National Scholarship
National Scholarship – The term refers to a wide array of scholarships which are open for Indian nationals studying in India only. Both government departments and private organisations offer a large number of scholarships for students pursuing different levels of education across the nation. However, the Government of India makes the major contribution in this segment. No matter which caste, creed, category or gender you belong to, there is a national scholarship available for you to fulfil your academic requirements.
In fact, the government hosts a distinctive portal with the name of National Scholarship Portal that enlists all the national as well as state level scholarships for the students studying within India. This article primarily focuses on the government-funded national scholarships, their application timeline, eligibility, award details and other important information.
The government offers a large number of scholarships for students across India, out of which some are disbursed at national level, and some are disbursed at state level. The national level scholarships include the scholarships offered by departments like the Ministry of Minority Affairs, Department of Empowerment of Persons with Disabilities, Ministry of Social Justice and Empowerment, Ministry of Education (formerly known as MHRD), Ministry of Labour and Employment, and others.
The table below highlights the list of top 20 national scholarships that one must not miss along with their provider details and tentative application timeline.
National Scholarship – Detailed List of Scholarships
Scholarship Name | Provider Detail | Application Timeline* |
Pre-Matric Scholarship Scheme for Minorities | Ministry of Minority Affairs (MOMA) | Between August and November |
Post-Matric Scholarship Scheme for Minorities | Between August and November | |
Merit-cum-Means Scholarship for Professional and Technical Courses | Between August and November | |
Pre-matric Scholarship for Students with Disabilities | Department of Empowerment of Persons with Disabilities (DePwD) | Between August and November |
Post-matric Scholarship for Students with Disabilities | Between August and November | |
Scholarships for Top Class Education for students with disabilities | Between August and November | |
Top Class Education for SC Students | Ministry of Social Justice and Empowerment | Between August and November |
Financial Assistance for Education of the Wards of Beedi/Cine/IOMC/LSDM Workers – Post-Matric | Ministry of Labour and Employment | Between August and November |
Financial Assistance for Education of the Wards of Beedi/Cine/IOMC/LSDM Workers – Pre-Matric | Between August and November | |
National Fellowship and Scholarship for Higher Education of ST Students | Ministry of Tribal Affairs | Between August and November |
National Means cum Merit Scholarship | Department of School Education & Literacy Department of Higher Education | Between August and November |
Central Sector Scheme of Scholarships for College and University Students | Between August and November | |
Prime Minister’s Scholarship Scheme | WARB, Ministry of Home Affairs | Between August and November |
Prime Minister’s Scholarship Scheme for RPF/RPSF | RPF/RPSF, Ministry of Railway | Between August and November |
PG Indira Gandhi Scholarship for Single Girl Child | University Grants Commission (UGC) Department of Science and Technology (DST), Government of India | Between August and November |
PG Scholarship for University Rank Holders | Between August and November | |
PG Scholarship Scheme for SC/ST Students for Professional Courses | Between August and November | |
Kishore Vaigyanik Protsahan Yojana (KVPY) | Between June and August | |
AICTE Pragati Scholarship for Girls | Ministry of Human Resource Development – AICTE | Between September and December |
AICTE-Saksham Scholarship Scheme |
*The application timeline mentioned above is tentative and may change on the discretion of the scholarship provider.
The list does not end here. There are numerous national scholarships including private-sector scholarships for students studying within the country.
Now, since you are aware of the list of national scholarships, you must also be well-aware of their respective eligibility criteria. Each scholarship comes with a pre-defined set of eligibility conditions that one must fulfil to avail their benefits. The table below provides a detailed overview of all the scholarships for your reference. If you fulfil the eligibility for any of the scholarships, you can apply for it accordingly within the stipulated time duration.
Detailed Eligibility of National Scholarship
Scholarship Name | Eligibility |
Pre-Matric Scholarship Scheme for Minorities |
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Post-Matric Scholarship Scheme for Minorities |
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Merit-cum-Means Scholarship for Professional and Technical Courses |
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Pre-matric Scholarship for Students with Disabilities |
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Post-matric Scholarship for Students with Disabilities |
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Scholarships for Top Class Education for students with disabilities |
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Top Class Education for SC Students |
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Financial Assistance for Education of the Wards of Beedi/Cine/IOMC/LSDM Workers – Post-Matric |
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Financial Assistance for Education of the Wards of Beedi/Cine/IOMC/LSDM Workers – Pre-Matric |
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National Fellowship and Scholarship for Higher Education of ST Students |
For Fellowship
For Scholarship
|
National Means cum Merit Scholarship |
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Central Sector Scheme of Scholarships for College and University Students |
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Prime Minister’s Scholarship Scheme |
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Prime Minister’s Scholarship Scheme for RPF/RPSF |
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PG Indira Gandhi Scholarship for Single Girl Child |
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PG Scholarship for University Rank Holders |
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PG Scholarship Scheme for SC/ST Students for Professional Courses |
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Kishore Vaigyanik Protsahan Yojana (KVPY) |
For SA Stream – They must be studying in Class 11 with at least 75% (65% for SC/ST/PWD) in Maths and Science subjects in Class 10 board examination. For SX Stream – They must be studying in the Class 12 with at least 75% (65% for SC/ST/PWD) in Maths and Science subjects in the Class 10 board examination. For SB Stream – They must be studying in the first year of graduation in a basic Science-related course with at least 60% (50% for SC/ST/PWD) in Maths, Physics, Chemistry, Biology in Class 12 board examination |
AICTE Pragati Scholarship for Girls |
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AICTE-Saksham Scholarship Scheme |
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The amount of financial assistance given to students under each national scholarship may vary. While some scholarships look after all your academic expenses, some offer financial aid in the form of one-time assistance. The table below provides a detailed overview of the financial assistance that students will get under each national scholarship. Please note that the scholarship amount is directly transferred into the bank account of the beneficiaries through Direct Benefit Transfer (DBT).
