Canada has announced a $100 million scholarship initiative aimed at expanding higher education opportunities for Indian students.
The announcement came as part of broader efforts to strengthen academic cooperation and research collaboration between Canada and India.
The programme will support Indian students who wish to pursue higher education in Canadian institutions.
The initiative is part of a wider Canada–India Talent and Innovation strategy that aims to improve student mobility, research collaboration and academic partnerships between universities in the two countries.
Officials said the scholarship fund will help attract talented Indian students and support stronger educational ties between the two nations.
SCHOLARSHIPS AND FUNDING SUPPORT
The initiative includes up to 200 fully funded scholarships that will be administered through the University of Toronto. These scholarships are meant for Indian students who are admitted to participating Canadian institutions.
The scholarships will support students across multiple levels of study, including undergraduate, master’s, doctoral and postdoctoral programmes. In many cases, the funding may also cover living expenses and research-related costs in addition to tuition.
The programme aims to support high-achieving students and researchers while strengthening long-term academic partnerships between Canada and India.
HYBRID STUDY LOCATIONS AND RESEARCH CENTRES
Another key feature of the initiative is the creation of three hybrid study locations in India. These centres will allow students to begin their Canadian programmes in India before completing the remainder of their studies in Canada.
These academic hubs will focus on important research areas such as artificial intelligence, technology and innovation. The centres are expected to support collaborative research projects, training programmes and joint academic courses.
One of the proposed centres will be developed by Dalhousie University in partnership with Indian institutions, while other centres will involve collaborations with leading Canadian universities.
The idea is to make international education more accessible while also strengthening research cooperation between institutions in both countries.
NEW UNIVERSITY PARTNERSHIPS
As part of the broader initiative, 13 new agreements have been signed between Canadian and Indian universities.
These partnerships aim to promote:
- Student exchange programmes
- Joint academic degrees
- Research collaborations
- Short-term courses and training programmes
The collaborations will focus on fields such as artificial intelligence, clean energy, agriculture, health sciences and public policy.
Officials said these partnerships will create new academic pathways for students while allowing institutions to collaborate on global challenges through research and innovation.
WHAT THIS MEANS FOR INDIAN STUDENTS
For Indian students interested in studying in Canada, the initiative offers several new opportunities:
- Up to 200 fully funded scholarships for Indian students
- Hybrid learning centres allowing students to begin studies in India
- 13 new university partnerships to increase mobility, joint degrees and research links.
- Greater collaboration between Canadian and Indian institutions
Experts believe the initiative could make Canadian higher education more accessible for talented students while strengthening academic cooperation between the two countries.
STUDENT VISA CAP AND GLOBAL POLICY CHANGES
The announcement also comes at a time when international student mobility policies are changing across major study destinations.
In 2024, Canada introduced a temporary cap on international student permits to stabilise the rapid growth of foreign enrolments. The policy reduced the number of new study permits by about 35 percent, bringing the expected approvals to around 360,000 for 2024.
The policy was introduced to ease pressure on housing, healthcare and other public services in Canadian cities with large student populations.
Because Indian students represent the largest group of international students in Canada, the cap has had a noticeable impact on them. In fact, approvals for Indian study permits have dropped significantly in recent years, with some reports showing around a 50 percent decline in approvals in 2025.
At the same time, global immigration changes have also affected student choices.
A sharp increase in H1B visa fees in the United States, which rose dramatically for employers sponsoring workers, has created uncertainty for many international students and professionals seeking careers there.
These shifts in immigration and visa policies are influencing where students choose to study and work, making scholarship initiatives and international academic partnerships even more important.
The new scholarship programme, therefore, comes at a significant moment, offering Indian students additional pathways to pursue global education while strengthening academic collaboration between India and Canada.
