Scholarship for medical students are no doubt a great financial support to students who wish to study medicine. On average, the minimum annual fee to study medicine in Indian government colleges starts from INR 14.5 Lakh and can go up to INR 25.75 Lakh. Moreover, medical students have to bear hostel charges added to the yearly tuition fee, which may range from approximately INR 5000 to INR 23,000. However, these amounts may vary from place to place or institute to institute.
In India, at present, there are approximately 1,01,188 MBBS seats. Out of this number, 52,873 seats are reserved for government institutions and GMERS and 48,315 seats are allocated to private/Deemed medical colleges. To ensure that worthy students can study medicine (including pharma, dental, nursing and other related courses), many government and non-government organizations offer different scholarship for medical students.
In this article, some of the most consistent scholarship for medical students offered in India have been discussed along with their different features. The article has been designed in such a way that the readers will be able to find all the necessary information before applying for any scholarship. It includes the scholarship provider names, eligibility criteria, rewards, application timeline and much other information. Interested candidates can refer to the information mentioned below.
Scholarship For Medical Students – General Overview
| