Fully Funded Scholarships for Indian Students 2027-28: Complete Guide

What Counts as a Fully Funded Scholarship for Indian Students

A fully funded scholarship covers tuition, living costs, and usually travel, so you aren’t paying out of pocket for the core costs of your education. Partial scholarships, by contrast, cover only some of these. For Indian students, fully funded options fall into three broad categories:

Bharti Airtel Scholarship and Reliance Foundation Scholarships

These are India’s two largest corporate-funded undergraduate scholarships, and neither requires studying abroad.

Counselor insight: These two scholarships rarely get flagged in “top scholarships for Indian students” lists that lead with Chevening or Fulbright, but they’re often more relevant for a Class 12 student in India since neither needs an abroad admission or IELTS score first.

International Scholarships for Indian Students After 12th

For undergraduate study abroad right after Class 12, the pool is smaller and more competitive than at the postgraduate level.

For a fuller roadmap of this transition, see our guide on Study Abroad After 12th.

Since undergraduate scholarship deadlines are typically tied to the university’s own admission cycle rather than a separate scholarship portal, always confirm the specific application window on each university’s official financial aid page before assuming a fixed date.

Postgraduate and Government-Funded Scholarships Abroad for 2027-28

These are the marquee international scholarships, all government-backed and fully funded, targeting the 2027-28 intake.

Exchange rates: 1 GBP = Rs.129.03, 1 EUR = Rs.110.79, 1 USD = Rs.95.65. Verify current rates before finalizing your budget.

*Deadline for the 2027-28 cycle has passed (it falls 14 months before intake, typically in May the year before). The next window will be for 2028-29, expected around May 2027; confirm on USIEF.

Most of these programs require an English proficiency score if your prior education was not in English, and Chevening/Fulbright-Nehru both expect at least 2-3 years of relevant work experience for master’s applicants.

If you haven’t picked a test yet, our IELTS vs TOEFL vs PTE vs Duolingo comparison can help you choose before your application window opens.

Counselor insight: Chevening’s October deadline catches more Indian applicants off guard than any other step in the process, because most people start researching scholarships around the same time they start researching universities, by which point Chevening’s window has often already closed for that cycle.

Fully Funded International Internships for Indian Students

Two of the strongest funded research internship routes for Indian undergraduates open in the second half of 2026 for placements in 2027.

Both programs are highly competitive and require a strong academic profile before you apply, and DAAD WISE specifically requires you to independently secure a written invitation from a German professor before submitting.

For a full walkthrough of both routes plus other options, our dedicated guide on fully funded international internships for Indian students covers the complete application process in depth.

If You Are an Indian Student: Decision Framework

• If you are in Class 12 and planning to study in India: The Reliance Foundation UG Scholarship is stream-agnostic and open to any recognized Indian college, making it the broadest option. If you’re specifically headed into an engineering program at a top-50 NIRF institute, also apply for the Bharti Airtel Scholarship since both aren’t mutually exclusive unless a scholarship’s own terms say otherwise.
• If you are in Class 12 and planning to study abroad for your undergraduate degree: Target university-specific scholarships like Tata-Cornell or Reach Oxford directly through your target university’s financial aid office since these aren’t separate portals you apply to independently.
• If you are a working professional or final-year student planning a master’s abroad for 2027-28: Start your Chevening and DAAD applications by August-September 2026, given their October deadlines, and confirm your English test score is ready well before then, since retaking IELTS or TOEFL close to a deadline adds real risk.
• If you are a current engineering or science undergraduate seeking research exposure before your final year: Reach out to Mitacs Globalink or DAAD WISE for the next cycle, and start building your academic profile and, for WISE specifically, your professor outreach months before the application window opens.

Documents and Requirements Checklist

Application Calendar for the 2027-28 Cycle

What to Do If You’re Not Selected

If you’re not selected for Chevening, DAAD, or Fulbright-Nehru: These programs allow reapplication in a future cycle. Request feedback where the program offers it, and strengthen your SOP and leadership evidence rather than resubmitting an unchanged application.

If you don’t clear the Bharti Airtel or Reliance Foundation income or academic threshold: Check the National Overseas Scholarship and other Indian Government Scholarships for alternative domestic and study-abroad funding routes with different eligibility criteria.

If Mitacs Globalink or DAAD WISE didn’t work out this cycle: Both run annually. Use the gap year to strengthen your research profile, publish or present any project work, and, for DAAD WISE, start professor outreach at least 3-4 months before the next deadline rather than at the deadline itself.

If you’re considering a private education loan to bridge any funding gap: Compare options through our guide on education loans for study abroad before committing to any lender.

3 Takeaways on Fully Funded Scholarships for Indian Students

1. Don’t sleep on the domestic options. Everyone rushes toward Chevening or Fulbright, but the Bharti Airtel Scholarship and Reliance Foundation Scholarships cover 100% of costs for eligible Indian students, and you don’t need an abroad admission in hand to even apply.
2. If you’re eyeing the 2027-28 international cycle, the clock starts earlier than you’d think. Chevening and DAAD both close in October 2026, so your profile, SOP, and English test score need to be ready by August-September, not October.
3. Internships are the underrated entry point here. Mitacs Globalink and DAAD WISE give current undergraduates a genuinely less competitive route into international exposure, but only if you start the groundwork, building a research profile and reaching out to professors months before the deadline hits.

Verified by: LeapScholar’s scholarships and funding counseling team, with hands-on experience guiding Indian students through domestic and international scholarship applications.

Have questions about fully funded scholarships? Book a free session with a LeapScholar counselor.

Frequently Asked Questions About Fully Funded Scholarships for Indian Students