India Embassy Scholarships in Nepal: MGSS, GJSS & ICCR Schemes

The Embassy of India in Kathmandu runs one of the largest foreign scholarship programmes available to Nepali students. According to the Embassy's education and scholarship pages, it makes available around 1,500 scholarships and seats every year to Nepalese nationals, and it states that roughly 40,000 students have benefited since 2001. Because of this scale and the fact that several schemes recur on a fixed annual calendar, searches such as 'mahatma gandhi scholarship nepal', 'golden jubilee scholarship scheme' and 'iccr scholarship nepal' are among the most predictable high-volume education queries in the country.

It helps to think of the schemes in two families. The first family funds study inside Nepal and is administered through the Embassy's own portal, goischolarship.com.np. The two flagship schemes here are the Mahatma Gandhi Scholarship Scheme (MGSS) for Class XI-XII and the Golden Jubilee Scholarship Scheme (GJSS) for undergraduate (bachelor-level) study. The second family funds study in India and is administered by the Indian Council for Cultural Relations (ICCR) through the A2A portal at a2ascholarships.iccr.gov.in; this family includes the Atal Bihari Vajpayee General Scholarship Scheme (the ICCR General Scholarship Scheme, often abbreviated ABVGSS) and the Sushma Swaraj Silver Jubilee Scholarship Scheme (SJSS).

Alongside these there are several specialised schemes the Embassy lists, including COMPEX (for professional and technical undergraduate courses in India), AYUSH scholarships for traditional-medicine programmes, the Army Public School scholarships for younger students, and arts-focused awards such as the Lata Mangeshkar Dance and Music Scholarship. This page focuses on the three most-searched tracks - MGSS, GJSS and the ICCR schemes - and explains eligibility, level, awards, the correct portal and the anti-consultancy rules for each.

The Mahatma Gandhi Scholarship Scheme is aimed at Nepali students beginning higher-secondary (plus-two) education inside Nepal. Applicants apply in Class 11 and, subject to good progress, the award continues into Class 12. To be eligible a candidate must be a citizen of Nepal, a regular Class 11 student in a recognised educational institution in Nepal, and must have secured at least 60 percent aggregate marks at the School Leaving (Class 10 / SEE) level, per the Embassy's MGSS page.

MGSS is need-based as well as merit-based. The family income of the applicant must be less than NRs. 2,00,000 per year, and the student must not be receiving a scholarship from any other source. The award is NRs. 24,000 per annum. Continuation into the second year (Class 12) is not automatic - the student must submit a copy of the Class 11 mark sheet together with a certificate from the principal or head of institution confirming promotion to and study in Class 12; students who fail Class 11 forfeit the second-year instalment.

Applications are submitted online only, through the Embassy's portal goischolarship.com.np, which typically opens around October or November each year. Required documents usually include a passport-size photograph, a notarised Nepali citizenship certificate (of the applicant or parents), the Class 10 mark sheet, the principal's letter confirming Class 11 enrolment, an income proof certificate issued by the Local Development Officer or Chief District Officer (LDO/CDO), and, where applicable, a disability certificate. Exact dates, forms and any revised figures are published in the Embassy's annual notice, so applicants should confirm current-year details on the official site.

The Golden Jubilee Scholarship Scheme supports Nepali students pursuing undergraduate (bachelor-level) courses inside Nepal, including professional programmes. The Embassy specifically names MBBS/BDS, engineering (B.E./B.Tech) and general three-year undergraduate degrees among the eligible courses. To qualify, an applicant must be a regular first-year undergraduate student in a recognised institution in Nepal and must have secured at least 70 percent aggregate marks at the Intermediate level (Class 12 / plus-two).

There is an age condition specific to GJSS: applicants must be between 17 and 22 years of age as on 1 July of the current year. As with MGSS, the scheme is need-based - family income must be less than NRs. 2,00,000 per year and the student must not hold another scholarship. The award amount depends on the course: NRs. 48,000 per annum for MBBS/BDS (for five years) and for B.E./B.Tech (for four years), and NRs. 36,000 per annum for other three-year undergraduate programmes. Renewal each year requires submission of the passed mark sheet and a promotion certificate.

GJSS applications are made online through the same portal, goischolarship.com.np, generally opening in October or November. Typical supporting documents are a duly notarised citizenship certificate of the applicant or parents, the Class 12 mark sheet, an attested letter from the principal or head of the institution certifying enrolment in the degree course, an income-proof certificate issued by the LDO/CDO, and, for physically challenged applicants, a certificate issued by the CDO/LDO or municipality. The Embassy publicises the awarded students annually - for example it has reported awarding around 200 Golden Jubilee scholarships in a given year - but applicants should treat all figures and dates as subject to the current-year notice.

For students who want to study in India rather than in Nepal, the main undergraduate route is the ICCR General Scholarship Scheme, which the Embassy of India, Kathmandu presents under the name Atal Bihari Vajpayee General Scholarship Scheme (ABVGSS). It is administered by the Indian Council for Cultural Relations (ICCR) and channels Nepali students into recognised Indian universities and institutes. On the Embassy's ABVGSS page the eligible courses are listed as BBA, BCA, BA, B.Sc., B.Com, B.E., BBM, BBS and B.Sc. (Agriculture).

