Australian universities are providing lucrative scholarships worth up to $100,000 exclusively for Indian international students.
They include the University of Sydney’s Sydney Scholars India Equity Scholarship, Deakin University’s Vice-Chancellor’s Meritorious 100% Scholarship (India), the University of Newcastle’s IDP India 100% Women in STEM Scholarship, and the Ashok Khurana University of Adelaide Scholarship for Outstanding Indian Students.
Deakin University also provides a 50% scholarship, 20% bursaries, and 25% merit scholarships for Indian students, while at the University of Sydney India is among the countries of students eligible to apply for a Sydney International Student Award, which provides 20% of tuition fees.
The University of Newcastle announced last week that Computer Science student Saihajleen Kaur was the successful applicant for the inaugural IDP India 100% Women in STEM Scholarship, which was set up to “support high-achieving women from India to pursue STEM studies by removing financial barriers”.
Senior Deputy Vice Chancellor (Academic) Professor Belinda Tynan said the scholarship “aims to amplify the diverse perspectives needed to solve some of the world’s most pressing challenges”.
“Women make up just one third of the global scientific community and in some countries, fewer than one in ten researchers are women, with even fewer in STEM leadership roles,” Professor Tynan said.
“Diverse teams are more creative and productive. With International Day of Women and Girls in STEM giving us a moment to pause, it’s a reminder of why support like this scholarship matters.
“It helps talented women like Saihajleen achieve what they are capable of, and it contributes to creating an industry that’s diverse, innovative, and reflective of our broader society.”
The Sydney Scholars India Equity Scholarship is valued at $100,000 and includes tuition fees, living expenses, flights, textbooks and health cover for postgraduate degree applicants nominated by NGO Asha India, and is eligible for Indian citizens and current residents of slum communities in Delhi where Asha operates.
A similar University of Sydney initiative, the Sydney Scholars India Scholarship Program, is available to all Indian international student applicants and since 2019 has been providing 28 scholarships worth $500,000 every year – two full tuition, 10 $20,000 first year scholarships, and 16 $10,000 first year scholarships.
“This program intends to foster the engagement between the University and India in our investment in research, collaboration with industry partners and deepening the commitment to education for students to achieve their full potential,” the university said.
Deakin last year handed out 10 Meritorious 100% Scholarships worth about $100,000 each, and Vice-Chancellor, Professor Iain Martin, said at the time the program “champions the dreams of Indian scholars, our graduates to excel in innovative, forward-thinking fields and leave a lasting legacy in the world”.
“Through this scholarship program, we are not just funding education, we are investing in the future leaders of India,” he said.
In January Australia tightened visa rules for applicants from India and four other South Asian countries amid growing concern over a fake Indian degree bust late last year.
Police in Kerala seized more than 100,000 fake certificates linked to 22 educational institutions in a multi-state operation in December, and said the syndicate may have supplied fake documentation to 1 million people across India.
According to the latest Department of Education data there were 140,871 Indian international students studying in Australia in the January to October 2025 period, making India the second largest source country after China, which sent 192,225.
Header image: The 2025 Deakin Vice-Chancellor’s Meritorious 100% Scholarship (India) winners (Deakin University).
