Canada unveils $100 million scholarships for Indian students: Details here

Canada and India launch a new talent strategy with scholarships, hybrid campuses and university partnerships aimed at expanding study and research opportunities

Indian students looking to study in Canada could soon access up to 200 fully funded scholarships backed by $100 million in funding from the University of Toronto, under a new talent strategy agreed between India and Canada.

 

On March 2, 2026, the office of Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney released a statement announcing a series of measures that include scholarships, university partnerships and hybrid campuses linking institutions in both countries.

 

The announcement includes funding support, institutional partnerships and new cross-border academic programmes aimed at widening opportunities for Indian students.

 

What the new Canada–India talent strategy includes

 

According to the statement, the measures include:

 

 

1. $100 million in funding from the University of Toronto, which will provide up to 200 fully funded scholarships for Indian students studying in Canada

2. 13 new partnerships between Indian and Canadian universities to expand study and exchange opportunities

3. Three hybrid study locations to be launched in India

4. A new Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) between India and Canada to strengthen collaboration across creative industries such as performing arts, visual arts, music, publishing and entertainment technologies

 

Hybrid campuses and research hubs

 

The new strategy also includes the creation of three hybrid academic centres in India.

 

These include:

 

• An innovation campus developed through a collaboration between Dalhousie University, the Indian Institute of Technology Tirupati, and the Indian Institute of Science Education and Research Tirupati

• A University of Toronto Centre of Excellence that will support research collaboration

• A McGill University Centre of Excellence focused on talent development and research in artificial intelligence

 

Both centres are expected to bring together Indian and Canadian researchers working on artificial intelligence and related fields.

 

Universities sign 13 new partnerships

 

Alongside the scholarship initiative, 13 new agreements have been signed between Canadian and Indian institutions to promote student mobility, research collaboration and joint academic programmes.

 

While the collaborations remain in early stages, the agreements outline areas such as faculty exchange, research partnerships and specialised academic pathways.

 

Examples of the partnerships include:

 

University of British Columbia – O.P. Jindal Global University

The agreement will:

• Facilitate student and faculty exchanges

• Support joint research collaboration

 

Simon Fraser University – O.P. Jindal Global University

The agreement will:

• Explore student and faculty mobility opportunities

• Develop joint academic programmes

• Expand research collaboration and transnational education initiatives

 

University of the Fraser Valley – Panjab University

The agreement will:

• Enable student and faculty mobility

• Support joint academic programmes

• Expand research collaboration

• Introduce cohort-based student mobility models

 

Algoma University – Parul University

The agreement will:

• Support research collaboration

• Promote faculty and student exchanges

• Offer short courses and summer programmes

• Create pathway agreements for Parul School of Computer Science and Engineering students to enter selected Algoma University programmes

 

Algoma University – Chandigarh University

The agreement will:

• Expand an existing partnership

• Enable research collaboration

• Promote student and faculty exchanges

• Offer short courses and summer programmes

• Create pathway agreements allowing eligible Chandigarh University students in psychology, computer applications and management to transition into Algoma University programmes

 

Dalhousie University – SRM Institute of Science and Technology

The agreement will support:

• A Nursing Dual Degree Programme

• 25 Indian Nursing Council-approved supernumerary seats

• Dual credentials from both institutions

• Embedded clinical experience in Canada

• Exploration of a pathway to nursing practice in Nova Scotia

 

Dalhousie University – Indian Council of Agricultural Research

The agreement will support collaboration in:

• Digital agriculture

• Climate-resilient agriculture

• Horticulture

• Aquaculture

• Animal husbandry

• Joint research across these priority areas

 

University of Guelph – O.P. Jindal Global University

The agreement will:

• Facilitate student and faculty mobility for training and research

 

Brock University – O.P. Jindal Global University

The agreement will:

• Support faculty collaborations

• Enable three-year exchange programmes in areas such as public health, sports management and business

 

Royal Roads University – O.P. Jindal Global University

The agreement will:

• Promote faculty and student exchange programmes

 

Simon Fraser University – Hydrogen Association of India

The agreement will:

• Advance joint hydrogen research

• Support innovation and technology development in hydrogen systems

• Contribute to clean-energy solutions

 

University of Toronto – Indian Institute of Science

The agreement will:

• Support artificial intelligence research collaboration

• Launch joint research and education initiatives

• Involve the Temerty Centre for AI Research and Education in Medicine

 

University of Toronto – Jio Institute

The agreement will support:

• Collaboration in artificial intelligence programmes

• Collaboration in management programmes

• Student and faculty exchanges

 

A growing focus on education cooperation

 

The agreements follow a February 2026 visit by more than 20 Canadian university presidents to India, described as Canada’s largest academic delegation to the country.

 

India remains one of the largest source countries for international students and new permanent residents in Canada. The country is also home to a large diaspora, with more than 1.8 million Canadians of Indian origin.