study india services

What study india services does

Study in India is a flagship initiative of the Ministry of Education, Government of India, launched on 18 April 2018 and headquartered under the Ministry in New Delhi. It operates a single web-based centralized portal (www.studyinindia.gov.in) that serves as a one-stop platform for international students seeking higher education in India, covering student registration, unique SII ID generation, course exploration across 8,000+ courses at 600+ partner institutions, online application submission, offer letter management, visa processing assistance, and E-FRRO (Foreigner Regional Registration Office) integration. The portal was significantly upgraded on 3 August 2023 through a joint launch by the Ministry of Education, Ministry of Home Affairs, and Ministry of External Affairs, with technical infrastructure and copyright for the WhatsApp and Facebook chatbot tools held by IIT Madras.

The program operates a non-revenue model: registration is free, and tuition flows directly from students to partner institutes. Its economic value is generated indirectly through institute-driven scholarships and fee waivers (10–100% based on academic merit), ICCR's 3,000+ scholarships across 21 schemes for 180+ countries, ASEAN doctoral fellowships at IITs, the COMPEX scholarship for Nepalese students, and the ITEC Programme covering 161 countries. The go-to-market mix combines self-serve digital acquisition through the portal, multi-channel social media (X, Instagram, Facebook), educational fairs in 13+ target countries across South Asia, Southeast Asia, East Africa, the Middle East, and the United States, WhatsApp notifications to registered students, and 24x7 helpdesk support. Indian embassies and missions provide global visa and informational reach, and 136+ countries have been reached since inception.

Customer concentration is structurally low because the served persona is individual international students, not enterprise buyers. The partnership ecosystem is broad — 600+ HEIs meeting NAAC 3.01+ / NIRF / INI/IOE / QS Asia eligibility, alongside ICCR, MEA, Ministry of Ayush, and IIT Madras — but the program captures none of the tuition revenue that flows through these partners. There are no AI/ML capabilities disclosed: the technology is a deterministic web platform with rule-based course filtering. The entity is a policy and brand instrument for internationalizing Indian higher education rather than a commercial business.

Name

study india services

Legal name

Study in India Programme - Ministry of Education, Government of India

Website

https://studyinindia.gov.in

Company type

Private

Founded year

2018

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

Study in India is a flagship Government of India initiative under the Ministry of Education that operates a centralized digital portal connecting international students from 136+ countries to 600+ Indian higher education institutions and 8,000+ courses, integrating admissions, visa processing, and scholarship facilitation.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

International Education Services

NAICS

Educational Support Services (611710)

SIC

Services-Educational Services (8200)

akta.pro primary industry

Application Processing & Admissions Support (Document Prep, SOP/Essay, Credential Review) (EDAIACAB)

akta.pro secondary industries

Student Immigration Status Maintenance & Reporting Support (EDAIADAG), Application Support, Matching Platforms & Scholarship Administration Services (EDAIAOAN)

Keywords

• International student recruitment
• Higher education portal
• Visa processing services
• Scholarship facilitation
• Educational institution partnerships

Headquarters

HQ city

New Delhi

HQ country

India

HQ region

Asia

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Technology or R&D, Marketing or Sales, Operations, Infrastructure

Revenue model

1. No Direct Revenue Model: Study in India is a flagship government initiative of the Ministry of Education, Government of India. The program does not generate revenue. Instead, it facilitates international students' admission to partner Indian institutions. Revenue flows to partner institutes through tuition fees paid directly by students.
2. Institute-Driven Scholarships: Partner institutes provide financial assistance in the form of institute-driven scholarships and fee waivers ranging from 10% to 100% based on meritorious students' previous academic scores. The program itself does not offer scholarships but facilitates institute-provided financial assistance.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

Study in India operates a centralized web-based portal (www.studyinindia.gov.in) that enables foreign students to register, obtain a unique SII ID, explore 8,000+ courses across 600+ partner Indian institutes, submit applications, accept offer letters, and complete visa and FRRO registration. The program also facilitates institute-driven scholarships and fee waivers (10–100%) and runs additional scholarship schemes (ICCR, COMPEX, ITEC, Doctoral Fellowship for ASEAN). It is a non-revenue flagship initiative of the Ministry of Education, Government of India, and does not charge students for registration.

