Scholarships for Indian Students in the UK 2027

Funding options for UK - from government awards to university aid. See also the full guide.

What Scholarships Are Available for International Students?

This spoke is the UK scholarships index — curated awards with links to full StudyWhere guides. For the global directory, see scholarships.

Scholarship	Type	Best for	Full guide
Chevening	Government, fully funded	One-year Master’s, leadership profile	Full tuition + living
Commonwealth Master’s	Government	Commonwealth citizens, postgraduate	Tuition + living
GREAT Scholarship	Partial tuition	Specific nationalities + partner universities	~£10,000 toward fees
Clarendon (Oxford)	University	Oxford graduate applicants	Full funding at Oxford
Gates Cambridge	University	Cambridge graduate applicants	Full cost of study
Rhodes	University	Oxford, exceptional profile	Full award
Cambridge Trust	University	Cambridge international students	Partial to full
Reach Oxford	University	Low-income countries, Oxford UG	Fees + living

Also budget university merit pages — LSE, Warwick, Manchester, and others publish entrance awards that are not separate national programmes. Pair with study abroad from India and education loan if the award is partial.

Which UK scholarships should Indian students prioritise?

Applicant	Start with	Important filter
One-year Master's with leadership experience	Chevening	Work and leadership evidence; annual country competition
Eligible development-focused Master's applicant	Commonwealth Master's	Nominating route, eligible course and development impact
Applicant to a participating UK university	GREAT Scholarships	India participation, eligible programme and partner university for that cycle
Oxford or Cambridge graduate applicant	Clarendon, Gates Cambridge, Rhodes or Cambridge Trust	Separate eligibility and funding processes; admission deadlines can trigger consideration
Undergraduate applicant	Reach Oxford and university international awards	Chevening is not an undergraduate scholarship

Scholarship timeline for the 2027 UK intake

Start national awards between June and September 2026, before many university applications feel urgent. Prepare evidence of impact, academic references, course choices and a funding gap calculation. Oxbridge and major fully funded awards can close much earlier than ordinary Master's admissions; university discounts may remain open later but usually cover only part of tuition.

Apply to a balanced funding portfolio: one or two fully funded national awards, university merit funding attached to every realistic course, and a documented loan or family-funding fallback. Never present a partial £5,000 discount as if it covers the visa's remaining tuition and maintenance requirement.

How to find more: how to find and apply for scholarships.