Home / Opportunities / South Asian University (SAU) Scholarships, Freeships & Financial Support 2027 (PhD Direct/Executive January 2027 session + Masters/Bachelors August 2027 cycle)
India · South Asian University, New Delhi
South Asian University (SAU) Scholarships, Freeships & Financial Support 2027 (PhD Direct/Executive January 2027 session + Masters/Bachelors August 2027 cycle)
South Asian University — the international university in New Delhi founded by all eight SAARC nations — funds a large share of its students through six scholarship and freeship schemes. Non-Indian SAARC students can win the SAARC-India Silver Jubilee Scholarship (full tuition + hostel + INR 7,000/month), while PhD students get INR 25,000/month plus full tuition and hostel waivers, and need-based freeships cover tuition and hostel for low-income students.
Why it is notable: it is one of the only fully-funded degree routes designed specifically for SAARC-region students (Afghanistan, Bangladesh, Bhutan, Maldives, Nepal, Sri Lanka, Pakistan) that most applicants outside South Asia have never heard of; scholarships are awarded automatically on entrance-test rank — no separate scholarship form.
Funding at a glance
What it covers
SAU President Scholarship (Masters): tuition waiver up to USD 440/semester, hostel fee waiver, INR 7,000/month stipend (11 months), INR 5,000 startup allowance (Indian) / INR 10,000 (non-Indian), INR 5,000 packup allowance (Indian) / INR 10,000 (non-Indian)
SAARC-India Silver Jubilee Scholarship (Masters, 75 awards, 50% women): tuition waiver up to USD 440/semester, hostel waiver, INR 7,000/month, INR 10,000 startup + INR 10,000 packup, for the full programme duration
SAU Merit Scholarship: tuition waiver up to USD 440/semester, hostel waiver, INR 5,000/month (11 months)
SAU Freeship with Stipend (need-based): tuition waiver up to USD 440/semester, hostel waiver, INR 5,000/month
SAU Freeship (need-based): tuition waiver up to USD 440/semester, hostel waiver
SAARC-India Silver Jubilee Scholarship (PhD, 25 slots, 50% women): tuition + hostel waiver, INR 25,000/month (INR 12,000 of it from MEA), INR 10,000 startup + INR 10,000 packup, up to 5 years
SAU PhD Scholarship: tuition + hostel waiver, INR 25,000/month, up to 5 years (for entrance-test admits with no other sponsorship)
This scholarship is offered for Undergraduate, Masters and PhD programs.
Who can apply
students from all eight SAARC nations (Afghanistan, Bangladesh, Bhutan, India, Maldives, Nepal, Pakistan, Sri Lanka) plus non-SAARC internationals (admitted via Direct Mode on qualifying-exam scores; non-SAARC students access merit-category awards)
Experience
No experience required (Executive PhD/MBA tracks consider professional experience where stated)
Language Certificate
Course-dependent — programmes are taught in English; no single university-wide language certificate rule published in the scholarship policy
Other Certificates
degree certificates and transcripts of the qualifying examination; family income certificate from the competent authority of the respective SAARC country (for freeships)
Age Limit
No Age Limit
Check your eligibility
Run all three quick checks before reviewing your chosen course's full entry requirements.
1
Country checker
SAARC nationals (Afghanistan, Bangladesh, Bhutan, India, Maldives, Nepal, Pakistan, Sri Lanka) eligible for the full scheme; non-SAARC nationals eligible for…
2
Last degree checker
Choose your highest completed qualification to see which degree level may fit.
3
Course checker
Pick a course to see whether it falls inside this scholarship's scope.
Complete all three checks
Your combined result will appear here.
Based on published eligibility — always confirm on the official page before applying.
Application essentials
Requirements
Review each requirement before you begin the application.
