Abdul Kalam Scholarship 2025 Key Dates
| Scholarship Name | Provider | Application Period* |
| APJ Abdul Kalam Scholarship, Kerala | Department of Minority Welfare, Government of Kerala | Between January to February |
| Dr. A. P. J. Abdul Kalam Young Research Scholarship | TERRE Policy Centre | January |
| APJ Abdul Kalam Scholarship Scheme | Shri Vishwakarma Skill University (SVSU) | Sponsored by Concentrix – First week of January Sponsored by the Oswal Endowment – First week of March |
| Late APJ Abdul Kalam Scholarship Programme | Datta Meghe Institute of Higher Education and Research | Between March to April |
| Dr. A.P.J. Abdul Kalam Commonwealth Scholarship Scheme | Indian Council for Cultural Relations (ICCR) | April |
| Dr APJ Abdul Kalam Global Skills Scholarship | Global Indian International School | Last week of June |
| Abdul Kalam Technology Innovation National Fellowship | Anusandhan National Research Foundation (ANRF) | June 30, 2025 |
| Dr. A.P.J. Abdul Kalam Meritorious Students Incentive Scheme (Class 12th Passed) | School Education Department, Government of Madhya Pradesh | To be announced |
* The application period mentioned above is tentative and subject to change at the discretion of the scholarship provider.
Eligibility Criteria of Abdul Kalam Scholarship 2025
Each scholarship or fellowship mentioned in this article has different eligibility criteria. These schemes can be availed by students who meet the eligibility criteria and submit their application on time. Below are the eligibility conditions that applicants must fulfill to receive the scholarship benefits.
Abdul Kalam Scholarship Eligibility Criteria
| Scholarship Name | Eligibility |
| APJ Abdul Kalam Scholarship, Kerala | This is a minority scholarship and thus can be applied by students belonging to minority communities such as Muslim, Christian, Sikh, Buddhist, Parsi and Jain
Annual family income must be less than ₹8,00,000 Only natives of Kerala can apply
|
| Dr. A. P. J. Abdul Kalam Young Research Scholarship | The applicant must have made notable contributions or measurable impact in environmental protection or improvement in India, in Plastic, Clean Air, Agriculture, or Technology & Innovation.
Must be pursuing or have completed undergraduate, postgraduate (M.Sc, M.A, M.E), or PhD studies in any field. |
| APJ Abdul Kalam Scholarship Scheme | Sponsored by ‘The Oswal Endowment’:
Scholarship support for pursuing further studies. For subsequent years, continuation depends on the student’s progress in terms of attendance, discipline, class participation, and overall behaviour, as recommended by the Chairperson. Sponsored by ‘Concentrix’:
Targeted inclusion of students with disabilities. |
| Late APJ Abdul Kalam Scholarship Programme | Students with parents having an annual income below ₹8 lakhs.
Demise of the earning member of the family. Major financial loss in business. Any other valid reason indicating a sudden loss of an income source. The student needs to appear in an exam to get selected for the scholarship. |
| Dr. A.P.J. Abdul Kalam Commonwealth Scholarship Scheme | For B.E./B.Tech students, Physics, Chemistry, and Maths in Grades 11 & 12 are mandatory. All transcripts must be in English and complete.
For UG/PG students, the age should be 18 to 40 years (as of 01.07.2025), as for PhD, it can be up to 50 years These courses are not eligible for the scholarship: Medical/Paramedical (e.g., Nursing, Physiotherapy), Fashion, and integrated 5-year courses like BALLB, BSc-MSc. Medical Insurance is required for all ICCR students with a minimum coverage of ₹5 Lakhs/year. Can be bought from any insurer (two are listed on the portal). |
| Dr APJ Abdul Kalam Global Skills Scholarship | Applicants must be Indian residents and hold a valid Passport, Special Study Permit, Visa, Alien Certificate of Registration, or Resident Visa.
Must have participated in national, international, or regional forums, either by presenting papers/theses or by inventing or innovating in areas like Artificial Intelligence, Virtual Reality, Robotics, Coding, App Development, or Blockchain. Must have secured at least 70% marks or equivalent grades in each of the past two academic years. Must attend a one-on-one online interview. Must belong to a moderate-income family. |
| Abdul Kalam Technology Innovation National Fellowship | The applicants must be Indian nationals or Overseas Citizens of India (OCI) working in permanent positions in the engineering profession in public-funded institutions in India.
