ICCR Scholarship

Fully Funded❌ Applications Closed

Indian Council for Cultural Relations (ICCR) offers fully funded scholarships for international students to study in Indian universities. Covers tuition, accommodation allowance, and monthly stipend.

Deadline

April 22, 2026

Eligibility Criteria

1Must be a citizen of an ICCR-eligible country
2Age limit: Minimum 18 years; the upper limit varies by course and university, so check the current ICCR guidelines
3Must have completed required qualification (Class 12 for UG, Bachelor's for PG, Master's for PhD)
4Minimum marks requirement depends on course/university (generally 50–60% or equivalent GPA)
5Should have studied English as a subject in previous education
6English proficiency (from AY 2027-28): IELTS overall band 6.0+ or TOEFL at CEFR B2 (Higher Intermediate) or above is mandatory, except for Indian language courses
7Must be medically fit (certificate required AFTER selection)

Required Documents

Free Preparation Tools

Need to resize your documents to exact ICCR specifications? Use our free browser tools.

Image Resizer

Completed ICCR application form (A2A Portal)
Valid passport (front page in JPG during registration, front and back merge in PDF in document section)
Class 10 marksheet and certificate
Class 12 marksheet and character certificate (mandatory for UG)
Bachelor's marksheets (for PG applicants)
Proof that English was studied as a subject
IELTS (overall 6.0+) or TOEFL (CEFR B2+) score report (mandatory from AY 2027-28)
Passport-size photograph (white background and both ears should be visible)
Signature on plain white paper (scanned clearly)
English translations of any documents not originally issued in English
Medical fitness certificate (uploaded AFTER receiving offer)

Application Steps

Visit the ICCR A2A Portal (a2ascholarships.iccr.gov.in)

Fill the application form carefully

Upload required documents in correct format (PDF/JPG)

Select up to 5 university preferences (IMPORTANT UPDATE)

Submit the application before deadline

Submit all the uploaded documents to the Indian Embassy in your country

❓ Have Questions About the Process?

Browse 17 answered questions about the ICCR scholarship — eligibility, documents, selection and more.

View ICCR FAQs →

Common Mistakes to Avoid

✕Booking the IELTS/TOEFL test too late (from AY 2027-28 the score is mandatory, so take the test well before the portal opens)
✕Uploading wrong or unclear documents
✕Mismatch in name, DOB, or passport details
✕Selecting only top universities (reduces selection chances)
✕Not mixing safe + moderate university choices
✕Wrong document format (size/format issues)
✕Not checking 'if applicable' fields correctly
✕Ignoring embassy communication emails

Video Guide

Understanding the ICCR Scholarship

ICCR stands for the Indian Council for Cultural Relations, an autonomous body under India's Ministry of External Affairs, and its scholarships are one of the main ways India brings international students into its universities. Nepalese students hear about them through the Embassy of India in Kathmandu, students elsewhere through the Indian mission in their country, and everyone applies on the A2A (Admissions to Alumni) portal. ICCR is a family of schemes rather than one award: in the 2026-27 cycle the notices covered ABVGSS, SSSJSS and the Lata Mangeshkar Dance and Music scheme, plus a separate AYUSH call for traditional medicine courses.

ICCR suits students who already have their final results, want to study in India at undergraduate, postgraduate or doctoral level, and are open to a range of subjects and cities. There is usually no common entrance test, which makes it very different from COMPEX. The outcome rests on your academic record, the quality and consistency of your documents, and how your chosen universities respond to your profile, so careful paperwork and a sensible university list matter most.

How selection works

ICCR selection works like a chain. The Embassy receives and checks applications from its country, including the hard copies you hand in. The universities on your preference list decide whether you fit their course and have room for you. ICCR then confirms the award. In the 2026-27 cycle the Embassy told selected candidates by email, so check your inbox, including the spam folder, throughout the results period.

Because each university decides independently, a strong student can still end up without an offer if all five choices are heavily oversubscribed, or if a chosen course does not match the previous degree. Meeting the eligibility rules lets you apply. It does not decide the result.

Building a balanced university list

Your five preferences are the part of the application you control most, so give them real research time rather than copying names from a ranking table. A list we find works well looks like this:

One or two ambitious choices where your marks are competitive but not certain.
Two realistic choices where your marks comfortably clear the course requirements.
At least one choice that is less in demand but still offers the exact course you want.
For every choice, a check that the course is open under ICCR and that your previous qualification is accepted for it.
A read of any course-specific notes on the portal, since some programmes ask for extra scores or documents.

Timeline: what to do and when

ICCR dates move from year to year, and the 2026-27 deadline was extended after the portal had opened. Treat any date as provisional until the official notice confirms it. The phases stay fairly stable:

Before the portal opens: check your passport is valid, get notarised English translations of documents not in English, and ask your school or college for the English-as-a-subject letter. Sample formats are on /documents.
While the portal is open: register early, prepare the passport front page as a JPG and the front and back as one PDF (/tools/merge-pdf), size your photo and signature with /tools/image-resizer, and review every field before the final submit.
After submitting: pay the fee as the Embassy instructs and hand in your document set on time.
After an offer: arrange the medical fitness certificate (a sample is on /documents), accept the offer, and plan your travel.

Related guides

Ready to Apply?

Always apply through the official portal. Double-check all your documents before submission.

Visit Official Portal ← Back to All Scholarships