USA
UK
Canada
AustraliaUK Master Scholarships 2026 for Indian Students: 20 Top Awards — Chevening, Commonwealth, GREAT, Oxford-Cambridge
Amit Jalan
Founder & Managing Director, EEC
Amit Jalan founded EEC in 1997 and serves as Managing Director and Lead AI Strategist & Systems Architect. A Purdue University, USA alumnus, he has 29 years of overseas-education leadership covering USA F-1 strategy, US university admissions, evolving US immigration policy, and AI-led systems architecture for visa preparation. He is widely regarded as a go-to authority on high-stakes USA Student Visa cases including 214(b) refusal recovery and STEM OPT planning. Amit chairs EEC's senior-counselor review panel that signs off complex Chancenkarte appeals, Ireland Stamp 1G transitions, NZ credibility-interview escalations, and Australia GS Red Team narratives. He designed the AI architecture behind eecglobal.com/ai tools.
UK master scholarships 2026for Indian students: Top 20 awards include Chevening (full tuition + monthly stipend (exact rate confirmed in Final Award Letter; London vs outside London bands)), Commonwealth (development-relevant fields, full funding), GREAT (£10,000 partial tuition), Oxford Clarendon Fund (Oxford DPhil, full funding), Cambridge Trust (50-100% tuition), LSE Master's Scholarship, Imperial Master's Award. Apply Chevening + Commonwealth + GREAT in parallel deadlines October-November.
Top 20 UK Master Scholarships
Top 20 UK master / PhD scholarships: (1) Chevening Scholarship — full tuition + monthly stipend (London / outside London bands) + airfare + visa + IHS + arrival allowance. (2) Commonwealth Shared Scholarship — £22,500 tuition cap + £1,452/mo stipend + £563 warm clothing + airfare (development-relevant fields). (3) GREAT Scholarship — £10,000 partial tuition. (4) Oxford Clarendon Fund — full tuition + ~£19,237/year living (Oxford DPhil, 2025-26 UKRI-aligned stipend). (5) Cambridge Trust Scholarships — varies by college, often full funding. (6) LSE Master's Scholarship — partial tuition + living. (7) Imperial Master's Award — partial tuition. (8) Edinburgh Global Scholarships. (9) Manchester Master's Scholarships. (10) Warwick Excellence Scholarships. Plus 10+ specific awards.
Chevening Scholarship
Chevening Scholarship is the UK government's flagship fully-funded master's scholarship covering tuition, monthly living stipend (London vs outside London bands; exact 2026-27 rate confirmed in Final Award Letter), return economy airfare from India, visa fee, IHS exemption + arrival/departure allowances. Eligibility for Indian students: bachelor's degree (any discipline) with 2:1 equivalent (Indian 60%+ for non-STEM, 55%+ for STEM), 2,800 hours work experience (part-time, volunteer, fellowship, employment all count — English-language requirement was removed in 2020), UK university acceptance for September intake. Applications open early August and close early November annually; 2026-27 cycle closed Oct 7, 2025; next cycle (2027-28) opens August 2026. 70+ Indian Chevening Scholars selected every year. // SRC verified 2026-05-22 — https://www.chevening.org/scholarships/what-does-a-chevening-scholarship-cover/
Commonwealth Scholarship
Commonwealth Master's Scholarship is funded by the UK Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office (FCDO) for high-quality candidates from low- and middle-income Commonwealth countries (India included). Commonwealth Shared Scholarship Awards: tuition cap £22,500, monthly stipend £1,452/mo (~£17,424/yr), £563 warm-clothing allowance, return airfare. Commonwealth Distance Learning track funds FCDO-only £18,000 cap (no living stipend). Focus on development-relevant master's in fields like climate change, governance, health, education. Applications open August–November via cscuk.fcdo.gov.uk. // SRC verified 2026-05-22 — https://cscuk.fcdo.gov.uk/scholarships/
Oxford Clarendon Fund
Oxford Clarendon Fund is the University of Oxford's flagship doctoral scholarship — covers full tuition + college fees + ~£19,237/year living (~₹20.5 lakh, 2025-26 UKRI-aligned) for 3-4 years of DPhil (PhD). Eligibility: outstanding academic record (Indian first-class 70%+ or distinction at master's), Oxford acceptance for DPhil programme, research excellence in specific discipline. 140+ Clarendon Scholars annually across all disciplines. Indian DPhil applicants apply through their Oxford college / department.