An applicant must have a bachelor’s degree and a competent professional qualification The candidates must have at least 5 years of service left at the parent organisation as on the date of award of this fellowship. The applicant must not hold any other fellowship. If selected, they must choose only one fellowship. |
| Dr. A.P.J. Abdul Kalam Meritorious Students Incentive Scheme (Class 12th Passed) | The applicant must be a permanent resident of Madhya Pradesh.
They must have secured the highest marks in their district in the Class 12 examination. The student must have completed Class 12 from a government higher secondary school in Madhya Pradesh. Their parents’ total annual income from all sources must be less than ₹1,00,000 |
Abdul Kalam Scholarship Awards
Candidates selected for any of the Abdul Kalam Scholarships, funded by various organisations, receive financial assistance to pursue quality education. Below are the details of the rewards offered to students under each of the scholarships or fellowships mentioned above.
Award Details of Abdul Kalam Scholarships
| Scholarship Name | Reward |
| APJ Abdul Kalam Scholarship, Kerala | The selected students receive a scholarship amount of ₹6,000 per annum for pursuing a 3-year diploma course in government or government-aided polytechnics. |
| Dr. A. P. J. Abdul Kalam Young Research Scholarship | A fellowship worth ₹10,000 to ₹25,000 will be awarded to the selected student. A certificate will also be provided to the student. |
| APJ Abdul Kalam Scholarship Scheme | Sponsored by ‘The Oswal Endowment’
Eligibility: First-year students who have passed Class 12/UG examination. Must have secured a minimum of 60% marks. Family income should be less than ₹3,00,000 per year. Must demonstrate financial need. Relaxation in marks and income criteria may be allowed at the discretion of the Competent Authority. Sponsored by ‘Concentrix’ Eligibility: Gender-neutral and open to first-year students of Diploma/D.VOC/UG/PG programs at SVSU. Must have passed Class 12/UG examination with at least 60% marks. Annual family income should be less than ₹3,00,000. Must show financial need. Criteria may be relaxed in special cases by the Competent Authority. Out of 50 scholarships, 25 are reserved for PWD candidates with locomotive disabilities. Remaining 25 for non-PWD candidates (unutilized PWD slots will shift to the non-PWD category). |
| Late APJ Abdul Kalam Scholarship Programme | The selected candidates shall be granted one of the following Waivers/ Awards:
Appreciation letters, certificates, medals, prizes, awards and endowments. Partial Tuition Fee Waiver for extraordinary performance in the academic field. Partial Tuition Fee Waiver for extraordinary performance in Research. Partial Tuition Fee Waiver for extraordinary performance in Sports. Partial Tuition Fee Waiver for extraordinary performance in Co-curricular and Extracurricular Activities. Partial Tuition Fee Waiver for Wards of the Staff. Partial to Complete fee waivers based upon their socio-economic status. Partial to Complete fee waivers based on the recommendations of the standing committee. |
| Dr. A.P.J. Abdul Kalam Commonwealth Scholarship Scheme | 100% scholarship provided to selected students |
| Dr APJ Abdul Kalam Global Skills Scholarship | Selected students will receive a 6% to 20% off on tuition fees from the school. |
| Abdul Kalam Technology Innovation National Fellowship | Under this Abdul Kalam fellowship, selected candidates receive a fellowship amount of ₹ 25,000 per month.
The selected candidates also get a research grant of ₹15,00,000 per annum to be used for engineering, research and innovation activities, including consumables, manpower hiring, national/international travel for research purposes, etc. Also, an overhead amount of ₹1,00,000 per annum is given to the hosting institutes. A maximum of 10 Fellowships will be awarded per year. |
| Dr. A.P.J. Abdul Kalam Meritorious Students Incentive Scheme (Class 12th Passed) | Students who secure the highest marks in the Class 12 examination at government schools in their district will be awarded ₹5,000/- under this scheme. |
Abdul Kalam Scholarship Application Process 2025
The application process of the Abdul Kalam scholarships listed here is different from one another. Some require an online application, while others follow an offline application process. The table below outlines how and where to apply for the Abdul Kalam scholarship of your choice.
