ATAL BIHARI VAJPAYEE GENERAL SCHOLARSHIP SCHEME

FOR ACADEMIC YEAR 2025-26

1. ICCR is pleased to announce 640 scholarship slots globally under the Atal Bihari Vajpayee General Scholarship Scheme

2. Applications from interested international students are invited online through ICCR’s A2A scholarship portal http://a2ascholarships.iccr.gov.inwhich has been opened since 20th February 2025.

3. Students are welcome to apply to up to 5 universities/institutes in the order of preference.

4. Before applying, they are advised to check the eligibility criteria, course offerings and documents required on the respective universities’ websites.

5. The tentative timeline for the admission process is as follows:

Highlights of admission process for the Academic Year 2025-26 under Atal Bihari Vajpayee General Scholarship Scheme(A1201)

1. Applicants have the option to apply to 5 universities/institutes in the order of their preference of study. The admission as far as possible, shall be given as per applicant's preference.

2. In case Association of Indian Universities (AIU) equivalence is required by the University/Institute, the students may apply for the same at the link https://evaluation.aiu.ac.in/student/login and bear the fees incurred on obtaining the certificate at own expense. .Embassy will issue offer letter on the basis of student’s fulfilling this requirement.

3. The scholarship slots include return economy class air-fares to the nearest airport and 3rd AC train fare to the place of study, if so required. Embassy will provide one-way air ticket to the selected scholars.

4. Before applying for admission, interested students are advised to visit respective University/institute website regularly, courses offered, eligibility criteria and general information about the University/Institute. The students should ensue that they are eligible for the course and meet the eligibility criteria and should submit relevant documentation as required by the Universities, in addition to the basic certificates mentioned in the application form.

5. It may be noted that for BE/B.Tech courses, Physics, Chemistry and Mathematics (PM) are compulsory in 11 and 12 Grades and it is a mandatory requirement for Engineering courses. Mark sheets for level 10 and 10+2 equivalent level of school should be uploaded along with the transcripts in English. The application will not be considered without English translation of documents, if the original documents are not in English. Students should thoroughly check their application and attach requisite documents before submission of the application.

6. The applicant’s age for availing scholarship should be following as on 1st July 2025:

For Undergraduate /Postgraduate courses – between 18 to 40 years and For PhD Programmes – 50 years maximum.

7. The admissions in Medical/Paramedical (Nursing /Physiotherapy /anesthesia etc)/ fashion /law course / integrated courses such as BALLB (5 years)/ Bsc & MSC (5 years) etc are not admissible.

8. Please note that for Science courses, the expenditure on laboratory chemicals and other related incidental charges will be borne by the scholars themselves.

9. Embassy will award the scholarship to students intending to study in India and have no serious health issues.

10. It is compulsory for all ICCR scholarship students to procure medical Insurance Policy with minimum sum assured for Indian Rupees Five Lakhs per annum on their own either before travel or immediately after reaching India, whichever is convenient. Students can purchase medical insurance from any of the insurance companies of their choice. Portal has two insurance companies for referral purpose.

11. ICCR has launched an application, ‘Gyan Setu – connecting Culture through Knowledge’ on 6 February 2023 and all the scholarship dues to the Universities/Institutes as well as to he students are being released through this app only. The features of Gyan Setu application are given below :

(I) Embassy will submit details of selected applicants along with University Offer Letter, Mission’s Scholarship sanctioned letter and ICCR authorization letter and indicate tentative date of joining of the student. Embassy will issue the air ticket on the basis of tentative dates of commencement of course to the student and upload it in the scholarship web application at least 2 weeks before arrival in India to facilitate Universities/Institutes to make necessary arrangements to receive the students. (ii) Students on arrival in India are directed to report their arrival on the Gyan_Setu web application on an immediate basis and coordinate with their respective Universities/institutes regarding updation of their details such as joining report on the app. Students should also submit the original documents and verify the details mentioned in the Portal during the admission process with their original documents including passport, previous degree certificates, country’s unique identification no. in order to confirm the admission and get the hostel accommodation.

12. Students who are awarded scholarship should submit following details on Gyan Setu App within 15 days of their arrival in India in order to get their scholarship dues in time :

(I) Passport No. (ii) Joint Report (including joining date and duration of the course) (iii) Bank Account No. (iv) e-FRRO registration No.

17. Students are advised to stay in the campus hostel, if available. However, they are allowed to stay in private accommodation.

13. After the scholarship is awarded, the student should give an undertaking that the course and the University as conveyed is acceptable and that he/she will not request for change at the time of admissions.

14. Student should also give an undertaking that he/she has read the terms and conditions/guidelines of ICCR scholarship as specified in the Scholarship Manual 2025-26, available on the A2A Portal.

15. Detailed guidelines on the process of applying for ICCR scholarships are available on the A2A Portal.

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