initiative of the UK government and participating UK universities.

• Coverage: A minimum of £10,000 (approx. Rs. 12.7 lakh ) toward tuition fees for a one-year taught Masters. This is a partial award, not a fully funded one.
• Eligibility: Indian passport holder; conditional or unconditional offer from a participating UK university.
• Scale: Only 12 postgraduate scholarships are available for India in the 2026-27 academic year, at 12 participating institutions: Anglia Ruskin University, Norwich University of the Arts, Queen’s University Belfast, Royal College of Art, Royal Conservatoire of Scotland, Royal Northern College of Music, University of Bristol, Trinity Laban, University of Dundee, University of Reading, University of Surrey, and UWE Bristol as per the British Council’s official GREAT Scholarships India page.

Deadlines vary by university, usually between March and June.

4. Gates Cambridge Scholarship

For postgraduate study specifically at the University of Cambridge. Approximately 80 scholarships per year; roughly two-thirds go to PhD students, leaving around 25–27 awards for Masters candidates.

• Coverage: Full Cambridge tuition, a maintenance allowance of £21,000 per year for 2026-27 (pro-rated for shorter courses). Plus one economy return flight, and visa costs including the Immigration Health Surcharge.
• Eligibility: You must have an outstanding academic record, be a citizen of any country outside the UK, and apply in the same round as your Cambridge graduate course application. International applicants (non-US) typically face a December-January deadline.

5. Scotland’s Saltire Scholarship

• Coverage: £8,000 (approx. Rs. 10.2 lakh ) toward tuition at Scottish universities for a one-year, full-time taught Masters.
• Eligibility: Open to Indian citizens (alongside Canada, China including Hong Kong, Japan, Pakistan, and the USA). The course must be in a priority sector: Science, Technology, Healthcare and Medical Sciences, Creative Industries, or Renewable and Clean Energy. A strong academic record is required, along with proof of funds for remaining tuition and living costs. The scholarship is not available to students who have previously studied in Scotland or who have received a Saltire award.

Exchange rate used: 1 GBP = Rs.127 (as of June 8, 2026). Exchange rates fluctuate regularly; always verify from the official sources before making any transaction.

Scholarships for Masters in UK at a Glance

University-Specific Scholarships for Masters in UK for Indian Students

Many UK universities run India-specific postgraduate awards alongside the government schemes. Several are automatic, which means you are considered when your admission offer is issued, and no separate scholarship application is required. These are your fastest and lowest-effort funding baseline.

Counselor Insight: Automatic university scholarships are the most underused funding route for Indian Masters students. If you are applying to Lancaster, Edinburgh, Liverpool, Stirling, Sussex, Hull, Royal Holloway, or Southampton, you are already in the running for Rs. 5,000–12.7 lakh the moment your offer is confirmed. Layer these with GREAT scholarships; they can be combined.

Oxford-Specific and University Scholarships for Masters in UK

1. Rhodes Scholarship

One of the most prestigious postgraduate awards globally. Covers full Oxford tuition, an annual stipend of approximately £19,092-£19,800 per year (about Rs. 24.2-25.1 lakh ) for living and accommodation, visa fees, and economy flights to and from the UK.

• Eligibility: Indian citizen who has studied in India for at least four of the last ten years; aged 18-23 on 1 October of the application year (or under 27 if completing a first undergraduate degree on or after that date); a first-class bachelor’s degree is strongly recommended. Five scholarships are available for the India constituency, per the Rhodes Trust’s official 2027-cycle page, down from six in some earlier cycles. Verify the current year’s figure before publishing, as it appears to change between cycles.
• Deadline: July (for October entry)

2. Felix Scholarship

A fully funded award exclusively for Indian citizens, tenable at the University of Oxford, University of Reading, and SOAS. Covers full tuition, a living grant of £16,000-£19,000 per year (approx. Rs. 20.3-24.1 lakh), and a return flight.

• Eligibility: Indian citizen; under 30; first-class bachelor’s; demonstrated financial need
• Deadline: January (Oxford), March (SOAS and Reading)

3. Clarendon Scholarship (Oxford)

Covers approximately 140 students per year across all nationalities at the University of Oxford. Awards full fees plus a living grant at the UKRI minimum stipend rate. Candidates are automatically considered when they apply to Oxford. No separate scholarship application is required.

Counselor insight: For Rhodes and Felix, financial need is assessed holistically. Do not self-screen out on the assumption your family income is too high. Students from tier-2 cities with household incomes that appear comfortable have successfully cleared the Felix threshold.

Other Funding Routes for Indian Students

These are the most underused funding routes for UK Masters study.

National Overseas Scholarship (NOS): Fully funded and comparable to Chevening in total value. Covers tuition, a maintenance allowance of GBP 9,900/year for UK study (approx. Rs. 12.6 lakh), a GBP 1,100 contingency allowance, visa fees, airfare, and medical insurance.

• Eligibility: SC, DNT, Landless Agricultural Labourer, or Traditional Artisan; family income below Rs. 8 lakh/year; 60%+ marks; age below 35; unconditional offer from a QS Top 500 university
• Deadline: Varies each year. The 2026-27 Round 1 ran from 4 April – 2 June 2026. Check nosmsje.gov.in for current dates.

NOS rarely attracts more than a few hundred eligible applicants. If you qualify, this is statistically your strongest shot at a fully funded UK Masters.

Charles Wallace India Trust (CWIT): Funds Indian nationals in arts and heritage conservation: performing arts, visual arts, and material conservation. Social sciences are not covered. Typically covers tuition and living costs for a one-year MA at a UK university.

