Various Scholarships for Students

The major categories of scholarships available in India include:

1. Central Government Scholarships

Managed mostly through the National Scholarship Portal (NSP) scholarships.gov.in , these schemes target merit, financial need, and minority communities. PM-USP Central Sector Scheme: Aimed at meritorious Class 12 graduates with a family income below Rs.4.5 Lakhs per annum to support university education. National Means-Cum-Merit Scholarship (NMMS): Provides financial aid to students of Class 8 to prevent dropouts and encourage secondary education. Ministry of Minority Affairs Schemes: Pre-matric, Post-matric, and Merit-cum-Means scholarships dedicated to students from notified minority communities (Muslims, Christians, Sikhs, Buddhists, Jains, and Parsis). Prime Minister's Scholarship Scheme (PMSS): Funded by the Ministry of Defence and Ministry of Home Affairs to support higher professional education for the wards and widows of Ex-servicemen and Central Armed Police Forces. NATIONAL SCHOLARSHIP PORTAL : https://scholarships.gov.in/

2. UGC and AICTE Schemes

These are specific regulatory scholarships meant for higher education and technical streams. Pragati Scholarship Scheme: An AICTE initiative providing financial support exclusively to girl students pursuing technical degrees or diplomas. Saksham Scholarship Scheme: Supported by AICTE for specially-abled students enrolled in technical education. Ishan Uday: A special scholarship scheme run by the UGC dedicated to promoting higher education among students from the North Eastern Region. PG Indira Gandhi Scholarship for Single Girl Child: Financial assistance provided by UGC to women who are the only child in their family, pursuing a regular postgraduate degree. For various scholarships offered by Govt of India, visit National Scholarship Portal (NSP)

3. State Government Scholarships

Every state in India runs its own independent portal (such as e-Grants in Kerala, MahaDBT in Maharashtra, or Oasis in West Bengal). These focus primarily on: Post-Matric Scholarships for SC/ST/OBC: Fee waivers and maintenance allowances for underrepresented categories pursuing higher education. https://scholarship.kshec.kerala.gov.in/ State Merit Scholarships: Awarded to top rankers of state-level board exams or native students pursuing professional degrees. Kerala State Higher Education Council (KSHEC) Scholarship Portal KSHEC Scholarship Portal https://highereducation.kerala.gov.in/index.php/academic/scholarships This portal provides Higher Education Scholarships (HEC) for eligible UG students in Kerala colleges. Department of Collegiate Education (DCE) Scholarship Portal DCE Scholarship Portal https://cmprathibhapuraskaram.kerala.gov.in/ Used for various merit-based scholarships offered by the Department of Collegiate Education, Government of Kerala. e-Grantz Portal (for SC/ST/OBC and other eligible categories) e-Grantz Portal https://egrantz.kerala.gov.in/ Used for Post-Matric Scholarships and fee reimbursement schemes. National Scholarship Portal (NSP) National Scholarship Portal https://scholarships.gov.in/ Central Government scholarships for college and university students.

4. Corporate and Private CSR Scholarships

Many private organizations fund education through Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) programs, catering heavily to engineering, medicine, and management students. Vidyasaarathi & Buddy4Study Portals: Massive management platforms hosting private corporate scholarships from banks and firms like RBL Bank, IDFC FIRST Bank, and JSW Foundation. Buddy4Study: https://www.buddy4study.com/ Vidyasaarathi: https://www.vidyasaarathi.co.in/Vidyasaarathi/ Bharti Airtel Scholarship & IET India Scholarship Award: Premium engineering and tech-focused awards providing significant financial prize pools and industry visibility to undergraduate tech students. Bharti Airtel Scholarship: https://bhartiairtelfoundation.org/bharti-airtel-scholarship IET India Scholarship: https://scholarships.theietevents.com/ For almost all government-funded scholarships in India, registering and completing the Aadhaar-based One Time Registration (OTR) on the National Scholarship Portal is a mandatory initial step.