Product overview

Study in India is a flagship initiative by the Ministry of Education, Government of India, operating through a unified digital portal (www.studyinindia.gov.in) that serves as a comprehensive platform for international students. The core product consists of the Study in India Portal with integrated modules for student registration (generating unique SII IDs), institute registration, course exploration (8,000+ courses across 600+ partner institutes), choice filling and application submission, offer letter management, scholarship/fee waiver processing, and E-FRRO visa services. Supporting add-on scholarship programs include the Doctoral Fellowship for ASEAN, COMPEX (for Nepalese students), ICCR's 21 scholarship schemes, and the ITEC Programme—all administered through the same portal ecosystem.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Study in India Portal Centralized web-based one-stop platform for international students to register, obtain a unique SII ID, explore courses and institutes, submit applications to multiple partner institutes, accept offer letters, access scholarship information, and complete visa and FRRO tracking. Serves foreign students from 136+ countries seeking higher education in India.
• E-FRRO Service Web-based centralized online platform enabling faceless, cashless and paperless visa-related services for international students, including online Registration Permit/Certificate processing, visa extension, visa conversion, and exit permit applications without visiting FRRO offices.
• Scholarship and Fee Waiver System Institute-driven scholarship and tuition fee waiver system managed through the student dashboard, providing financial assistance of 10% to 100% based on meritorious students' previous academic scores.
• ICCR Scholarship Schemes Over 3,000 scholarships offered through 21 schemes by the Indian Council for Cultural Relations to foreign students from 180+ countries, across streams including Dance, Music, Yoga and Ayurveda (excluding Medicine) at undergraduate, postgraduate and PhD levels.
• Doctoral Fellowship for ASEAN Fellowship program offering around 1,000 students from ASEAN nations the opportunity to pursue PhDs at IITs, covering living costs and studies for up to 5 years with monthly stipends of INR 31,000 (first 2 years) and INR 35,000 (remaining 3 years), plus an annual research grant of INR 170,000.
• COMPEX Scholarship Scholarship scheme for Nepalese students by the Government of India covering undergraduate courses such as Engineering, Agriculture, Nursing and Pharmacy in Indian institutes, with selection based on an online Remote Proctored Exam conducted by the Embassy of India.
• ITEC Programme Indian Technical and Economic Cooperation Programme fully funded by the Government of India, inviting 161 countries to share India's development experience; covers accommodation, tuition fees, airfare and living allowance for selected candidates.

Quantifiable outcome

• Institute-driven scholarships can range from 10% to 100% tuition fee waiver based on academic merit
• +3 more outcomes

Named customers1 record

Segments1 record

Ideal customer profiles1 record

Technology focussed Yes

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration10 records

Feature3 records

Partnerships

Five partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• 600+ Indian Higher Education InstitutionscoreOthersThe Study in India program partners with over 600 Indian colleges and universities meeting strict eligibility criteria including: NAAC accreditation of 3.01+, NIRF rankings, Institute of National Importance/Eminence status, QS World Ranking Asia, or autonomous status by government bodies. Partner institutes offer 8000+ courses across disciplines.
• Indian Council for Cultural Relations (ICCR)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerICCR regulates more than 3000 scholarships annually through 21 schemes for foreign students from 180+ countries. Scholarships are offered across most streams including Dance, Music, Yoga, and Ayurveda except Medicine, at undergraduate, postgraduate and PhD levels.
• Ministry of External Affairs (MEA)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerMEA partners with SII for various scholarship schemes including the Scholarship Programme for Diaspora Children (SPDC), ASEAN fellowships, and bilateral scholarship programs for students from various countries.
• IIT MadrascoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerIIT Madras holds copyright for Study in India tools including WhatsApp and Facebook chatbot. The institute is a key technical partner in the program infrastructure.
• Ministry of AyushminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerMinistry of Ayush co-funds AYUSH scholarship schemes for BIMSTEC countries, non-BIMSTEC countries, Malaysia, and South East Asian Region under the ICCR framework.

Scale indicators6 records

Recent moves8 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Broad incumbents

• IDP Education: IDP Education is a global leader in international student placement, co-owner of IELTS and a major recruiter of students to Australia, UK, Canada and other destinations. It is a broad incumbent comparable in the international student recruitment category, though it focuses on outbound-to-other-countries rather than inbound to one host country.
• Hotcourses Abroad: Hotcourses Abroad (IDP-owned) is a global course search platform that helps prospective students compare programs across destinations. It is a broad incumbent in the international study search and information category.

Regional players

• Careers360: Careers360 is one of India's largest education portals providing college search, ranking, exam information and career counseling. It is a regional comparable as an Indian higher-education information and admissions support platform.
• CollegeDunia: CollegeDunia is an Indian college search and admissions information platform listing thousands of Indian institutions and courses. It is a regional comparable in the Indian higher education discovery and information category.

Emerging players

• Yocket: Yocket is an Indian study-abroad community and application platform focused on graduate admissions, predominantly outbound from India. It is an emerging player with comparable digital admissions tooling and target audience of international-aspirational students.
• Adventus.io: Adventus.io provides international student recruitment software and services connecting students, recruitment partners and institutions. It is an emerging player in the same international student recruitment infrastructure category.

Direct peers

• ApplyBoard: ApplyBoard is a global online platform that connects international students with educational institutions, processing applications to thousands of programs across multiple countries. It is directly comparable as a centralized digital marketplace for international student recruitment, though it operates across many destination countries rather than a single host country.
• Leverage Edu: Leverage Edu is an Indian study-abroad platform that helps students apply to universities globally with AI-driven counseling and fintech offerings. It is a direct comparable as an India-rooted international education platform, though it operates primarily outbound (Indian students going abroad) rather than inbound to India.
• Studyportals: Studyportals is a global course and program search platform used by millions of prospective students to compare programs across countries and institutions. It is directly comparable as a course discovery and international student information platform.

Others

• Education in India (Ed.CIL): Ed.CIL (Educational Consultants India Limited) is a Government of India enterprise under the Ministry of Education that promotes Indian education abroad and handles scholarship programs for foreign students. It is an adjacent government ecosystem participant serving similar international student and education-export functions.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/StudyInIndiaGov
• Facebookfacebook.com/studyinindiagov
• Instagraminstagram.com/studyinindiagov
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/study-india-services

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about study india services