Scholarships for Ph.D

Question

I am currently doing my M.Tech in Computer Science and Engineering in India and I want to do a Ph.D. in the US. Are any scholarships available for Ph.D. in the US that take care of all the expenses there (similar to DAAD scholarships offered for pursuing secondary education in Germany)? If there are other similar scholarships for other countries please inform me.

Answer 1

There are at least 2 such scholarships, which are specifically aimed at international students:

• Fulbright Scholarships for International Students (applications have to be done more than a year before, and its extremely competitive - though now I find applications for 2013-14 have been suspended)
• Aga Khan Foundation International Scholarship Programme, which has the following selection criteria:
  1. Excellent academic records,
  2. Genuine financial need,
  3. Admission to a reputable institution of higher learning and
  4. Thoughtful and coherent educational and career plans. Candidates are also evaluated on their extra-curricular interests and achievements, potential to achieve their goals and likelihood to succeed in a foreign academic environment. Applicants are expected to have some years of work experience in their field of interest

Answer 2

Normally, if you're doing a PhD in the United States—at least in the sciences and engineering—you shouldn't have to worry about having a scholarship. The department or advisor should be responsible for paying your tuition as well as a stipend for your living expenses. So there aren't a lot of "scholarships" in the same sense as for undergraduate study. However, while there are fellowships which provide "portable" funds for graduate study, these tend to have stringent citizenship requirements, and I can't ever recall seeing one for which Indian students were eligible.

Your best bet is probably just to apply to the graduate programs in which you're interested, and see if they have funds to support your graduate work.

Answer 3

Contact potential advisors, if you are really worth it for them they will provide fund for you (when accepted).
The same when apply to universities: most universities give graduate students scholarship ( with the acceptance letter) in form of Teaching Assistant (TA) or Research Assistant (RA).
Some of them don't offer funding with the acceptance letter but the bottom line is: if you are good you will get scholarship (either from Gradstudies Office or from department, from supervisor..etc) while you pursue your degree.