Study in India

India is the largest higher-education system in the world after China, with more than 1,100 universities and 45,000 colleges, and it teaches almost all of its degree programmes in English. For students across South Asia, Africa and the Middle East it offers the rare combination of internationally recognised qualifications, globally ranked institutions such as the IITs, IISc, IIMs and AIIMS, and a total cost of study that is a fraction of the UK, US or Australia.

Degrees follow a familiar structure: three or four years for a bachelor's, one or two for a master's, and three or more for a PhD. Professional programmes are longer and entrance-tested: MBBS runs five and a half years including internship, engineering four years, and law five years when taken straight after school.

For Nepali citizens India is unique among study destinations: under the 1950 Treaty of Peace and Friendship you need no student visa, no work permit and no funds affidavit to study or work there. For every other nationality, India issues a student visa through the Study in India portal and its embassies, usually within two to four weeks of an admission letter.

The trade-off to plan for is work rights. India does not allow student-visa holders to work off campus, and it has no post-study work visa in the way Ireland, the UK, Canada or Australia do. Students who want to stay on after graduation convert to an employment visa through a job offer that meets the salary threshold, or return home with the qualification. If part-time earnings are central to how you will fund your degree, factor that in before you choose India.

Indian higher education is regulated by the University Grants Commission (UGC), with professional councils layered on top: the All India Council for Technical Education (AICTE) for engineering and management, the National Medical Commission (NMC) for medicine, the Bar Council of India for law, and the Council of Architecture for architecture. Before you accept an offer, confirm the institution is UGC-recognised and that your specific programme carries the right council approval, because that is what determines whether the degree is accepted for further study or licensing back home.

Types of institution

• Central and state universities - publicly funded, lowest fees, most competitive entry (Delhi University, Banaras Hindu University, Jawaharlal Nehru University).
• Institutes of National Importance - the IITs, NITs, IIITs, IIMs and AIIMS, admitted through national entrance exams.
• Deemed and private universities - Manipal, Amity, VIT, SRM, Christ, Symbiosis and similar; higher fees, easier admission timelines, strong campus placement records.
• Affiliated colleges - teach under a parent university's syllabus and award its degree; quality varies widely, so check the parent university's standing.

Grading and credits

Most universities use a 10-point CGPA scale, and many have adopted the Choice Based Credit System, which makes transferring credits between recognised Indian universities workable. Under the National Education Policy 2020, four-year honours bachelor's degrees are becoming standard and give direct access to a one-year master's or a PhD.

Entrance exams to plan for

• NEET-UG - compulsory for MBBS, BDS, AYUSH and veterinary, including for foreign nationals.
• JEE Main and JEE Advanced - engineering at NITs, IIITs and the IITs.
• CUET-UG - undergraduate admission at central universities.
• CAT, GATE, NATA, CLAT - management, postgraduate engineering, architecture and law respectively.

Private universities usually run their own entrance tests or admit on school results, which is why their timelines are more forgiving than the national exams.

Tuition

• Public universities: INR 30,000 - 1,50,000 per year for most arts, science and commerce degrees.
• Private universities: INR 1,50,000 - 6,00,000 per year for engineering, management, IT and allied health.
• Private medical (MBBS): INR 10,00,000 - 25,00,000 per year, which is the one field where India is not the cheap option.

Living

Most international students budget INR 10,000 - 25,000 a month, with the range driven almost entirely by city and housing choice.

• University hostel with mess: INR 5,000 - 15,000 per month, all in. This is what most students take in the first year.
• Shared private flat: INR 8,000 - 20,000 per month per person in Bengaluru, Pune or Delhi NCR; less in Manipal, Bhopal or Coimbatore.
• Food outside the mess: INR 4,000 - 8,000 per month.
• Local transport: INR 500 - 1,500 per month with a student metro or bus pass.
• Mobile and internet: INR 400 - 800 per month.

A realistic all-in figure for a year at a private university, including tuition, is INR 3,00,000 - 8,00,000. At a public university it can fall under INR 2,00,000. Health insurance is inexpensive but rarely automatic, so arrange a policy before you travel.

While studying: India does not permit student-visa holders to take off-campus employment. Universities may offer on-campus assistantships, research stipends and internships that form part of the curriculum, and postgraduate research students at institutions such as the IITs and IISc commonly receive a monthly fellowship, but there is no general right to part-time work. Plan your budget on the assumption that your studies will not be self-funded through a job.

Internships: Curriculum-linked internships and industrial training are allowed and are standard in engineering, management and medical programmes. Many private universities run structured placement cells that start campus recruitment in the pre-final year.

After graduation: India has no post-study work visa comparable to Ireland's two-year stay back or the UK Graduate Route. To stay on you need a job offer and a conversion to an employment visa, which for most foreign nationals requires an annual salary above INR 16.25 lakh; teaching, language and some NGO roles are exempt from that threshold. Many graduates instead take their degree home, or use it to apply for a master's in a third country.

Nepali citizens are the exception. Under the 1950 Treaty of Peace and Friendship, Nepali citizens work in India on the same footing as Indian nationals, without a work permit or employment visa, in the private sector and in most public roles. If you hold Nepali citizenship, the work restrictions above do not apply to you.

Nepali citizens

No student visa is required. Under the 1950 Indo-Nepal Treaty of Peace and Friendship you may enter, study, live and work in India on a Nepali citizenship certificate or passport. Universities will normally ask for your citizenship certificate, passport, academic transcripts and a migration or transfer certificate at enrolment. Keep certified copies of everything: the paperwork is done at the university rather than at a consulate.

All other nationalities

1. Secure admission. Apply directly, or through the government's Study in India portal, and receive a formal admission or provisional admission letter from a recognised institution.
2. Apply for the student visa. Submit the online application on the Indian visa portal, then book an appointment at the Indian mission in your country. The student visa is normally issued for the length of the course, up to five years, and is extendable in India.
3. Prepare the documents. Passport valid at least six months beyond entry, admission letter, academic transcripts, proof of funds covering tuition and living costs, proof of accommodation, passport photographs and the visa fee. Medical and MBBS applicants must additionally show their NEET result.
4. Attend the interview and biometrics where the mission requires them. Processing is commonly two to four weeks, so apply as soon as the admission letter arrives.
5. Register after arrival. If your visa is valid for more than 180 days, you must register with the Foreigners Regional Registration Office (FRRO) within 14 days of arriving, and keep that registration current for the length of your course.

Rules and fees change; always confirm the current requirements with the Indian mission in your country before you book travel.

• ICCR scholarships - the Indian Council for Cultural Relations funds several thousand international students each year across undergraduate, postgraduate and doctoral study, covering tuition, a monthly living allowance, accommodation support and airfare on some schemes. Applications run through the A2A Scholarships portal and the Indian embassy in your country, usually with a spring deadline for the July intake.
• Study in India programme - the government's central platform lists partner institutions offering fee waivers of 25 to 100 per cent to international students, applied at the point of admission.
• Nepal-specific quotas - the Government of India offers dedicated scholarship seats for Nepali students in engineering, medicine, agriculture and general degrees, administered through the Embassy of India in Kathmandu and Nepal's Ministry of Education. These are announced annually and are competitive.
• SAARC and Commonwealth quotas - reserved seats and fee concessions for students from SAARC and Commonwealth member states at several central universities.
• University merit scholarships - most private universities award entrance-test or board-result based waivers, typically 20 to 100 per cent of tuition, renewed each year against your CGPA.
• Research fellowships - PhD and MTech students at the IITs, IISc and NITs commonly receive a monthly stipend, which makes postgraduate research effectively self-funding.