PhD scholarships – A PhD is fairly considered the highest academic achievement in a field and owing to their high level of expertise in their chosen field, holders of a PhD degree earn the right to be referred to as a Doctor. Unless you wish your symptoms to be diagnosed as emblematic of the deeply problematic ontological hegemony of the west, however, they are not the kind of doctors you would run to in a case of a medical emergency. All jokes aside, though, only the most dedicated scholars ever reach that pinnacle of academic accomplishment – a doctorate.
Obtaining a PhD requires many years of dedication and hard work, and not to forget, years of college tuition. Without adequate financial support, it would be tough for academics to pursue a PhD. Thankfully, there are many scholarships for PhD available for students and applicants in India.
To help you get started, here is a list of some of the top scholarships for PhD applicants:
PhD Scholarships: Top Indian Scholarships
| S.No. | Scholarship Name | Provider Name | Application Timeline* |
| 1. | Google PhD Fellowship India | Between March and April | |
| 2. | SAARC Agricultural PhD Scholarships | SAARC Agriculture Centre (SAC) | Between March and April |
| 3. | ESSO-NCESS Junior Research Fellowship | ESSO – National Centre for Earth Science Studies | Always open |
| 4. | Burning Questions Fellowship Awards | Tiny Beam Fund | Between May and June |
| 5. | Jawaharlal Nehru Memorial Fund Scholarships | Jawaharlal Nehru Memorial Fund | Between March and May |
| 6. | Prime Minister’s Research Fellowship (PMRF) | MHRD, Government of India | Between March and April |
| 7. | Vision India Foundation (VIF) Fellowship | Vision India Foundation (VIF) | Between December and January |
| 8. | Swami Vivekananda Single Girl Child Scholarship for Research in Social Sciences | UGC | Between November and January |
| 9. | ICHR Junior Research Fellowships (JRF) | Indian Council of Historical Research (ICHR) | Between November and December |
| 10. | FITM – AYUSH Research Fellowships Scheme | Forum on Indian Traditional Medicine (FITM) and Ministry of AYUSH | Between November and December |
*The application timeline mentioned above is tentative and may change on the discretion of the scholarship provider.
PhD Scholarships: Top International Scholarships
| S.No. | Scholarship Name | Provider Name | Application Timeline* |
| 1. | Commonwealth PhD Scholarships, UK | Commonwealth Scholarship Commission, UK | Between November and December |
| 2. | UNU-IAS PhD Scholarships, Japan | Japan Foundation for UNU (JFUNU) | Between March and April |
| 3. | Raman-Charpak Fellowship | Government of India & Government of France | Between May and July |
| 4. | President’s PhD Scholarships, Imperial College London | Imperial College London | Always open |
| 5. | PhD Scholarships for International Candidates, Swansea University | Swansea University | Always open |
| 6. | Fulbright Kalam Climate Fellowship | United States-India Educational Foundation (USIEF) | Between January and July |
| 7. | MAXQDA Research Grants | VERBI Software GmbH | Between April and June |
| 8. | CBS PhD Scholarships at the Department of Operations Management | Department of Operations Management at Copenhagen Business School (CBS) | Between May and June |
| 9. | Fujian Normal University President Scholarship for Foreign Students | Fujian Normal University | Between May and June |
| 10. | Boehringer Ingelheim Fonds PhD Fellowship | Boehringer Ingelheim Fonds, Germany | Between May and June |
| 11. | Fulbright-Nehru Doctoral Research Fellowships | United States-India Educational Foundation (USIEF) | Between January and May |
| 12. | Japanese Government (MEXT) Scholarships for Research Students | Ministry of Education, Sports, Science and Technology (MEXT), Japan | Between April and May |
| 13. | New Zealand Commonwealth Scholarships | New Zealand Foreign Affairs & Trade and Government of India | Between February and March |
| 14. | Korean Government Scholarship Program (KGSP) | Government of the Republic of Korea and MHRD | Between February and March |
| 15. | IITB-Monash Research Academy PhD Scholarships | IITB-Monash Research Academy | Between February and March |
| 16. | Imperial College PhD Scholarship in Chemical Engineering | Imperial College London | Between March and April |
| 17. | HDR Scholarship, Deakin University | Deakin University | Between April and May |
| 18. | Special Research Fund Doctoral Scholarships, Ghent University | Ghent University, Belgium | Between February and March |
| 19. | Cimi Toulouse Doctoral Fellowships | International Centre for Mathematics and Computer Science (CIMI), Toulouse, France | Between January and February |
| 20. | IGLP Residential Fellowship Program, Harvard Law School, USA | Institute for Global Law & Policy (IGLP), Harvard Law School | Between December and February |
*The application timeline mentioned above is tentative and may change on the discretion of the scholarship provider.
Find below a detailed description of some of the PhD scholarships available for Indian students.
Commonwealth PhD Scholarships, UK
This scholarship scheme was introduced by the Commonwealth Scholarship Commission, UK. It aims to provide financial assistance to the meritorious students for studying full-time PhD studies in the United Kingdom. Candidates who have obtained a first degree of at least upper second class (2:1) honours standard, or a second-class degree and a Master’s degree or relevant postgraduate qualification by October 2018 are eligible for the PhD scholarships of this program.
University of Edinburgh Principal’s Career Development PhD Scholarship
Introduced by the University of Edinburgh for students enrolling in a PhD programme. The scholarship offers a distinctive opportunity for postgraduate students to undertake research in key areas of science and technology. Candidates who have obtained a minimum of 7.0 score or higher in IELTS within the past two years can apply for the scholarship. Only a few Scholarships for PhD Students provide a tuition fee waiver and a stipend on the top. This scholarship covers both the perks for aiding students in the best possible way.
The Aberdeen Curtin Alliance PhD Scholarship
The University of Aberdeen in alliance with the Curtin University introduced this scholarship for the meritorious students all over the world for the PhD program. The objective of this scholarship is to give the students a chance to undertake a collaborative PhD in the available projects. There are even fewer scholarships for PhD students which cover living expenses as well along with tuition fee. The Aberdeen Curtin Alliance PhD Scholarship covers complete living expenses of the scholar
PhD Research Fellowships in Energy Informatics
The University of Oslo has introduced these scholarships for PhD Students with the objective to achieve a balanced gender composition in the organization and to recruit people with ethnic minority backgrounds. The fellowships will be provided for a period of 3 years. To be eligible for the scholarship a candidate must have good knowledge in programming and mathematics, and in English.
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