HP India is a company known for making life better for everyone, everywhere, through their technology solutions. But their commitment to this motto doesn’t end at that. Through multiple CSR initiatives, the company has also been at the forefront of creating an impact in the lives of disadvantaged groups pan India. Affirming their faith in the power of education to transform lives, the company’s latest initiative, the HP Udaan Scholarship Program aims to empower vulnerable students by giving them the opportunity to pursue their education through scholarship support. The Pan-India program is open to students from economically disadvantaged families who have passed 10^th or 12^th standard.

Here are a few reasons why the scholarship program is giving hope to young aspirations, and fueling India’s growth potential by creating opportunities for its youth to obtain employable skills:

1. A Scholarship with a Wide Reach

One of the biggest indicators of a program’s intended impact is its scale and reach. In this respect, the Pan-India scholarship program has cast its net wide and aims to create maximum impact. Over the next 5 years, more than 1300 students across the length and breadth of the country will receive scholarship support for up to 3 years under the scholarship program. Each scholar will receive an award of up to INR 30,000 to pursue their education.

2. Targeting an At-Risk Demographic

The targeted demographic for the scholarship has been carefully selected considering the low GER (Gross Enrollment Ratio) of students in India in higher education. The maximum dropouts, in fact, are seen after free and compulsory primary education in India ends – from standard 9 onward. This is one of the biggest contributors to India’s high unemployment rate since a high percentage of India’s youth are forced to dropout due to financial constraints and miss out on acquiring employable skills.

By awarding scholarships for pursuing education above standard 10^th, including vocational and skill-training courses, the program aims to correct this imbalance and give an opportunity to young students to transform their lives through education.

3. Educating the Girl Child

Furthering the objective to provide opportunities to an at-risk demographic, half of the scholarships to be awarded under the program are reserved exclusively for girl students. This measure has been taken in view of the abysmally low rates of girls enrolled in higher education. Girl students are often the first to drop out of pursuing further education when faced with financial constraints. With 50% of the scholarships set to be awarded to girl students, the HP Udaan Scholarship aims to correct the skewed gender ratio in higher education.

4. Providing Multiple Pathways

Since the aim of the scholarship program is to help students acquire employable skills, it provides them with multiple options to receive financial support as per their academic aspirations. Thus, three separate categories of students are awarded under the program – those requiring assistance to finish their schooling post standard 10, those looking to pursue an ITI or diploma course for up to two-years, and those who are seeking higher education after class 12 in the form of a 3-yr bachelor’s degree. The scholarship will support the selected students for the entire duration of their studies and can be renewed for each year of their intended course for up to three years.

By providing multiple pathways to benefit from the scholarship, the program seeks to cast a wider net while staying true to the targeted demographic.

Key Highlights of the Program
Scholarship Category	Eligibility	Duration	Award	Total Number of Scholarships
1	Enrolled in a 1 Year Diploma/ITI Course; ·         Have secured a minimum of 60% in 10th Std; ·         Annual Family Income less than INR 4 Lakhs	1 Year	INR 20,000	275
2	Enrolled in 11th Std or a 2-yr ITI/Polytechnic/Diploma course; ·         Have secured a minimum of 60% in 10th Std; Annual Family Income less than INR 4 Lakhs	2 Years	INR 20,000	250
3	Enrolled in the 1st year of college at a recognized university in India; ·         Have secured a minimum of 60% in 12th Std; Annual Family Income less than INR 4 Lakhs	3 Years	INR 30,000	225

Check out our latest video on HP Udaan Scholarship Program. It describes how to apply for the scholarship on HP Udaan website.

The scholarship program is accepting online applications from candidates till 26 February, 2019. Apply for the HP Udaan Scholarship today and receive the financial support you need to turn your life around.