• Eligibility: Indian national; aged 28-38; working in arts or heritage conservation; no CWIT grant received in the past five years
• Deadline: Varies; results announced before the end of May. Details on the CWIT website.

Field-Specific Scholarships for Masters in UK

Please note: Bath, Manchester, and Edinburgh are not on the British Council’s current 12-university GREAT list for India (see the Section 3 correction above). Verify directly with each university before citing them as GREAT partners for CS/AI/Data Science, they may run separate, university-funded scholarships that aren’t part of the GREAT scheme.

Counselor insight: Architecture and design students consistently assume there are no scholarships for their programs. In reality, Chevening, GREAT, and the Oxford Brookes Hodgkinson Scholarship have no subject restriction or are architecture-specific. The assumption costs them a fully funded degree.

What Scholarship Committees Look For?

Documents Checklist While Applying to Scholarships for Masters in UK

How to Apply for Scholarships for Masters in UK: Step-by-Step Guide with Timeline

Step 1: Start research 12 months before your UK entry date (June to July 2026 for a September 2027 start)

Shortlist 5 to 7 scholarships matched to your profile. Check the UKCISA funding directory at ukcisa.org.uk to verify eligibility rules. Begin IELTS preparation now. Students who start in November have already missed Chevening and Commonwealth for that cycle.

Step 2: Apply to UK universities before you apply for scholarships (August to September 2026)

Most awards, including GREAT, Saltire, and all university-specific scholarships, require a conditional or unconditional offer from a UK university before you can apply. Apply to at least three universities in August or September. Draft scholarship-specific SOPs at the same time and request your letters of recommendation. Do not wait for scholarship results before applying to universities.

Step 3: Activate automatic university scholarships with your offer (As soon as your offer arrives)

If your target university is Lancaster, Liverpool, Edinburgh, Sussex, Stirling, Hull, Royal Holloway, or Southampton, you are already in the running for an India-specific award the moment your admission offer is confirmed. No separate application is required. This is your funding baseline while you pursue government scholarships.

Step 4: Submit Chevening in October. Write leadership, not academics. (October 2026)

Chevening has four mandatory essays. Each one must demonstrate community impact, professional influence, and a clear vision for your return to India. Do not write about your CGPA or academic achievements in depth. Committees see those in your transcripts. The essay is your only channel for the leadership story.

Step 5: Apply for Commonwealth through MoE SAKSHAT, not the British Council (November to December 2026)

Indian applicants must use the Ministry of Education’s SAKSHAT portal at proposal-sakshat.samarth.edu.in. The British Council website has no application form for Indian residents. Going there first means missing the window entirely.

As shown above, the SAKSHAT window has run well past December in recent cycles (through May 2026 for 2026/27). Treat “November–December” as an approximate historical pattern, not a guarantee.

Step 6: Submit remaining applications from January to June 2027

Follow this month-by-month schedule:

Common mistakes to avoid: applying before you have a UK university offer; submitting the same SOP to multiple scholarships with different committee missions; missing the Rhodes age cutoff of 23; not checking NOS eligibility before the February deadline.

Can You Hold More Than One UK Masters Scholarship?

The most practical combination for most Indian Masters students: GREAT + one automatic university award. Together these cover Rs. 18–25 lakh toward tuition with no essays required and minimal application effort.

What UK Masters Scholarships Are Right For You?

Profile 1: The Recent Graduate

(70%+ degree, age 22–24, limited work experience) GREAT scholarships are your best move. Apply to several participating universities at once rather than putting everything on one.

Given only 12 GREAT-participating institutions currently list India-eligible awards, “4–5 participating universities” may be optimistic depending on your subject, check the current list before planning around this number. If financial need is a factor, add Felix. Applying to Oxford? You’re automatically in the running for Clarendon.

Profile 2: The Working Professional

(2+ years’ experience; 60-70% bachelor’s; demonstrable leadership): Chevening is your primary application; Commonwealth, your secondary. Apply to three UK universities in September and submit Chevening in October.

Profile 3: The Financially Constrained Achiever

(Strong academics; family income below Rs. 8 lakh per year): Apply for NOS first via the Ministry of Social Justice portal, with a February-March deadline. Apply for Felix and Commonwealth simultaneously. Do not wait for one result before submitting the next.

Why Do Applications for Scholarships for Masters in UK Get Rejected?

Scholarship committees see the same avoidable errors every cycle. Here is what consistently costs applicants a place:

• Applying before securing a UK university offer (required for GREAT and most other scholarships)
• Submitting the same SOP across multiple scholarships when each committee has a distinct mission
• Applying directly to the Commonwealth Scholarship Commission from India instead of going through MoE SAKSHAT
• Submitting Chevening with under 2,800 hours of post-graduation work experience
• Missing age cutoffs: Rhodes is 23, Felix is 30
• Applying to only one scholarship instead of layering three to five simultaneously
• Starting in August when major deadlines fall between October and March

3 Key Takeaways Before You Begin Your Masters Scholarship Application for UK

• Matching your profile to the right scholarship before investing time in an application is the first step. Chevening suits working professionals with a leadership track record; Commonwealth suits financially constrained students with a development-focused study plan; GREAT suits any Indian student who already holds or is pursuing a UK university offer.
• Deadlines are fixed. Most major windows fall between October and March. Starting IELTS preparation and UK university applications at least 10 months before your target intake is not early. It is necessary.
• Apply to more than one scholarship. A layered approach combining Chevening, a university-specific award, and GREAT, submitted simultaneously, is what separates students who secure funding from those who spend another year waiting.

Frequently Asked Questions About Scholarships for Masters in UK