Award Details of National Scholarships
Scholarship Name | Award Details |
Pre-Matric Scholarship Scheme for Minorities | Admission fee, tuition fee, and maintenance allowance |
Post-Matric Scholarship Scheme for Minorities | Admission fee, tuition fee, and maintenance allowance |
Merit-cum-Means Scholarship for Professional and Technical Courses | Course fee up to INR 20,000 per annum and maintenance allowance |
Pre-matric Scholarship for Students with Disabilities | Maintenance allowance, book grant, and disability allowance |
Post-matric Scholarship for Students with Disabilities | Maintenance allowance, book grant, and disability allowance |
Scholarships for Top Class Education for students with disabilities | Up to INR 2 lakh per annum and other benefits |
Top Class Education for SC Students | Full tuition fee and other allowances |
Financial Assistance for Education of the Wards of Beedi/Cine/IOMC/LSDM Workers – Post-Matric | Up to INR 15,000 |
Financial Assistance for Education of the Wards of Beedi/Cine/IOMC/LSDM Workers – Pre-Matric | Up to INR 1,840 |
National Fellowship and Scholarship for Higher Education of ST Students | Up to INR 28,000 per month and other benefits |
National Means cum Merit Scholarship | INR 12,000 per annum |
Central Sector Scheme of Scholarships for College and University Students | Up to INR 20,000 per annum |
Prime Minister’s Scholarship Scheme | INR 3,000 per month to female students and INR 2,500 per month to male students |
Prime Minister’s Scholarship Scheme for RPF/RPSF | INR 2,250 per month for girls and INR 2,000 per month for boys |
PG Indira Gandhi Scholarship for Single Girl Child | INR 36,200 per annum for two years |
PG Scholarship for University Rank Holders | INR 3,100 per month for two years |
PG Scholarship Scheme for SC/ST Students for Professional Courses | For ME/MTech students – INR 7,800 per month for 2 years For other professional courses – INR 4,500 per month for 2 years |
Kishore Vaigyanik Protsahan Yojana (KVPY) | Up to INR 7,000 per month and contingency grant up to INR 28,000 per annum |
AICTE Pragati Scholarship for Girls | Up to INR 50,000 per annum and other benefits |
AICTE-Saksham Scholarship Scheme | Up to INR 50,000 per annum and other benefits |
What process should be followed to apply for any of the national scholarships? Are the applications accepted online or offline? Where and how can the students apply? The answers to all these questions are given in the table below. While the applications for most of the scholarships can be made through the National Scholarship Portal (NSP), for others, the students can apply through their respective official websites.
National Scholarship – Application Process Details
Name of the Scholarship | Where to Apply? |
Pre-Matric Scholarship Scheme for Minorities | Apply online through the National Scholarship Portal (NSP). |
Post-Matric Scholarship Scheme for Minorities | Apply online through the National Scholarship Portal (NSP). |
Merit-cum-Means Scholarship for Professional and Technical Courses | Apply online through the National Scholarship Portal (NSP). |
Pre-matric Scholarship for Students with Disabilities | Apply online through the National Scholarship Portal (NSP). |
Post-matric Scholarship for Students with Disabilities | Apply online through the National Scholarship Portal (NSP). |
Scholarships for Top Class Education for students with disabilities | Apply online through the National Scholarship Portal (NSP). |
Top Class Education for SC Students | Apply online through the National Scholarship Portal (NSP). |
Financial Assistance for Education of the Wards of Beedi/Cine/IOMC/LSDM Workers – Post-Matric | Apply online through the National Scholarship Portal (NSP). |
Financial Assistance for Education of the Wards of Beedi/Cine/IOMC/LSDM Workers – Pre-Matric | Apply online through the National Scholarship Portal (NSP). |
National Fellowship and Scholarship for Higher Education of ST Students | Apply online through the National Scholarship Portal (NSP). |
National Means cum Merit Scholarship | Apply online through the National Scholarship Portal (NSP). |
Central Sector Scheme of Scholarships for College and University Students | Apply online through the National Scholarship Portal (NSP). |
Prime Minister’s Scholarship Scheme | Apply online through the National Scholarship Portal (NSP). |
Prime Minister’s Scholarship Scheme for RPF/RPSF | Apply online through the National Scholarship Portal (NSP). |
PG Indira Gandhi Scholarship for Single Girl Child | Apply online through the National Scholarship Portal (NSP). |
PG Scholarship for University Rank Holders | Apply online through the National Scholarship Portal (NSP). |
PG Scholarship Scheme for SC/ST Students for Professional Courses | Apply online through the National Scholarship Portal (NSP). |
Kishore Vaigyanik Protsahan Yojana (KVPY) | Apply online through the official website of KVPY (Application fee applicable). |
AICTE Pragati Scholarship for Girls | Apply online through the National Scholarship Portal (NSP). |
AICTE-Saksham Scholarship Scheme | Apply online through the National Scholarship Portal (NSP). |
The term ‘National Scholarship’ refers to the board gamut of scholarships that are meant to support the studies of Indian nationals studying within India. Both government and private organisations offer such scholarships for students to help them pursue their academic dream.
Indian students who are residents of India and are studying in an institution within the country can avail benefits under national scholarships.
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