India Offers 1,000 Online Scholarships to Afghan Students

• India announces 1,000 e-scholarships for Afghan students 2025-26.
• Courses offered online by top Indian universities via e-VidyaBharati.
• Degrees UGC-recognized; selection involves ICCR and the Indian Mission.

In a major initiative to enhance higher education for young individuals in Afghanistan, India has declared 1,000 e-scholarships for Afghan citizens for the academic year 2025-26.

The program is part of the Special Scholarship Scheme for Afghan Nationals (SSSAN) via the Indian Council for Cultural Relations (ICCR), which enables students to engage in online undergraduate and postgraduate studies through the government's e-VidyaBharati (e-VB) i-learn portal.

Under the plan, Afghans in the 18-35 age group can enroll in a variety of online courses offered by Indian universities, including Jamia Millia Islamia, Indira Gandhi National Open University, Anna University, and Kurukshetra University. Degrees granted will be recognized by the University Grants Commission (UGC), while hard copies of the certificates will be presented by the Indian Mission in Kabul.

The steps in the selection process were evaluation by Indian Universities, verification of identity by the Indian Mission in Kabul, and approval by the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) and ICCR.

The programs cover fields including Business Administration, Commerce, Computer Science, Arts, Political Science, Education, Journalism, Psychology, and Mass Communication, allowing Afghan students to obtain internationally applicable skills without traveling abroad.

"The applicant could be residing in any part of the world, but should have a valid National ID/ Passport of Afghanistan," read the official document.

Applications can be submitted from September 1 to September 6, 2025, via the specialized Afghan i-learn portal

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"Admissible amount of scholarship in each Semester shall be released by Ministry to its implementation agency which shall remit amount directly to the concerned Indian University/Institute at the start of each semester. The scholarships will consist of Tuition/OCF fee payable to the university/institute. No stipend or any other dues will be payable," it said.

Highlighting India's long-standing educational relationship with Afghanistan, ICCR noted that students can learn "anytime, anywhere" using laptops, tablets or mobiles with internet connectivity.

The initiative reaffirms India's vision of becoming home to inclusive education using technology and its commitment to developing people-to-people ties with Afghanistan via cultural and educational exchanges.