The Indian Council for Cultural Relations (ICCR) has announced 1,000 online scholarships for Afghan students for the 2026–2027 academic year, continuing a programme designed to support access to higher education for Afghan nationals.
According to the ICCR, applications will be accepted from July 15 to July 24, 2026, through the iLearn online education portal. The scholarships are available for undergraduate and postgraduate programmes offered by Indian universities and higher education institutions.
The council said the scholarships will cover tuition fees but, because all courses are delivered online, recipients will not receive living allowances, monthly stipends or other financial support.
Before the Taliban returned to power in 2021, the programme offered scholarships for in-person study in India. However, after India suspended visa issuance for Afghan students, the initiative was converted into an online learning programme.
The ICCR noted that its Afghanistan scholarship programme was launched in 2005 with 500 scholarships annually before later expanding to 1,000 places. Since the 2023–2024 academic year, the programme has continued in an online format.
According to the eligibility criteria, scholarships will be awarded after applicants are nominated by participating Indian universities and Indian diplomatic missions abroad, subject to approval by India’s Ministry of External Affairs.
The announcement comes as Taliban restrictions on education for girls remain in force. Girls above the sixth grade are still barred from attending school, and women remain prohibited from studying at universities, leaving Afghanistan the only country in the world where girls are denied access to both secondary and higher education.