01
Qualification
bachelor's degree (typically 50–55%, programme-dependent) for Masters; master's degree for PhD; higher secondary for Bachelors (programme pages state exact marks)
02
Entrance route
SAU Entrance Test rank (merit awards go to top rankers per category/programme), or Direct Mode via national-level scores/qualifying results
03
No parallel funding
you must not hold any other government-recognised scholarship/fellowship or draw a salary — non-disclosure cancels the award with refund liability
04
Income proof (freeships only)
family income certificate from the competent authority of your SAARC country, submitted on the prescribed form after joining
05
Renewal
President/Merit — top rank each year; SJS Masters — CGPA 6.0 at end of 2nd/4th semester; Freeship with Stipend — CGPA 4.5 (science streams) / 4.0 (other streams); PhD — CGPA 6.0 after coursework, then satisfactory supervisor reports (unsatisfactory months pause disbursement)
06
Registration
awards are paid only for semesters in which you are duly registered; unregistered periods earn nothing
Document checklist
01Qualifying degree certificate and full transcripts/marksheets
04National-level test scorecard (Direct Mode) where applicable
05Family income certificate from the competent authority of your SAARC country (for freeship applicants, after joining)
06Research proposal / statement of purpose (PhD, programme-dependent)
Application fee
amount not published on the official pages viewed 2026-10-19 — the portal shows the current fee at checkout; confirm on
Visa, kept concise: Visa type: India Student Visa, applied online at indianvisaonline.gov.in and then at the Indian mission in your country with the SAU admission letter.
Application Procedure
10 steps — follow in order. Each stage prepares the next.
01
Check the programme list and eligibility at
admissions.sau.int (programme-wise pages list qualifying-exam requirements).
→
02
Register on the SAU admission portal (registration.sau.int)
and fill the online application for your programme and mode (Entrance Test mode or Direct Mode).
→
03
Upload documents and pay the application fee
on the portal (amount shown at checkout — confirm the current figure on the portal).
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06
Accept the admission offer and pay the
first-semester fees to secure the seat (tuition is refunded to scholarship/freeship awardees by the end of the first semester; PhD students pay no tuition at all).
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05
Scholarships need NO separate application —
President, Merit and SJS awards are allocated automatically by entrance-test rank/category; freeships are applied for on a prescribed form after joining (with the family income certificate).
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04
Entrance Test mode
sit the SAU Entrance Test (in-person in India; proctored online for other SAARC countries). Direct Mode: your national-level test scores or qualifying-exam results are used instead.
↓
07
Scholarship/freeship notifications follow the merit lists
disbursement is semester-wise after registration.
→
08
Qualifying degree certificate and full transcripts/marksheets
→
09
Valid photo ID (passport for internationals)
↓
10
Passport-size photograph (portal specifications)
Ready to apply?
Continue on the official South Asian University, New Delhi platform.
Do I need to apply separately for the scholarship? A: No. President, Merit and SAARC-India Silver Jubilee Scholarships are awarded automatically on entrance-test rank/category. Freeships are applied fDo scholarship holders pay tuition in the first semester? A: All Masters/M.Tech./B.Tech. students pay tuition with other fees to secure admission; the tuition fee (to the extent of the award) is refunWho can get the SAARC-India Silver Jubilee Scholarship? A: Students from Afghanistan, Bangladesh, Bhutan, Maldives, Sri Lanka and Nepal (75 Masters + 25 PhD slots; 50% reserved for women; award subjecWhat happens if I already have a UGC/CSIR JRF or another fellowship? A: You are not eligible for the SAU scholarships/freeships; PhD students with JRF-type support keep that funding under its own termCan the scholarship be taken away? A: Yes — if renewal CGPA/conduct criteria are not met, or if a supervisor marks PhD performance unsatisfactory, disbursement stops; wrongful income disclosure or conIs there an age limit? A: No age limit is stated in the official scholarship policy.Do non-SAARC internationals get anything? A: Yes — non-SAARC students admitted via Direct Mode are eligible for the merit categories (President/Merit scholarships, one slot each per programme for non-What if the first-rank holder declines the President Scholarship? A: It is transferable within the category and programme — offered to the next rank holder, and so on.
Need document or attestation help?
Detailed attestation guidance stays in Opplore's standalone Guides section, not inside this scholarship page.
India · South Asian University, New Delhi