Several course categories are explicitly excluded: medical and paramedical courses (nursing, physiotherapy, anaesthesia and the like), fashion courses, law courses, and integrated programmes such as five-year BA LLB or five-year B.Sc./M.Sc. Applicants must be between 18 and 30 years of age as on the date the A2A portal opens for that year, and science applicants must have taken Physics, Chemistry and Mathematics (PCM) in their school-leaving examinations; both the Class 10 and Class 12 mark sheets are uploaded. A non-refundable application fee (around NRs. 400) applies via the Embassy's process.

ICCR scholarships are generally fully funded. Across ICCR's standard scholarship package published by Indian missions, the benefits typically include full tuition fees, a monthly living/maintenance allowance (indicatively in the range of about INR 18,000 for undergraduate, INR 20,000 for postgraduate and INR 22,000 for M.Phil/Ph.D. students), a house-rent allowance, an annual contingency grant, one-time thesis or dissertation costs, and return economy air fare. These allowance figures are set centrally by ICCR and are revised periodically, so applicants should verify the current rates in the ICCR guidelines before applying. Applications for the ICCR scheme are submitted only through the A2A portal at a2ascholarships.iccr.gov.in, typically announced around December/January each year.

The Sushma Swaraj Silver Jubilee Scholarship Scheme, usually shortened to Silver Jubilee Scholarship Scheme (SJSS), is the ICCR route for Nepali students who want to pursue postgraduate and doctoral study in India. It covers master's-level programmes such as MBA, MCA, MA and M.Sc. and Ph.D. research across streams. The Consulate General of India describes eligible programmes as MBA, MCA, MA, M.Sc. and Ph.D. in all streams except engineering, agriculture, medicine and para-medical courses.

The number of seats offered to Nepalese nationals is limited. Reporting on the scheme indicates around 64 scholarships are earmarked for Nepal - roughly 60 for postgraduate study and 4 for Ph.D. Because SJSS runs on the same ICCR machinery as the General Scholarship Scheme, it carries the same broad funding package (full tuition plus living allowance, house-rent allowance, contingency grant and air fare), with allowance rates set centrally by ICCR and revised from time to time. Applicants should confirm the exact seat count, stipend rates and stream list in the current-year advertisement.

Like ABVGSS, SJSS is applied for through the ICCR A2A portal at a2ascholarships.iccr.gov.in, and the scheme is typically announced around December/January each year. The Embassy of India, Kathmandu and the Consulate General in Birgunj jointly publicise the GSS/SJSS advertisement for each academic year, so students should read that notice carefully for the definitive eligibility, age limits and document checklist before applying.

The right scheme depends on your current stage and whether you want to study in Nepal or in India. If you are finishing Class 10 and moving into Class 11 inside Nepal, MGSS is the relevant scheme. If you are entering the first year of a bachelor's degree in Nepal - especially MBBS, BDS, engineering or a general three-year degree - GJSS is the match. If your goal is to study in India, the ICCR schemes apply: ABVGSS for undergraduate courses and SJSS for postgraduate and doctoral study.

The two Nepal-based schemes (MGSS and GJSS) share a common design: they are need-cum-merit awards capped at family income below NRs. 2,00,000 per year, they pay a fixed rupee amount per year rather than covering full costs, and they use the goischolarship.com.np portal. The India-based ICCR schemes are structurally different: they are typically fully funded (tuition plus a monthly stipend and allowances), they exclude several professional streams such as medicine and law, and they use the separate a2ascholarships.iccr.gov.in portal.

Timing also differs. The Nepal-based portal usually opens around October/November, while the ICCR advertisement is generally announced around December/January. Because deadlines, seat numbers and award amounts can change from year to year, treat the figures on this page as an orientation guide and always cross-check the current official notice before you apply.

A recurring and important message on every Embassy of India scholarship notice is that applications must be made by the student directly. The Embassy states that it entertains applications directly from the applicant only and that it does not recognise or receive applications through any so-called education consultants, middlemen or agencies in Nepal. Students are advised to beware of such unscrupulous persons or agencies.

The consequence is concrete: applications found to have been received through such agencies or persons are liable to be rejected. There is no fee payable to any consultant, and no agency can improve a candidate's chances - selection is based on eligibility, marks and, for the Nepal-based schemes, financial need. For MGSS and GJSS the only legitimate channel is goischolarship.com.np; for the ICCR schemes it is a2ascholarships.iccr.gov.in.

If applicants need help completing a form, the Embassy directs queries to its Education wing rather than to any private intermediary (the Embassy has published an education-attache email address for clarifications). Before paying anyone or sharing documents, students should confirm the scheme, portal and deadline on the official Embassy of India, Kathmandu website or the Consulate General, Birgunj page, and should never route an application through a consultancy.