ICCR Scholarships 2024-25 under India-Africa Maitri Scholarship Scheme (Formerly known as Africa Scholarship Scheme – G0179) for Academic Year 2024-25 by the Indian Council of Cultural Relations, Ministry of External Affairs, Government of India:

 The Embassy of India, Dakar is pleased to announce ICCR Scholarships for international students for Under-Graduate, Post-Graduate and PhD programs in selected Indian Universities. Applications are invited for academic year 2024-25. The scholarships are available for courses in engineering, science, agriculture, commerce and economics, Arts, Humanities & Social Sciences etc but do not include Medical/ Paramedical (Nursing/ Physiotherapy / anaesthesia etc) /fashion/law courses /integrated courses such as BALLB (5 Years) / BSc & MSc (5 Years) etc.

The scholarships include full tuition fees, a monthly stipend or living allowance, a house rent allowance, a one-time thesis and dissertation expense, and a return economy class air fare to the nearest airport and 3rd AC train fare to the place of study. Disbursement of all scholarship payment to students would be through PFMS (Public Financial Management System).

Applicants must be (1) minimum 18 years old as on 30 April 2024 and not older than 40 years for under graduate or post graduate courses and 50 years for PhD courses (2) meritorious student (3) well versed in English (4) medically fit and (5) holder of passport valid for the entire duration of the course they are applying for.

How to Apply:

Earlier the applications were invited directly on ICCR’s A2A Scholarship Portal http://a2ascholarships.iccr.gov.in , however with the inception of new “Study in India” portal (where all the foreign students coming to India to pursue various courses need to register mandatorily) the process for admissions for the A.Y 2024-25 might get transformed and the same will be intimated in due course of time.

 Interested students are advised to visit university / institute website and do thorough research of courses offered, eligibility criteria and general information about the university/institute before applying for admission. The students should ensure that they are eligible for the course and meet the eligibility criteria and should submit relevant documentation as required by the Universities in addition to the basic certificates mentioned in the application form. They should always refer to the Universities Handbook/University Grants Commission's website (www.ugc.ac.in) and the concerned university/institute's website for eligibility criteria etc. They are also advised to make themselves familiar with the living conditions at the University/place.

All interested candidates are required to register at this portal with a valid email ID which they will be using during the duration of their academic relationship with ICCR. Thereafter applicants should submit/upload their application with true copies of all relevant documents as required by the A2A portal. They are advised to thoroughly go through the guidelines for students available on the portal. For any technical assistance in the application procedure, the applicant may contact a2asupport.iccr@gov.in. The A2A portal as well as email should be checked regularly for any updates.

Kindly note that there are limited scholarship slots and selection is based on merit. Those who do not receive scholarship from the Embassy of India in Dakar but are accepted by an Indian University may consider pursuing their higher education on self-financing basis.

Applicants have the option to apply to 5 Universities/Institutes in the order of their preference of study. It may be noted that for engineering courses, students should mandatorily have Physics, Chemistry and Mathematics (PCM) in Grades 11 and 12. Mark sheets for each level (Grade 10 and Grade 12 or equivalent level of school) should be uploaded along with the transcripts in English. The application will not be considered without English translation of documents if the original documents are not in English. It may also be noted that incomplete application can be summarily rejected by Universities.

As the medium of instruction is in English, applicants are required to write and submit a 500- word essay in English at the time of application to ascertain their English Proficiency. Besides, students can also submit their TOFEL/ IELTS etc. standardised test scores, if available. Universities/ institutes may conduct interview of the applicants online, if so required.

Important

Familiarization with India: It is essential for the applicants to have a realistic assessment of India, and of the living conditions in the country's educational institutions. ICCR may amend some provisions of scholarships from time to time and it is incumbent on students to accept the revised norms.

 If the concerned educations institute provides hostel accommodation, the scholarship students would be expected to stay in the hostel. If not, they can stay in private accommodation.

Where required by the concerned University, students are advised to obtain equivalence certificate from Association of Indian Universities (AIU) also. This would be stipulated by the concerned University/Institute in their Provisional Confirmation letter for the applicant (uploaded on A2A Portal). In case AIU equivalence is required, the student may apply for the same at the link https://evaluation.aiu.ac.inlstudent/login and bear the fees incurred on obtaining the certificate at own expense (non-reimbursable). For any further details / queries, students may contact AIU at (+911123230059 / 23237097 I 23232305 Extn' 2tO, 234, 252, Email id : studentinfo@aiu.ac.in, ds-international@aiu.ac.in, evaluation@aiu.ac.in

Compulsory personal medical insurance is a mandatory requirement for availing ICCR scholarship. ICCR scholarship student must procure Medical Insurance policy with minimum sum assured for Indian Rupees 500,000 which is equivalent to US$6100 per annum. Students are free to obtain insurance from any insurance company in India of their choice or, those who arrive from their country, can bring international insurance valid in India. It is up to the student what they opt for but it is mandatory for students to be with valid medical insurance for availing of ICCR's scholarship. This is to highlight that the ICCR scholarship will not include medical coverage.

Scholarship awardees may note that for science courses the expenditure on laboratory chemicals and other related incidental charges will be borne by the scholars themselves.

Successful candidates will be provided visa for India, a copy of the visa must be uploaded by the applicant on A2A portal. After issuing the visa, the Embassy of India, Dakar will arrange the travel passage. Once the ticket is purchased, the student should upload the travel details on the A2A portal.

Admission, as far as possible, shall be given as per applicant's preference. However, there may be a scenario when students do not get admission in their preferred Universities / institutes due to limited number of seats on offer. Students should therefore be prepared to receive admission from any of their five preferences.

Deadlines

Admission applications from interested students are invited as per the following timeline:

*The above timeline is tentative as of now. The exact / final timeline will be shared once the process of admission for the AY 2024-25 is finalized and Study in India Portal is activated for ICCR Scholars.