Canada has unveiled a landmark $100 million scholarship initiative aimed at expanding higher education opportunities for Indian students and deepening academic ties between the two countries.
The initiative was announced on Monday during a visit by Prime Minister Mark Carney to India, and forms a key part of the Canada-India Talent and Innovation Strategy.
University of Toronto’s 200 fully-funded scholarships
At the heart of the plan is a pledge by the University of Toronto to provide up to 200 fully funded scholarships for Indian nationals across undergraduate, master’s, doctoral, and postdoctoral programmes. These awards will cover tuition, living expenses and research stipends, making study in Canada significantly more accessible for high-achieving Indian students.
The scholarship push comes as Canadian institutions navigate recent challenges in international student recruitment. In 2025–26, international student caps contributed to a sharp drop in study permits issued to Indian students, a group that historically made up a large share of Canada’s international enrolments. Targeted scholarships aim to attract top talent even amid broader enrolment fluctuations.
13 new partnerships between Indian and Canadian universities
Beyond scholarships, the strategy includes 13 new academic partnerships between Canadian and Indian universities. These memoranda of understanding (MOUs) will foster student and faculty exchanges, dual-degree pathways and joint research initiatives in priority fields such as artificial intelligence (AI), clean energy, agriculture, health and technology.
Partners include institutions such as the University of British Columbia, Simon Fraser University, Dalhousie University and others collaborating with Indian institutions including OP Jindal Global University, Panjab University and SRM Institute of Science and Technology.
A distinctive feature of the plan is the launch of hybrid academic centres in India. These include an innovation campus led by Dalhousie University in partnership with the IIT Tirupati and the Indian Institute of Science Education and Research Tirupati, as well as Centres of Excellence established by the University of Toronto and McGill University focused on AI research and talent development.
The scholarships and partnerships signal a shift toward more structured, long-term academic cooperation between the two nations, with first major student intakes expected in fall 2027.