For a master's applicant, the most important US funding may not be a scholarship with a national application form. Teaching and research assistantships can provide a tuition waiver plus a ₹13L – ₹26L stipend ($15,000–$30,000 stipend). They are awarded by individual departments, not by the central admissions office.
That distinction changes how you should apply. Submit your admission application, but also investigate the department's funded teaching and research work. Email professors whose work you have genuinely read. Explain the relevant skills you could bring to their lab or course. This is a real funding strategy, not a shortcut to admission.
Assistantships are competitive, so you cannot build a financial plan that assumes you will receive one. But they change the budget more than any other single factor. A realistic all-in first-year budget for a public-university master's is ₹35L – ₹48L ($40,000–$55,000). Apply for assistantships in the same breath as you apply for admission.
Timing matters too. Fall runs from August – September, with applications generally due by December – January. It is the main intake, and almost all funding is here. Spring begins in January, with applications generally due by August – September, but has fewer courses and much less funding. If funding is essential, Fall should usually drive your plan.
