Merit-cum-Means Scholarship for Minorities, along with the Pre and Post Matric scholarship schemes, is the flagship program of the Ministry of Minority Affairs (MOMA). More often than not, a lot of meritorious and academically brilliant students miss out on education due to financial constraints. This further leads to unequal employment opportunities for these students. The objective of the Merit-cum-Means Scholarship for Minorities is to support the wards of families belonging to minority communities. The Government of India notifies Muslims, Sikhs, Christians, Buddhists, Zoroastrians (Parsis) and Jains as minority communities and thus, students who belong to any of these communities are eligible to avail the benefits of this MOMA scholarship.

Under the Merit-cum-Means Scholarship for Minorities, financial assistance is provided to the poor and meritorious students belonging to minority communities. It aims to enable them with an opportunity to pursue professional and technical courses at the graduate or postgraduate level. This would, in turn, allow them a chance for a bright future.

Do you think you are eligible for this scholarship scheme? When do the applications open? What are the benefits offered under this scholarship program? How to apply? Let’s find the answers to all these questions in this article.

Merit-cum-Means Scholarship for Minorities: Benefits

The benefits of the Merit-cum-Means Scholarship for Minorities cover financial support provided by the government for studies in India in a Government or private institution selected and notified in a transparent manner by the State Government/Union Territory Administration concerned. The scholarship covers technical and professional courses at undergraduate and postgraduate level.

The scholarship provided by the government will be for the entire academic year/course. Also, the maintenance allowance will be given as a fixed lump sum amount for an academic year. It is worth noting that the academic year translates to 10 months in a year. Thus, students will receive INR 10,000 (hosteller) and INR 5,000 (day scholar) as maintenance allowance for the academic year. The table below shows the breakdown of the scholarship.

Awards under Merit-cum-Means Scholarship for Minorities

Item	Scholarship benefits
Course fee	INR 20,000 per annum subject to actuals whichever is less (for both Hostellers & Day Scholars)
Maintenance allowance	INR 1,000 per month* for Hostellers and INR 500 per month* for Day Scholars
Scholarship for listed institutes	Full course fee reimbursed for 85 listed institutes

*For 10 months in an academic year

Note: One can check the list of 85 institutes eligible for full fee reimbursement here.

Merit-cum-Means Scholarship for Minorities: Key Dates

Once you are eligible for the scholarship, the next step would be to apply for it. However, one must first be aware of the timeline for this scholarship. This MOMA scholarship usually opens up for a month. The scholarship renews each year and starts accepting new applications around the same time each year. The table shown below shows the relevant dates for the scholarship.

Key dates concerning Merit-cum-Means Scholarship for Minorities

Sr. No.	Event	Key dates*
1.	Applications open	16th August 2020
2.	Applications close	20th January 2021

*The key dates mentioned above are tentative and may change as per the discretion of the scholarship provider.

Merit-cum-Means Scholarship for Minorities: Eligibility

This scholarship is for supporting higher education among students belonging to minority communities. To be eligible for this scholarship, the candidates must fulfill the following eligibility criteria:

• The applicant must belong to a minority community as notified by the Government of India. These include Muslims, Sikhs, Christians, Buddhists, Zoroastrians (Parsis) and Jains.
• The applicant must be pursuing undergraduate or postgraduate education at a recognised institute in any technical and professional course.
• Students should have secured a minimum of 50% marks or equivalent grade in the previous final examination.
• The annual family income of the candidate’s parents/guardian should not exceed INR 2.5 lakh. This annual income comprises of total income from all the sources.

Merit-cum-Means Scholarship for Minorities: Application procedure

Just like other MOMA scholarships, students can apply for Merit-cum-Means Scholarship for Minorities through the National Scholarship Portal or the NSP. The NSP is a one-stop portal for various Government scholarships. Students can get access to a large number of centrally- and state-sponsored scholarships on the portal. Various features like scholarship information, application, receipt, sanction and disbursal make NSP an attractive proposition. NSP thus offers a simplified process for students when it comes to scholarships.

