Fully Funded Scholarships in UK for Indian Students: 2026-2027 Deadlines, Eligibility and How to Apply

Fully funded scholarships in the UK for Indian students include Chevening, Commonwealth, Gates Cambridge, Rhodes, Clarendon and Felix. Each covers 100% tuition, a monthly living stipend and return airfare. For the 2027 intake, Rhodes India closes on 23 July 2026 and Chevening closes on 6 October 2026. Gates Cambridge, Clarendon and Felix at Oxford close by early January 2027.

• Chevening suits working professionals, while Commonwealth suits development-linked courses with proven financial need.
• Deadlines close almost a year before classes begin, so treat these as first-choice plans, never backups.
• Felix is the only major UK award reserved almost entirely for Indian nationals.

India runs the largest Chevening programme in the world, according to the UK government. One of these awards covers a bill of roughly INR 40-60 lakh in your UK study plan.

UK Scholarships That Are Fully Funded for Indians

Six awards fund everything: Chevening, Commonwealth, Gates Cambridge, Rhodes, Clarendon and Felix. All six are postgraduate awards. Fully funded means the sponsor pays your full course fee plus your living costs. Here is what that covers in practice:

• Full tuition worth £15,000 to £45,000 (around INR 19 to 58 lakh) per year, based on advisor estimates.
• A monthly living stipend paid for the full course duration.
• One or two return flights between India and the UK.
• Visa fee and health surcharge on some awards, such as Chevening and Gates Cambridge.

The table below compares all six for the 2027 intake.

Conversions based on a GBP-INR rate of INR 128.74 as of August 11, 2026. Rates fluctuate; check the current rate before financial planning.

Chevening Scholarship 2027: Deadline and Rules

Chevening 2027-28 applications opened on 4 August 2026 and close on 6 October 2026 at 11:00 UTC. That is 4:30 pm IST, and the portal locks at that moment. Chevening is the UK government's flagship award, funded by the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office (FCDO). It pays for a one-year taught master's in any subject at any UK university. Source: chevening.org. The award covers tuition, a monthly stipend, return airfare, an arrival allowance and one visa. It does not fund family members or courses longer than one year.

Chevening eligibility for Indian applicants

• An undergraduate degree that qualifies you for a UK master's.
• At least 2 years of work experience, counted as 2,800 hours.
• Applications to three UK courses, with one unconditional offer by 8 July 2027.
• A commitment to return to India for at least two years after the course.

Selection runs on four 300-word essays covering leadership, networking, study choice and career plan. Interviews at the British High Commission follow for shortlisted candidates. The 2028-29 cycle is expected to open around August 2027, with an autumn 2027 deadline. Those dates are tentative until Chevening confirms them.

Also Check,

• Student Guide to Study in the UK 
• How to Apply to UK Universities as an Indian Student
• UK Higher Education System: A Complete Guide for 2026
• UK Student Visa 2026: Requirements, Fees and Process

Commonwealth Scholarship India: SAKSHAT Route

The Commonwealth Master's Scholarship is fully funded, but Indians must clear an extra government nomination step.

The Commonwealth Scholarship Commission (CSC) in the UK funds the award through the FCDO. It covers full tuition, return airfare, a stipend of £1,452 per month (around INR 1.87 lakh), a warm clothing allowance and a study travel grant. London-based scholars get £1,781 per month (around INR 2.29 lakh). Rates quoted are 2025-26 levels. 

Indian applicants apply twice. You submit on the CSC Central portal and on the Education Ministry's SAKSHAT portal. The Ministry of Education then forwards a limited pool of 39 nominations to the CSC, which makes the final pick. Source: Collegedunia scholarship tracker.

• You need 60% or higher in your bachelor's, which maps to a UK 2:1.
• Scores of 50 to 59% work only with a relevant postgraduate qualification.
• Your course must match one of the CSC's six development themes.
• MBA programmes and a second UK master's are not funded.
• You must sign a declaration that you cannot afford UK study without the award.

No IELTS is required, since the CSC judges English from your academic record. The 2027-28 CSC portal is expected to open around September 2026, with a mid-October 2026 deadline. That date is tentative. The SAKSHAT window is announced separately by the ministry.

Also read,

• How to Write a Strong SOP for UK University Applications 
• Statement of Purpose (SOP): Format, Sample, and How to Write
• 15 Most Common Mistakes to Avoid in SOP
• Statement of Purpose for UK Universities 

Gates Cambridge Scholarship Dates for 2027 Entry

Gates Cambridge applications for October 2027 entry open in September 2026. The international round then closes on your Cambridge course deadline, in December 2026 or early January 2027. Applications for 2026 entry are already closed. Source: gatescambridge.org.

Around 80 scholarships are awarded each year, and roughly 55 go to the international round that Indians enter. Funded by the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, the award covers the full University fee, a £21,000 yearly stipend (around INR 27 lakh), airfare both ways, visa costs and the Immigration Health Surcharge (the upfront NHS health fee). Scholars can also claim up to £2,000 (around INR 2.6 lakh) for academic development, plus family allowances.

There is no separate Gates form. You tick the funding section inside your regular University of Cambridge application and the rest happens automatically. PhD, MPhil and most one-year postgraduate courses qualify. The MBA and MFin do not.

