About Us Atal Bihari Vajpayee General Scholarship Scheme

The Indian Council for Cultural Relations (ICCR) was founded in 1950 by Maulana Abul Kalam Azad, independent India’s first Education Minister. Its objectives are to actively participate in the formulation and implementation of policies and programs pertaining to India’s external cultural relations; to foster and strengthen cultural relations and mutual understanding between India and other countries; to promote cultural exchanges with other countries and people; and to develop relations with nations.

India is known as education hub attracting international students from all over the world. Indian’s diversity and vibrant history tender a broad range of options for students. With access both to such rich and divert as well as a rapidly growing country on the cutting edge of the technological revolution, studying in India has much to offer, whether an applicant interests Engineering, Computers, Philosophy, Politics or in Classics etc.

Indian Council for Cultural Relations with a mandate of administering scholarship programmes of Government of India annually awards about 3940 scholarship under 26 different schemes to foreign students from about 140 counties. Amongst these 23 schemes, six are funded by ICCR from its’ own grant and others are administered on behalf of MEA and Ministry of Ayush. The courses offered for studies are for under-graduation, post-graduation and M. Phil /PhD levels. In every academic year ICCR holds about 6000 + foreign students who are studying at various Central/States University, Institutes, NITs and Agricultural Institutions etc.

In a step forward towards “Digital India” ICCR developed “Admissions to Alumni (A2A Portal)” to streamline and make the scholarship work transparent. Portal was launched on January 17, 2018 by Honorable external affair ministry Smt. Sushma Swaraj. With the introduction of the portal from the academic year 2018-19 onwards, ICCR scholarship programmes are not only digitized for aspiring foreign students but also have become effortless and transparent offering wide choices to the students as such. The portal contains all relevant information regarding ICCR sponsored scholarship schemes and other information like name of the Indian universities, courses offered by them and guideline of scholarship schemes etc.

Opening of A2A Scholarship PortaI will open from 20th February, 2023 for the academic year 2023-24: Admission 2 Alumini Online Portal

12 April 2023

Opening of ICCR A2A Portal for admissions

15 May 2023

Last date of application to be submitted by students

15 June 2023

Last date of Universities to inform the decision (if confirmed, intimation to Missions; if rejected, intimation to students)

30 June 2023

Last date for allocating scholarship and generating Offer Letters by Indian Mission abroad

15 July 2023

Last date of acceptance by students

22 July 2023

Based on the number of acceptances in the first round (if acceptances are less than the scholarship seats allocated) Indian Missions to offer scholarship to other students who were not considered in the first round

30 July 2023

Second round students to convey their acceptances


Guidelines for Applicants


For further information, please visit ICCR Website or contact Embassy’s Culture Wing at at culture.buenos@mea.gov.in