Sushma Swaraj Silver Jubilee Scholarship Scheme for Nepal National

Benefits & funding

• Tuition and other institutional fees at the host university are paid by ICCR.
• Monthly living stipend of INR 20,000 for postgraduate scholars and INR 22,000 for PhD scholars.
• A monthly house rent allowance on top of the stipend; for PhD scholars this is INR 12,500 in Grade I cities and INR 10,000 in other cities.
• An annual contingent grant towards books and stationery, plus a one-time thesis or dissertation allowance — INR 7,000 where a course requires a project report.
• Allowances run for the prescribed length of the course; a regular PhD is funded for three years. A repeated academic year is not funded.
• Not covered: airfare and related travel costs unless the scheme states otherwise, and medical cover — every scholar must buy a personal medical insurance policy with at least INR 500,000 of annual cover. Science students pay their own laboratory expenses.

Eligibility

• Open to Nepali nationals only.
• Postgraduate applicants need a completed bachelor’s degree; PhD applicants need a completed master’s degree. Each university also applies its own admission criteria.
• Minimum age 18. The 2026-27 rules set the maximum at 35 for postgraduate courses and 40 for PhD, with no upper age limit for Hindi, Sanskrit and Indian performing arts courses. The Embassy’s own scheme pages still list 30 for postgraduate and 45 for PhD, so check the year’s advertisement before applying.
• Applicants must be able to speak English fluently and follow lessons in English; a 500-word English essay on a topic listed on the A2A portal and a signed English-proficiency undertaking are part of the application. TOEFL or IELTS scores may be uploaded but are optional.
• Courses not funded: medical and paramedical subjects (nursing, physiotherapy, anaesthesia, laboratory technology and similar), law, B.Tech at the IITs, and five-year integrated degrees such as BA LLB or integrated B.Sc.–M.Sc.
• One registration per candidate per academic year.

Application process

1. 1
   Wait for the A2A portal to open — it opened on 27 February for the 2026-27 round — and register at a2ascholarships.iccr.gov.in. No other application route is accepted.
2. 2
   Complete the form, name up to five universities and courses in priority order, and upload the passport photograph, marksheets, English translations of any non-English document, the 500-word essay and the English-proficiency undertaking.
3. 3
   Deposit the NRs 400 application fee into the Embassy Education Wing account at Nepal SBI, account number 17725240200331.
4. 4
   Print the submitted application and hand it in with the original bank counterfoil and supporting documents — to the Embassy of India in Kathmandu, or to the Consulate General of India in Birgunj if you live in Bara, Chitwan, Dhanusha, Mahottari, Makwanpur, Parsa, Rautahat or Sarlahi.
5. 5
   Each university you named scrutinises the application independently and decides on admission; ICCR then selects the scholarship holders within the allotted slots.
6. 6
   The Embassy informs the selected candidates by email.

Program timeline

1. A2A portal opens for the 2026-27 cycle

   Feb 27, 2026

2. Original last date to submit applications

   Apr 15, 2026

3. Extended last date to submit applications

   Apr 22, 2026

4. Embassy informs selected candidates by email

   September (2024-25 cycle)