The Atal Bihari Vajpayee General Scholarship Scheme, coded A1201 and formerly called the General Scholarship Scheme, is the flagship award of the Indian Council for Cultural Relations. It pays for a full degree at an Indian state or central university at undergraduate, postgraduate or PhD level, in both STEM and non-STEM subjects.
ICCR set aside 625 places for the 2026–27 academic year and divided them among 122 countries across Asia, the Americas, Eurasia, Europe and Oceania. A country’s share is small, often a single place, and the Indian Mission in that country makes the selection.
Everything runs through ICCR’s A2A portal on one annual cycle. Universities record their admission decision on the same portal, so an award needs two things to line up: a university willing to admit the candidate, and the Mission choosing that candidate for one of its slots.
Benefits & funding
- Tuition and the compulsory university charges are paid by ICCR.
- A monthly living stipend, plus a house-rent allowance where hostel accommodation is not provided; the rates rise with study level and are set in ICCR’s published financial terms.
- An annual contingency grant for books and stationery, and a thesis or dissertation allowance for research students.
- Return economy-class airfare to the airport nearest the place of study, and third-AC train fare onward from that airport where it is needed.
- Not covered: medical insurance, which every scholar must buy with a sum assured of at least INR 500,000 a year. Meals, security deposits and immigration fees also stay with the student.
Eligibility
- Places are allocated country by country to 122 countries in Asia, the Americas, Eurasia, Europe and Oceania, and the application goes through the Indian Mission for the applicant’s country. Applicants from African countries are covered by ICCR’s separate India-Africa Maitri scheme instead.
- For Timor-Leste’s 2026–27 allocation, undergraduate and postgraduate applicants must be 18–35 (with age 18 measured on 1 July 2026), and doctoral applicants may be no older than 40.
- Undergraduate applicants need a pass in the 12th standard or its equivalent, postgraduate applicants a relevant bachelor’s degree, and doctoral applicants a master’s degree.
- Teaching is in English. The application carries a 500-word English essay, which stands in for a compulsory TOEFL or IELTS score.
- Medical and para-medical courses such as nursing, physiotherapy and anaesthesia, along with fashion, law and five-year integrated courses such as BA-LLB or integrated BSc-MSc, are not admissible.
- The award is tenable only at Indian state and central universities, not at private or deemed universities.
- A certificate of physical fitness from a registered medical practitioner is required, and any document not in English needs a certified translation.
Can you apply?
Here's who can apply
Decoded from the official rules. A free account checks them against your passport, degree and age in seconds.
Eligible nationalities
Albania · Andorra · Antigua and Barbuda · Argentina · Armenia · Austria · Azerbaijan · Bahamas · Bahrain · Barbados · Belarus · Belize
+ 109 more
Belgium · Bhutan · Bolivia · Bosnia and Herzegovina · Brazil · Brunei · Cambodia · Cook Islands · Colombia · Costa Rica · Croatia · Czechia · Dominican Republic · Denmark · Ecuador · El Salvador · Estonia · Fiji · Finland · France · Georgia · Germany · Greece · Grenada · Guadeloupe · Guatemala · Haiti · Vatican City · Honduras · Hungary · Iceland · Indonesia · Iran · Iraq · Ireland · Israel · Italy · Japan · Jamaica · Jordan · Kazakhstan · Kiribati · Kyrgyzstan · Laos · Latvia · Lebanon · Liechtenstein · Lithuania · Luxembourg · Malta · Malaysia · Marshall Islands · Micronesia · Moldova · Monaco · Montenegro · Myanmar · Nauru · Nepal · Netherlands · Nicaragua · Niue · North Macedonia · Oman · Palau · Palestine · San Marino · Panama · Papua New Guinea · Paraguay · Peru · Poland · Portugal · Qatar · South Korea · Russia · Saint Kitts and Nevis · Saint Lucia · Samoa · Saudi Arabia · Serbia · Singapore · Slovakia · Slovenia · Solomon Islands · Spain · Saint Vincent and the Grenadines · Suriname · Sweden · Switzerland · Syria · Tajikistan · Thailand · Tonga · Turkmenistan · Timor-Leste · Trinidad and Tobago · Türkiye · Tuvalu · UAE · Ukraine · UK · USA · Uruguay · Uzbekistan · Vanuatu · Venezuela · Vietnam · Yemen
Education required
High School · Bachelor · Master
Age requirement
≥ 18 yrs
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Application process
- 1Ask the Indian Mission in your country whether it holds a slot under A1201 for the cycle, since places are allocated country by country.
- 2Register on ICCR’s A2A portal for the academic year and fill in the online application, listing university and course preferences in priority order.
- 3Upload academic records, passport, the 500-word English essay and the medical fitness certificate, with certified English translations where the original is not in English.
- 4Universities assess the application and record their admission decision on the portal.
- 5The Indian Mission selects scholars within its allocated slots and issues offer letters; places left vacant go to a second round.
- 6Accept the offer on the portal, buy the mandatory medical insurance, and travel on a student visa. MPhil and PhD scholars travel on a research visa.
- 7Register with the Foreigners Regional Registration Office within two weeks of arriving and obtain the residential permit within 90 days.
Program timeline
7 February 2026
the A2A portal opened for the 2026–27 cycle.
last date for students to submit applications.
15 April 2026
last date for universities to record their admission decision.
30 April 2026
last date for Indian Missions to allocate scholarships.
15 May 2026
second round of selection against vacant places.
16 May to 10 June 2026
February 2027 (expected)
the 2027–28 cycle opens on the same pattern.