PhD aspirant denied visa as UK says state govt scholarship not valid

Director of Technical Education Pramod Naik told The Indian Express that he was not previously aware of this visa issue.

4 min readUpdated: Sep 1, 2026 01:46 PM IST

Agarwal, a resident of Gondia District, has been selected for a PhD in Materials Chemistry at the University of Manchester. (Photo/AI-generated)

A Maharashtra student, who was selected for a PhD programme at the University of Manchester, was denied visa by the United Kingdom government citing that the scholarships awarded by state-level government do not qualify the criteria.

Aryan Agarwal, a resident of Gondia District, has been selected for a PhD in Materials Chemistry at the University of Manchester. He was awarded the Foreign Countries Higher Education Scholarship run by the Directorate of Technical Education of Maharashtra earlier this year.

However, the UK The Immigration Rules Appendix Finance states that scholarships provided only by the “the applicant’s national government” are eligible for visas.

“You have provided sponsorship evidence from the Directorate of Technical Education, Government of Maharashtra. As this is a state government body rather than a national government sponsor, it does not meet the above criteria,” read the visa refusal letter.

“I received an unconditional offer from the University of Manchester in June 2025, and the scholarship was delayed and the result was eventually published on 16 February 2026. The University issued me a revised offer for the July 2026 intake. However, my visa has now been rejected,” Agarwal told The Indian Express.

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The letter also mentioned that documents provided by him do not demonstrate that he was “in possession of the required level of funds”.

“Usually, students take a loan from a bank and show the required balance in their accounts and get the visa. The scholarship money is then used as reimbursement for the loan. However I cannot do this as the required amount for me is Rs 60 lakh. Such a huge loan requires collateral and I do not have it,” he added.

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Director of Technical Education Pramod Naik told The Indian Express that he was not previously aware of this visa issue. He said that there was no provision in government rules that allowed for deposit of the amount in the university’s account before the student physically goes there. Naik said, “The student should email his situation to the scholarship account and it will be taken up with appropriate authorities.”

Office of Chandrakant Patil, Maharashtra’s Minister of Higher and Technical Education, did not respond to requests for a comment.

Agarwal has written a mail to the Directorate on August 26 regarding his issue but has not yet received a response.

The Maharashtra government provides foreign education scholarships to hundreds of students through seven departments—Tribal Development, Social Justice and Special Assistance, Higher and Technical Education, Other Backward Bahujan Welfare Development, Minority Development Department, Forest Department, and Planning Department SARTHI.

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Agarwal has completed an Integrated MTech in Chemical Engineering from ICT Mumbai. He lost his father in a wild boar attack while he was travelling in a jungle area in Gondia earlier this year.
Agarwal has now written to the Directorate of Technical Education to provide a resolution for the issue. “The University has informed me that if the first year tuition fee can be deposited in their account, it will reflect on the dashboard and will be deducted from the balance I would have to show in my bank account. This will make me eligible for the visa. The University has been very helpful,” he said.

Soham Shah

Soham Shah is a Correspondent with The Indian Express, based in Pune. A journalism graduate with a background in fact-checking, he brings a meticulous and research-oriented approach to his current reporting. Professional Background Role: Correspondent coverig education and city affairs in Pune. Specialization: His primary beat is education, but he also maintains a strong focus on civic issues, public health, human rights, and state politics. Key Strength: Soham focuses on data-driven reporting on school and college education, government reports, and public infrastructure. Recent Notable Articles (Late 2025) His late 2025 work highlights a transition from education-centric reporting to hard-hitting investigative and human-rights stories: 1. Investigations & Governance "Express Impact: Mother's name now a must to download birth certificate from PMC site" (Dec 20, 2025): Reporting on a significant policy change by the Pune Municipal Corporation (PMC) following his earlier reports on gender inclusivity in administrative documents. "44-Acre Mahar Land Controversy: In June, Pune official sought land eviction at Pawar son firm behest" (Nov 9, 2025): An investigative piece on real estate irregularities involving high-profile political families. 2. Education & Campus Life Faculty crisis at SPPU hits research, admin work: 62% of govt-sanctioned posts vacant, over 75% in many depts (Sept 12, 2025): An investigative piece on professor vacancies at Savitribai Phule Pune University. "Maharashtra’s controversial third language policy: Why National Curriculum Framework recommends a third language from Class 6" (July 2): This detailed piece unpacks reasons behind why the state's move to introduce a third language from class 1 was controversial. "Decline in number of schools, teachers in Maharashtra but student enrolment up: Report" (Jan 2025): Analyzing discrepancies in the state's education data despite rising student numbers. 3. Human Rights & Social Issues "Aanchal Mamidawar was brave after her family killed her boyfriend" (Dec 17, 2025): A deeply personal and hard-hitting opinion piece/column on the "crime of love" and honor killings in modern India. "'People disrespect the disabled': Meet the man who has become face of racist attacks on Indians" (Nov 29, 2025): A profile of a Pune resident with severe physical deformities who became the target of global online harassment, highlighting issues of disability and cyber-bullying. Signature Style Soham is known for his civil-liberties lens. His reporting frequently champions the rights of the marginalized—whether it's students fighting for campus democracy, victims of regressive social practices, or residents struggling with crumbling urban infrastructure (as seen in his "Breathless Pune" contributions). He is adept at linking hyper-local Pune issues to larger national conversations about law and liberty. X (Twitter): @SohamShah07 ... Read More

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