Much like the U.S. government, India's Department of Higher education offers the National Merit Scholarship on an annual basis. Each year, 82,000 scholarships are made available to meritorious students from low-income families studying at government institutions of higher learning. Of the total, 41,000 of these scholarships will go to men and 41,000 to women, with the purpose of paying for the recipient's day-to-day expenses so that students are free to focus on their studies. The scholarship is awarded to undergraduate students on the basis of the senior secondary examination, while graduate and post-graduate applicants qualify on the merit of scholastic performance and professional courses, respectively.
The Department of Higher Education offers a scholarship for students from non-Hindi speaking states in India to pursue higher education in Hindi. The goals of the scholarship are to encourage the study of Hindi, and to provide the governments of non Hindi-speaking states with instructors and translators in areas where Hindi is essential. The scholarship is available to 2,500 students annually, and given to those with exemplary examination records enrolled in or accepted to recognized full-time Hindi programs.
The Indian Council for Cultural Relations, on behalf of the nation's government, offers scholarships to foreign students for study in India. Special scholarships are available for Bangladesh, 54 African nations, Afghanistan, and Sri Lanka. There are 342 scholarships offered directly to national governments by Indian diplomatic missions under the aegis of the General Cultural Scholarship. Detailed information on these scholarships is available through Indian missions in the applicant's country, through which agency students must apply. Applicants are required to specify the intended course of study, and are asked to consult the Handbook of Indian Universities for information before applying.
The Indian Council of Agricultural Relations offers the National Talent Scholarship. The scholarship is available annually to 230 students based on the merit of ranking for the All India Entrance Examination. Applicants for the scholarship must be Indian nationals between the ages of 17 and 23 who have ideally obtained at least 60 percent of total marks in either Physics Chemistry Biology or Physics Chemistry. The amount of the scholarship is 800 rupees per month, awarded only to students who study outside their home states.