Financing yourself

The enire procedure of going abroad for higher study involves a pretty huge amount of money. However, there are a number of scholarships available to help a student. Watch out for the scholarship advertisements in The Telegraph, The Statesman and The Times of India.

Debesh-Kamal Scholarship

A recipient of the scholarship adds that getting hold of the RKM advertisement is far more difficult than getting the scholarship. So, students should better watch out otherwise they could miss it.

If you are selected for the scholarship you will be intimated of the same by a letter from RMIC which will ask you to bring your passport, ticket and documents from the foreign university to the institute. You should go prepared with

1. Passport+Visa
2. Ticket
3. The Cash Memo of your travel agent (The letter may not mention this, but it is absolutely important that you take it with you!)
4. The RMIC offer letter
5. The admission offer letter form the foreign university
6. A xerox copy of each of the above (including the RMIC offer letter)

J N Tata Endowment for Higher Studies Abroad

This organisation gives a loan of maximum amount Rs. 1 lakh, and a gift of the same maximum amount. Around a hundred scholarships are available. You will find the advertisement in the newspaper on the first Sunday of December. You have to send Rs. 50.00 by M.O. to Mumbai to obtain the application form. One recommendation from a professor, and two testimonials are to be submitted. Also you should supply the name of two referees, one of whom must be Mumbai-based. The interview, which takes place sometimes between March and June, is of serious technical nature.

K C Mahindra Educational Trust

There are 30 awards. One can get a maximum of Rs 90,000 loan from this trust. This loan is totally interest-free, and can be paid back in FIVE TO SIX years time. So, its not really a "loan" as such. One can very well fix the half of the amount received with a bank and use the rest, the fixed half will get doubled in five to six years time. About the application, one has to submit some credentials and give the names of two referees, usually ISI professors. About the interview, it is totally a personal interview and one has to show and defend her/his willingness for coming back to India after completing PhD. Usually the venue of the interview is the Mahindra & Mahindra office in Mumbai which is very close to Gateway of India. So, you get to see the beatiful place in addition when you are there for the interview. They pay for the to and fro journey form anywhere in India. So, one has to only worry about lodging in Mumbai. Having arranged for that one can go for a happy trip to Mumbai and Goa after the interview. The interview is on 19^th July each year. Ask for information by mailing to the above address around the last November.

Bill Gates Scholarship

Lots of other scholarships