Note: Your Cambridge admission form is the scholarship form. Gates Cambridge and Oxford's Clarendon have no separate application, so the course deadline is the money deadline.

Rhodes Scholarship India: 5 Awards, Strict Age Cap

Rhodes India offers 5 fully funded Oxford awards, and the 2027 cycle closes on 23 July 2026. Applications opened on 1 June 2026 and shut at 23:59 IST on the closing date. Source: rhodeshouse.ox.ac.uk. The award pays all Oxford course fees plus an annual stipend of around £19,092 (around INR 24.6 lakh) at current published rates.

The eligibility rules are the strictest of any UK award:

• Age 18 to 23 on 1 October 2026, meaning born on or after 1 October 2002.
• Late starters can apply up to age 26 if their first degree finished by October 2025.
• An Indian passport is mandatory. OCI and PIO holders do not qualify.
• Your undergraduate degree must be complete by July 2027.
• Grades must meet your chosen Oxford course entry, with first class preferred.

Preliminary interviews run in September and October 2026, with final interviews in November. Winning Rhodes does not admit you to Oxford. You still apply through the standard University of Oxford admission process and both must succeed. The 2028 cycle is expected to run from June to July 2027, tentatively.

Clarendon and Felix Scholarships at Oxford

Clarendon gives out 200+ fully funded Oxford awards yearly, and Felix is reserved mainly for Indians.

Clarendon covers full course fees plus a living grant of at least £15,009 (around INR 19.3 lakh) at 2025-26 rates. There is no separate form and no nationality bar. Apply for any Oxford master's or DPhil by your course's December 2026 or January 2027 deadline and you are considered automatically. Only Postgraduate Certificate and Diploma courses are excluded. Source: ox.ac.uk/clarendon.

The Felix Scholarship runs at Oxford, SOAS University of London and the University of Reading. It covers 100% of fees, a living grant of around £19,000 (around INR 24.5 lakh) at Oxford and one return flight from India.

• You must be an Indian national living and studying in India.
• A first-class bachelor's degree is the baseline requirement.
• Clear financial need must be shown, and winners are expected to return to India.

For 2027 entry, Oxford considers Felix inside your course application, due by 8 January 2027. SOAS and Reading run separate scholarship forms, expected between January and March 2027. Those two dates are tentative. The 2026 round closed on 2 March 2026 at SOAS.

Also read,

• Oxford University Scholarships for Indian Students
• Reach Oxford Scholarship-Eligibility, Selection, Application
• Rhodes Scholarship- Eligibility, Selection, Application

UK Scholarship Deadlines in 2026 and 2027

Deadlines for the 2027 intake run from July 2026 to March 2027, and 2028 dates are tentative. The table below merges every confirmed and expected date, based on official announcements and past cycles.

Tentative rows follow each sponsor's recurring annual pattern. Confirm them on the official sites once the 2028 cycles open. If you plan a 2028 start, then set calendar alerts for June 2027. That means your essays and referees should be ready by May 2027.

Eligibility Criteria Indian Students Must Meet

Most fully funded UK awards want a 2:1 degree, which maps to roughly 60 to 70% in India.

Beyond grades, each award adds its own filters. This table shows the four checks that decide most Indian applications.

If your bachelor's score is below 60%, then Commonwealth still works with a relevant PG qualification. That means a completed master's or PG diploma restores your eligibility. English tests follow university rules, not scholarship rules. Most UK universities want IELTS 6.5 to 7.5, though Commonwealth itself asks for no IELTS. Some universities even fund test takers through IELTS-linked scholarships for Indian students.

What these criteria do not include matters too:

• No award above demands a GRE or GMAT score, though a few courses might.
• None requires an application fee for the scholarship itself.

How to Apply for Fully Funded UK Scholarships

Applying for fully funded scholarships in UK takes 4 to 6 months of structured work.

Follow this sequence for the 2027 and 2028 intakes:

1. Shortlist course and scholarship pairs by June of your application year.
2. Draft essays 2 to 3 months early. Chevening alone needs four 300-word essays.
3. Line up 2 to 4 referees in advance, since references carry separate deadlines.
4. Submit the scholarship form, or the course form where consideration is automatic.
5. Apply to universities in parallel. Chevening needs one unconditional offer by 8 July 2027.
6. Prepare for interviews, which run between September and May depending on the award.

Is the GREAT Scholarship fully funded?

No. GREAT pays a minimum of £10,000 (around INR 12.9 lakh) toward tuition only. The British Council offered 12 GREAT awards for Indian students in 2026-27, with deadlines set by each partner university. What GREAT gives you and does not cover:

• Gives: £10,000 toward one year of tuition at a partner university.
• Does not cover: living costs, flights, visa fees or remaining tuition.

Treat GREAT and Scotland's Saltire as top-ups, not full rides.

Also Check:

Fully funded UK study is realistic for Indian students who plan a year ahead. Rhodes, Chevening and Commonwealth carry hard 2026 deadlines for the 2027 intake. Gates Cambridge, Clarendon and Felix close with university applications in early 2027. The 2028 cycle repeats the same pattern from mid-2027, so weak profiles gain a full year to improve. Pick two awards that match your profile and build both applications properly.