Embassy of India

in Switzerland and The Principality of Liechtenstein

LATA MANGESHKAR DANCE & MUSIC SCHOLARSHIP SCHEME BY INDIAN COUNCIL FOR CULTURAL RELATIONS (ICCR) FOR THE ACADEMIC YEAR 2024-25

ICCR is pleased to announce Lata Mangeshkar Dance & Music Scholarship Scheme (A1209) (formerly ICCR Scholarship Scheme for lndian Culture) for pursuing study of lndian Culture such as dance, music, theatre, performing art, sculpture, lndian languages, Indian cuisine. etc at lndian Universities / Institutes for the academic year 2024-25.

The applications from interested international students for academic year 2024-25 will be invited online directly on ICCR’s A2A Scholarship Portal http://a2ascholarships.iccr.gov.in

The time-line for the admission process is as under:

The applicant's age( on the date of opening portal) for availing scholarship is as under:

For Undergraduate / Postgraduate courses- between 18 to 40 years and

For PhD Programmes- 50 years Maximum.

As you may be aware, ICCR has rationalized the list of Universities / Institutes for scholarship and now there are 126 Universities/Institutes on board with ICCR for the A.Y 2024-25. The list of Universities/ Institutes will be reflected in application Portal when opened.

Highlights of admission process for the Academic Year 2024-25 under Lata Mangeshkar Dance & Music Scholarship Scheme (A1209) :

1) Only Universities / Institutes having excellent academic reputation, requisite facilities to host foreign students, dedicated office of ISA to address the issues of foreign students, already having sizeable number of foreign students are empanelled. The list of criteria for empanelment is decided by ICCR and may be amended from time to time if required.

2) Applicants have the option to apply to 5 Universities / Institutes in the order of their preference of study. The admission, as far as possible, shall be given as per applicant’s preference. However, there may be a scenario when students do not get admission in their preferred Universities / Institutes due to limited number of seats on offer.

3) Since last AY 2023-24, a 500-word essay in English has been introduced to ascertain English proficiency. Besides, students can also submit their TOFEL / IELTS etc. standardised Test scores, if available. ICCR is also requesting Universities / Institutes to conduct interview of the applicants online if so, required. There will be no separate English test by Missions as was earlier.

4) Rejected candidates will be intimated by Universities. We have requested Universities to inform students if their application is rejected.

5) ICCR has introduced disbursement of all scholarship payment to students through PFMS w.e.f February 2021. This is as per GOI guidelines on direct payment to beneficiaries.

6) The guidelines of all schemes are available on the Portal and it may be used for disseminating amongst the interested candidates. The online applications will be scrutinized and forwarded further.

7) These scholarship slots include return economy class air-fares to the nearest airport and 3rd AC Train fare to the place of study, if so required.

8) Interested students are advised to visit respective University / Institute website regularly for courses offered, eligibility criteria and general information about the University / Institute before applying for admission. The students should ensure that they are eligible for the course and meet the eligibility criteria and should submit relevant documentation as required by the Universities in addition to the basic certificates mentioned in the application form. They are also advised to refer to the University’s Handbook / University Grants Commission’s website etc.

9)The application will not be considered without English translation of documents if the original documents are not in English. It may also be noted that incomplete application can be summarily rejected by Universities. Students are advised to thoroughly check their applications and attach requisite documents before submission of the application.

10) The admissions in Medical/ Paramedical (Nursing / Physiotherapy / anaesthesia etc.) / fashion / law courses / integrated courses such as BALLB (5 Years) / B Sc & M Sc (S Years) etc. are not admissible.

11) Please note that for Science courses the expenditure on laboratory chemicals and other related incidental charges will be borne by the scholars themselves.

12) It is compulsory for all ICCR scholarship students to procure Medical Insurance policy with minimum sum assured for Indian Rupees Five Lakhs per annum. Applicants are informed that when they travel to India, they must have medical insurance coverage on their own either before travel or immediately after reaching India, whichever is convenient. Students can purchase medical insurance from any of the insurance companies of their choice. However to facilitate students, the Portal has two insurance companies for referral purpose. ICCR has uploaded the revised norms on its Portal.

13) To automate the entire manual work process of ICCR-Scholarship Division, ICCR has launched an application, 'Gyan Setu - connecting Culture through Knowledge' on 6 February 2023. Since the inception of Gyan Setu app, all the scholarship dues to the Universities/Institutes as well as to the Students, are being released through this app only. The features of Gyan Setu app are elaborated below:

Role of Scholars/students -Post Arrival of Students in India:

(i) Students are directed to report their arrival on the Gyan_Setu web application on an immediate basis.

(ii) Students are required to coordinate with their respective Universities/institutes regarding updation of their details such as joining report on the app.

(ii) Submission & Verification of Documents / Confirmation of Admission : Students are to submit the original documents for verifying the details mentioned in the Portal during the admission process with their original documents including Passport, previous degree certificates, country's unique identification number, in order to confirm the admission of students and get the Hostel Accommodation as soon as the admission is confirmed.

PLEASE NOTE- The details entered in the Portal, if in case, does not match with the original documents, the admission of the said student be termed as CANCELED.

14) In order to ensure security of the foreign students, ICCR advises students to stay in the campus hostel, if available. However, students are allowed to stay in private accommodation if the concerned institute does not insist on staying in their hostel.

15) Undertaking from the student that the course and the University, as conveyed, is acceptable and that he / she will not request for change at the time of admissions.

16) Undertaking from the student that they have read the terms and conditions / Guidelines of ICCR scholarship as specified in the Scholarship Manual 2024-25 (The one-time undertaking will be applicable even when scholarship manual is updated (as per para 36 like provisions), available on Portal.

17) Detailed guidelines on the process of applying for ICCR Scholarships are available on the Portal.

For any further queries, interested students should contact the Embassy of India in Berne by email at info.berne@mea.gov.in; cul.berne@mea.gov.in