India at 75: UK government announces 75 fully-funded scholarships for Indians

The UK government on Wednesday said that it has partnered with businesses in India to offer 75 fully funded scholarships for Indian students to study in Britain. The scholarships will be issued for the term starting September marking India's 75th year of Independence.

The announcement comes as British and Indian leaders from international business and government gather in London for the India Global Forum.

Till date this is the highest number of fully funded scholarships given by the United Kingdom for the one-year Master's programmes.

HSBC, Pearson India, Hindustan Unilever, Tata Sons and Duolingo are some of the businesses supporting this initiative.

The fully funded scholarship includes tuition, living expenses and travel cost for a one-year-postgraduate programme. A minimum of two years’ work experience is required for candidates to be eligible for the award.

The programmes on offer include Chevening scholarships for a one-year master's course, with the opportunity to study any subject at any recognised British university.

The British Council in India will offer 18 scholarships to women in science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM). These scholarships will cover more than 12,000 courses across more than 150 UK universities. The organisation will also offer six English scholarships.

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HSBC India will fund 15 scholarships, Pearson will sponsor two, Hindustan Unilever, Tata Sons and Duolingo will sponsor one each as part of the 75 scholarships.

Speaking at the forum, British high commissioner Alex Ellis described the scholarships as a great milestone. “Thanks to the exceptional support from our partners in industry, I am delighted to announce 75 scholarships for Indian students to experience the best of the UK.

Nearly 30% of Chevening scholars in India come from smaller cities or are first generation students, making this an increasingly diverse programme,” he said.

Chevening is the British government’s international awards scheme offered in 150 countries since 1983. India’s Chevening programme is the largest in the world with more than 3,500 alumni.

HSBC CEO Hitendra Dave said the objective of the “Chevening HSBC Scholarship” is to encourage young people with potential to become leaders and decision-makers by leveraging world class educational facilities.

Close to 1,08,000 student visas were issued to Indians in the year ending March 2022, almost double compared to the previous year, the British high commission said.