Cambridge Trust Scholarships
Cambridge Trust offers multiple scholarship streams for international postgraduate students at Cambridge — partial to full funding depending on programme + college. Main awards: Cambridge International Scholarship (full tuition + ~£19,237/year stipend, 2025-26), Vice-Chancellor's Awards, Cambridge-Africa, Cambridge-Hong Kong, Cambridge-India scholarships. Indian master's and PhD applicants apply through Cambridge college + department + Cambridge Trust portal. 250+ Cambridge Trust Scholars annually.
GREAT Scholarship India
GREAT Scholarship is a UK Government + British Council initiative for Indian students pursuing master's in the UK. Awards: £10,000 partial tuition for 50+ UK universities including Russell Group (Edinburgh, Manchester, Birmingham, Leeds, Bristol, KCL, UCL, Warwick) plus mid-tier universities. Eligibility: Indian citizen, master's admission for September intake, demonstrated leadership impact. Apply via britishcouncil.in scholarship portal. Apply alongside university admission.
University-Specific Awards
Top UK university-specific master scholarships: LSE Master's Scholarship (partial tuition + living, need-based + merit), Imperial Master's Award (partial tuition), Edinburgh Global Scholarships (£3,500–£10,000 partial tuition), Manchester Master's Scholarships, Warwick Excellence Scholarships, KCL International Scholarship, UCL Global Excellence Scholarship, Bristol Think Big Scholarships, Leeds International Master's Scholarship, Birmingham International Master's Scholarship, Cardiff Vice-Chancellor's International Scholarship. Apply alongside admission January–April.
Chevening vs Commonwealth vs GREAT
← Swipe left to see more columns →
| Scholarship | Coverage | Indian Slots | Eligibility |
|---|---|---|---|
| Chevening | Full + monthly stipend (exact rate confirmed in Final Award Letter; London vs outside London bands) | 70+ | 2+ yr work exp, any UK uni |
| Commonwealth Shared | £22,500 tuition cap + £1,452/mo stipend + £563 warm clothing + airfare | 50-60 | Development fields |
| GREAT | £10,000 partial tuition | 50+ | No work exp needed |
Application Timing
Optimal scholarship timeline for September 2027 intake: October 2025 — start research + scholarship shortlisting. November 2025 — Chevening deadline (early November), Commonwealth deadline (October–November), GREAT (November). December 2025–March 2026 — university applications + IELTS. February–May 2026 — university-specific scholarship deadlines + interview. March–April 2027 — Chevening + Commonwealth interview decisions. May–July 2027 — final offers + tuition deposit.
Pro Tip
EEC Edge
EEC offers comprehensive UK scholarship support: profile evaluation against 20+ UK master's + PhD awards, scholarship shortlisting per university and budget, Chevening + Commonwealth + GREAT applications in parallel with university applications, Oxford Clarendon + Cambridge Trust drafting, university-specific applications (LSE, Imperial, KCL, UCL, Edinburgh, Manchester), mock Chevening + Commonwealth panel interviews. EEC has supported 100+ UK master scholarship applicants since 2018 with 29+ Chevening / Commonwealth offers.
Targeting Chevening, Commonwealth, GREAT or Oxford Clarendon? EEC delivers a free 60-min UK scholarship eligibility audit + parallel application calendar across all flagship and university-specific awards. 26 centres or online.
Book Free Consultation“I’m extremely happy to share that I have successfully received my student visa! 🎓✈️brbrA big thank you to EEC for their excellent guidance and support throughout my entire admission and visa process.…”
Akshat Patel
A month ago
“Had a great experience with EEC IELTS Education! The staff was very helpful with my overall inquiry and IELTS date booking. The teachers provided good guidance and support throughout my preparation. R…”
DhrutiPatel Dhrutipatel
A month ago
“I had a great experience with EEC during my PTE preparation. A special thanks to Shikhar Sir for his excellent guidance, support, and easy-to-understand teaching style. His strategies and constant mot…”
Aaditya Solanki
A month ago
“Successfully achieved an overall 7.0 Band in IELTS with the guidance of the team at EEC Katargam. The mentors are knowledgeable, approachable, and provide focused attention on weak areas. Regular mock…”
Krish
A month ago
You May Also Like
Step 1 of 3
Your contact details
We'll use these to get in touch and verify your number.