Top 7 Prestigious (And Popular) Scholarships for Indian students.
When I say “Scholarship”, many questions must come to your mind at once! Do they really give these scholarships? Are they genuine? When and how do I apply? Oh wait, I have to be exceptionally talented to even apply right?
You want the truth? Yes. Scholarships are awarded to encourage talent, and make sure that money is not a criteria to hold back from attaining the kind of education you deserve. So if you are someone who thinks they deserve to have the best education and are not afraid to prove it, or know someone who can use such scholarships, you should read on. Here is a list of the 7 most popular and genuine scholarships for Indian Students who want to pursue their post-metric education in Indian Institutes:
1—INSPIRE Scholarship
Inspire is an initiative by the Department of Science & Technology, Government of India, to offer financial aid to students for pursuing courses in Basic and Natural Sciences. This particular program is called the Scholarship for Higher Education (SHE).
Scholarship Eligibility – Students who rank in the top 1% in 12th standard in their board examinations, and are admitted to any B.Sc. or integrated M.Sc. courses are eligible. Students who fall into top 10,000 ranks in JEE (Mains & Advanced) and NEET are also eligible for this scholarship, if they choose to pursue basic and natural sciences.
Scholarship Amount – INR 80,000 per student each year
No. of Seats – 10,000 students are offered this award every year
Application Time – Application starts in November every year
What’s Special – The special feature of this scholarship is that it has no separate entrance examination. It selects the awardees on the basis of existing educational infrastructure. It also provides mentorship support to each scholar.
2—Kishore Vaigyanik Protsahan Yojana (KVPY)
KVPV is another National Fellowship for students, who want to pursue basic sciences and research. This, too, is an initiative of The Department of Science & Technology, Government of India.
Scholarship Eligibility – Highly-motivated students, studying in class 11th to 1st year of graduation (Science stream), who have an aptitude for science & research, are eligible to apply. Selection is made on the basis of an aptitude test conducted by IISc, Bangalore. For the renewal of scholarship every year, it is mandatory to maintain a good academic record – scoring minimum of 60% each year.
Scholarship Amount:
For B.Sc. – INR 5000 per student each year, and an annual contingency fund of INR 20,000
For M.Sc. – INR 7000 per student each year, and an annual contingency fund of INR 28,000
No. of Seats – Anywhere between 300 to 700 students are offered this award every year
Application Time – Application starts in July every year
What’s Special – The exam for this award can be taken in standards 11th and 12th, as well as in 1st year of graduation. This kind of flexibility is not common for such scholarships.
3—HDFC Educational Crisis Scholarship Support
HDFC Scholarship is an initiative by the HDFC Bank to help students in times of crisis such as death of a parent, life-threatening illness, or loss of job of the earning parent, etc.
Scholarship Eligibility – Students in 6th to 12th standard are eligible to apply, on merit-cum-need basis, with a family income less than 3 Lakhs per annum, or family facing a critical financial situation in the past 2 years.
Scholarship Amount:
For School –INR 10,000 or tuition fee, whichever is less, every year
For College – INR 25,000 or tuition fee, whichever is less, every year
No. of Seats – More than 1,000 students receive this award every year
Application Time – Application starts in May every year
What’s Special – Students from any stream or course can apply for this scholarship; this flexibility helps the student pick any course of his/her choice.
4—Foundation for Academic Excellence and Access (FAEA)
The FAEA is an initiative by Bharat Heavy Electricals Limited (BHEL) that provides financial assistance to students from economically disadvantaged section, for undergraduate studies.
Scholarship Eligibility – Students belonging to the economically-weaker section in the SC/ST/BPL category, who have passed class 12th or are in their first year of college can apply for this scholarship.
Scholarship Amount – The Scholarship covers the total cost of study of the student, so it varies
No. of Seats – 50 students are offered this scholarship every year
Application Time – Application starts in May/June every year
What’s Special – Students from any stream or course are eligible for this scholarship; what’s more, it covers a wide range of expenses such as tuition fee, hostel fee, maintenance allowance, books, etc.
AICTE Pragati Scholarship for Girls
The AICTE Pragati Scholarship is an initiative for young women to continue their higher education, in the technical field. This scholarship is aimed to provide assistance to the education girls belonging to economically weaker families.
Scholarship Eligibility – The student should be enrolled in a degree or diploma course in 1st year in any AICTE-approved institution.
Scholarship Amount – The scholarship offers tuition fee up to INR 30,000 and INR 2000 per month for 10 months.
No. of Seats – A total of 4000 girls are awarded this scholarship every year
Application Time – Application for this scholarship starts around August/September
What’s Special – This award is one of the best initiatives to boost female education in India. It does not add the pressure of a separate entrance examination for students.
We hope this list proves to be as helpful for you as we intend it to be. For another list of scholarship options for foreign education, keep updated with us.