Inlaks Scholarship

Who can apply

Indian passport holder, resident in India at the time of application, born on or after 1 January 1996 (the cutoff stated for the 2026 cycle)
A degree from a recognised Indian university (final-year students awaiting results may apply); applicants with an undergraduate degree from abroad must have resided, worked, or studied in India continuously for at least 2 years after that degree
Minimum grade of 65% / CGPA 6.8 out of 10 / GPA 2.6 out of 4 for Social Sciences, Humanities, Law, Fine Arts, Architecture and related subjects; minimum 70% / CGPA 7.2 out of 10 / GPA 3 out of 4 for Mathematics, Sciences, Environment and related subjects
Already holds a conditional or unconditional offer of admission at the time of application; every condition on a conditional offer, including any English-language certification requirement, must be met before the final interview
Not eligible if you already hold a postgraduate qualification from abroad, or are already studying one; not eligible for Business and Finance, Computer Science, Engineering (except Engineering and Natural Sciences at Imperial College London), Fashion Design, Film and Film Animation (except documentary filmmaking), Hospitality and Tourism, Indian Studies without Contemporary Relevance, Management Studies/MBA, Medicine, Dentistry and related therapies, or Music (except Western Classical singing)

A longer, more specific exclusion list than most scholarships publish

The subject exclusion list here is longer and more specific than most scholarships bother to publish, and it’s worth reading in full before you assume your field qualifies. Business, Computer Science, Engineering, Fashion Design, Film, Hospitality, Management/MBA, Medicine and Dentistry, and Music are all excluded outright, each with narrow, named exceptions: Engineering only qualifies at Imperial College London specifically, Film only for documentary work, and Music only for Western Classical singing. If your field isn’t one of the exceptions, this scholarship isn’t for you regardless of how strong your application would otherwise be.

An offer in hand is required, and every condition on it must clear before interview

You need an actual offer of admission in hand before you can apply, not just an intention to apply somewhere. A conditional offer is accepted, but every condition on it, including an English-language certification requirement written into the offer letter, has to be satisfied before your final interview, not just before enrollment. Sort out any outstanding conditions early rather than assuming you can clear them later in the process.

The two-year India-residency rule for foreign-degree holders

The two-year India-residency rule is a detail that catches people off guard if they did their undergraduate degree abroad. If your Bachelor’s came from a foreign university, you need to have then lived, worked, or studied in India continuously for at least two years afterward to qualify. Time spent abroad after that degree doesn’t count toward eligibility.

Arts applicants are judged primarily on their portfolio

Selection isn’t uniform across all fields. The Foundation states that candidates applying in art and design, meaning fine or performing arts, are assessed primarily on their portfolios rather than the same criteria used for other subjects, so a strong application in those fields looks different from a strong application in the sciences or humanities.

Nothing open right now, and the 2026 cohort includes real named scholars

There’s nothing open to apply to right now. The Foundation’s own page confirms 2026 applications are closed and shortlisted candidates have already been notified, with no 2027 dates published yet. The programme has a real track record behind it too: the Foundation’s own site profiles individual scholars by name and year, including a 2018 scholar now working in special education in India, giving a concrete sense of what past recipients have gone on to do.