Application Process of Abdul Kalam Scholarship
| Scholarship Name | Application Process |
| APJ Abdul Kalam Scholarship, Kerala | Interested candidates can apply online for this scholarship through the Minority Welfare Scholarships Portal of the state government. (scholarship.minoritywelfare.kerala.gov.in) |
| Dr. A. P. J. Abdul Kalam Young Research Scholarship | Students can visit the website of TERRE Policy Centre to apply for this scholarship. Here is the direct link – drkalamfellowship.com/registration.php |
| APJ Abdul Kalam Scholarship Scheme | Download the application by clicking here. Then submit it to the SVSU. |
| Late APJ Abdul Kalam Scholarship Programme | Students need to download and fill out the application form in offline mode and then submit it to Datta Meghe Institute of Higher Education and Research. |
| Dr. A.P.J. Abdul Kalam Commonwealth Scholarship Scheme | Applications can be submitted to ICCR’s A2A Scholarship Portal: a2ascholarships.iccr.gov.in |
| Dr APJ Abdul Kalam Global Skills Scholarship | Students need to apply online on the Global Indian International School website. |
| Abdul Kalam Technology Innovation National Fellowship | The submission of the Nomination form along with all supporting documents/appendices can be submitted by email as a PDF file to INAE (inaehq@inae.in) |
| Dr. A.P.J. Abdul Kalam Meritorious Students Incentive Scheme (Class 12th Passed) | Eligible students can contact the Principal of their respective government schools/institutions to avail the benefits of this scheme.
The teacher of the educational institution enters the student’s profile on shikshaportal.mp.gov.in/ |
Impact of Abdul Kalam Scholarship
In 2019, the University of South Florida (USF) granted the President APJ Abdul Kalam Postgraduate Fellowship in memory of Dr. APJ Abdul Kalam, the former President of India, who visited the university in 2014. In 2024, USF World interviewed three fellows who received the benefits of the President APJ Abdul Kalam Postgraduate Fellowship in 2019. Here is what they said about the impact of the scholarship on their lives.
Avijit Sengupta
As the first recipient of the USF President A.P.J. Abdul Kalam Postgraduate Fellowship, Avijit Sengupta found the perfect platform to align his passion for technology and social impact. At USF, he developed a home-based cardiac rehabilitation (HBCR) prototype to support chronic heart patients lacking access to medical facilities. In the interview, he said, “This is an incredible honour, as I am a huge fan of our ex-president, in whose name the fellowship has been instituted.” Now a lecturer at the University of Queensland, Australia, he continues to work on health analytics, with a focus on underserved populations.
Veena Subramanian
Veena Subramanian’s path from Kottayam, Kerala, to becoming a research scientist in Utah began with a dream inspired by Dr. Kalam. She said, “Growing up in India, Dr. Kalam was a great inspiration to me. I had the good fortune to meet him in high school,”. The Fellowship gave her the confidence to shift from IISc Bengaluru to USF, where she studied Bloom syndrome, a rare genetic disorder linked to cancer predisposition. Today, she investigates the effects of the Ross River virus on muscle tissue, applying techniques she learned at USF.
Arjun Kadian
Originally from Pune, Arjun Kadian was one of the recipients of the Kalam Fellowship and used it to explore how digital platforms shape consumer behaviour and organisational outcomes. He said, “Dr. A.P.J. Abdul Kalam has always been a role model to me. His books Ignited Minds and Wings of Fire inspired me to dream big and work hard.” Now an Assistant Professor at Florida International University, he reflects proudly on both his academic growth and his earlier work teaching underprivileged students.
Picture Credit: USF World News
Abdul Kalam Scholarship FAQs
Where to apply for the Karnataka Scholarship 2025?
Students can apply at the official website: ssp.karnataka.gov.in. Click on 'Create an Account,' fill out the required details, and submit the scholarship form.
Which Karnataka scholarships are available for students?
Eligible students can apply for schemes like the National Overseas Scholarship for Minority Students, Prabhuddha Overseas Scholarship, Pre- and Post-Matric Scholarships for Minorities, and others.
What is the last date to apply for the Karnataka pre-matric scholarship?
The official last date is yet to be announced, but applications are expected to open between August and September 2025.
What is the last date to apply for the Karnataka Post Matric scholarship?
The application deadline is expected to be announced soon, likely between August and September 2025.
How to check the SSP Scholarship status?
Visit ssp.karnataka.gov.in, click on 'Track Student Scholarship Status,' enter your Student SATS ID, select the financial year, and click 'Enter' to view the status.