One can follow the below steps to apply for the Merit-cum-Means Scholarship for Minorities using NSP:

1. The applicant first needs to visit the official website of the NSP.
2. One then needs to register as a new user by providing all the required details.
3. Provide domicile details, name, date of birth, mobile number, gender, email ID and select the scholarship to apply.
4. Completing this step will generate an OTP. Use this OTP to verify the mobile number.
5. Use the OTP received on the registered mobile to log in on NSP and fill the form.
6. This will generate an application ID and password that can be used for future references.
7. However, one must note that no changes in the application are possible after the submission of the application.

Also read: National Scholarship Portal – A Hub for Government Scholarships

Merit-cum-Means Scholarship for Minorities: Documents required

The applicants need to furnish a certain set of documents in order for the authorities to verify the details provided in the application form. Here is the list of important documents:

• Domicile certificate for the respective state
• Self-declaration of minority community certificate by the student
• Self-attested copy of previous academic mark sheet
• Copy of Aadhar Enrollment/Aadhar Card
• Income certificate issued by designated state/UT authority
• Proof of bank account in the name of the student or joint account with mother/father
• A photograph of the student

Merit-cum-Means Scholarship for Minorities: Terms and conditions

The Merit-cum-Means Scholarship for Minorities is subject to various terms and conditions directed by the government of India. Here are a few points worth keeping in mind.

• 30% of the scholarship is designated specifically for girl students. These earmarked scholarships can be awarded to eligible boy students in case there are not sufficient eligible girl students.
• A total of 60,000 scholarships will be distributed among the deserving meritorious students belonging to minority communities.
• The distribution of scholarships among the States/Union Territories will be made on the basis of the population of minorities in the States/Union Territories as per Census 2001 for 2017-18 and as per the population of minorities in the States/Union Territories of Census 2011 for 2018-19 and 2019-20.
• A student will receive the scholarship based on the quota of the state/UT of residence irrespective of his/her place of study.
• The financial assistance offered under the scholarship will be for pursuing graduate level or postgraduate level technical and professional courses from a recognized institution/University.
• The amount will be credited/transferred directly into the bank accounts of the recipient students.
• The scholarship can be renewed in the next year subject to the students securing a minimum of 50% marks in the previous examination.
• From a single family, a maximum of two students can avail the benefits of this scholarship.
• The scholarship awarded to a student may be cancelled if found to be obtained through a false statement.
• Students can only avail the benefits of one scholarship out of all the available scholarships of Central Government meant for SC/ST/OBC/minority.
• The Ministry will evaluate the scheme at regular intervals.
• The scholarship does not cover the cost of the internship or any other practical training during the duration of the course.
• Students will be required to refund the scholarship, in case they discontinue the course or change the subject of the study for which the scholarship has been awarded.
• The bank account of the student must be operational/active till the scholarship is disbursed.
• The Government of India can change the regulations any time at its own discretion.

Merit-cum-Means Scholarship for Minorities: Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)

Here are the answers to some of the most commonly asked questions related to this MOMA scholarship.

Q. Who is eligible to apply for this scholarship?
The Merit-cum-Means Scholarship for Minorities is open to meritorious students belonging to minority communities who want to pursue professional and technical courses.

Q. How can I apply for this scholarship?
One can apply for this scholarship through the National Scholarship Portal (NSP), an online platform for all the Government scholarships that offers a simplified application procedure.

Q. What should be the Type and size of the documents to be uploaded?
The size of the documents submitted on NSP should not exceed 200 kb. Also, the files should be in .pdf or .jpeg format.

Q. Which fields I can edit before final submission of application?
One can edit all details except ‘Registration Details’. But after the submission of the application, no further changes can be made.

Q. Do I have to fill up the online application in one sitting?
No. Candidates can fill up the online application in as many sittings as they want. The option ‘Save Draft’ can be used until submitting the application.

Q. How should I check the status of my application online?
Students can login on NSP using the ‘Application Id’ and ‘Password’. Once login, students can click on ‘Check Your Status’ to check online status of the application.

Contact details

In case the applicant faces any issue or still have any doubts regarding this MOMA scholarship, he/she can reach out to the concerned authority through the following means:

Phone:0120–6619540
Email: helpdesk@nsp.gov.in

Also read: MOMA scholarships: Minority scholarships, Post Matric Scholarship for Minorities, Pre Matric Scholarship for Minorities