Top Scholarships for Indian Students in Computer Science and Engineering
Studying abroad can be financially challenging for many meritorious students who often opt out due to the expensive course fee, visa charges, accommodation, and food expenses. Therefore, scholarships help many to pursue their dreams. Smartkhabrinews ‘Scholarship Guide’ brings the best and most prestigious grants for Indian students to study abroad, with most of them covering flight tickets, accommodation, and course fees, and some also providing stipends.
Computer science is one of the most sought-after courses for students in India as well as abroad. India is starting its offshore campuses abroad with a special focus on Artificial Intelligence and computer science courses.
“Scholarships are highly competitive and require careful preparation. It’s important to ensure you stand out from the crowd as a strong candidate. Each scholarship application will need to be tailored against the requirements set out by the scholarship provider,” said Joel Frisch, Vice-President, Global Acquisition.
Frisch suggests students start early, build a checklist for documents, craft a strong personal statement, and aim to submit everything within the deadline. Here are the top scholarships in computer science engineering (CSE):
| Scholarship | Eligibility | Selection Procedure | Application Link |
|---|---|---|---|
| Albert Einstein International Scholarship Test | Applicant must be between 10 and 24 years of age. | Candidates will have to clear the MCQ-based exam, followed by an interview. | Apply Now |
| Microsoft Scholarship Programme | Students pursuing computer science or STEM-related courses in US or Canada-based colleges with a GPA of 4 out of 5 or 3 out of 4 or equivalent can apply. | Merit-based scholarship. Students need to submit academic and financial documents for review. | Apply Now |
| Royal Holloway Computer Science Scholarship | Open to students pursuing a master’s course in computer science or allied fields. | Automatic consideration for the scholarship upon meeting admission criteria. | Apply Now |
| Generation Google Scholarship | Open to students from the Asia-Pacific region with strong academic skills willing to study computer science or computer engineering. | Submission of an essay and academic records. Profile review and background verification will be done. | Apply Now |
| Paul Thistlewaite Memorial Honours Year Scholarship | Domestic and international students willing to study computing, advanced computing, or BE in software engineering can apply. | Shortlisted based on academic merit. Preference given to students undertaking Honours in specific areas. | Apply Now |
| Centre of Computer Science and Engineering Junior Research Fellowship | Candidates should have a bachelor’s or master’s degree in a relevant field and be under 28 years of age. | Selection criteria vary by IIT. Check respective IIT websites for details. | Apply at the respective IIT website. |
For students who do not want to opt for the scholarship route, considering high competition, there are still many other options open. Joel Frisch suggests students to “always start with the schools they are applying to as they may offer merit or need-based scholarships.” Further options they can consider are “through government, banks, and independent loan providers.”
“When reviewing funding options, it’s important for a student to consider a number of factors, such as loan repayment terms, the monthly cost of the loan, and any fee associated with the loan. In addition, students should understand their own affordability post-programme in order to cover the monthly repayment costs. Each lender may use different calculations, so be sure to use a uniform calculation like APR (Annual Percentage Rate) to understand the true annual cost of borrowing money,” suggests Frisch.