The Indian Council for Cultural Relations (ICCR) has announced scholarships for admission in Indian Universities and Institutes under the Atal Bihari Vajpayee General Scholarship Scheme for the Academic Year 2025-26. Interested international students are encouraged to apply online through the council’s A2A Scholarship Portal, which became operational from 20th February 2025.Â
There are 131 universities and institutes onboard with ICCR for this academic year, the names of which are available on the application portal. The circular released by the Embassy of India in the United States outlined that applicants can apply to 5 universities or institutes as per their preference of study. The circular also highlighted that applicants should be prepared to receive admission from any of their five preferences, though the best efforts will be made to match the applicants’ preferences. This is due to the paucity of number of seats on offer in the preferred universities.
Interested candidates can use the guidelines provided on the portal for understanding all the schemes available. It is also advised that candidates visit their preferred universities or institutes’ websites regularly for information regarding courses offered, eligibility criteria and curriculum. Candidates are also advised to refer to the university’s handbook and the University Grants Commission (UGC) website. Students must ensure that they meet the eligibility criteria for the courses and scholarship, and should submit proper documents as required by the universities, apart from the basic certificates mentioned in the application form.
For BE, B. Tech and Engineering courses, Physics, Chemistry and Mathematics in Grade 11 and 12 is a mandatory eligibility criterion. Marksheets of each grade and their English transcript should be uploaded, the latter is important as the application will not be considered without the English transcripts. Incomplete applications will be rejected by the universities, the circular noted.
Scholarships are available for students aged 18-40 years (must be 18 by July 1, 2025) for Undergraduate/Postgraduate courses, and up to 50 years for PhD programs. The scholarship does not cover medical, paramedical, fashion, law, or integrated courses like BALLB and B.Sc & M.Sc. Scholars must bear their own laboratory and related expenses.
All ICCR scholars must obtain medical insurance worth minimum Rs. 5 lakhs per year. While students can choose any insurance provider, the portal recommends two companies. ICCR may modify scholarship terms periodically, and students must comply with these changes.
After receiving admission confirmation on A2A portal and Mission or Post approval for scholarship, students need to register on SII portal to get a Unique ID. The visa and FRRO registration process must also be completed through the SII portal.
| Timeline | |
| Important Dates | Related Process |
| 20-Feb-25 | Opening of Portal for inviting applications from Interested Candidates |
| 30-Apr-25 | Last date of application to be submitted by students |
| 31-May-25 | Last date of universities to inform the decision (if confirmed, intimation to Missions: if rejected, intimation to students) |
| 15-Jun-25 | Last date of allocating scholarship and generating Offer Letters by Indian Mission abroad |
| 22-Jun-25 | Last date for acceptance by students |
| 01-Jul-25 | Based on the number of acceptances in the first round (if acceptances are less than the scholarship seats allocated) Indian Mission to offer scholarship to other students who were not considered in the first round |
| 10-Jul-25 | Second-round students to convey their acceptances |
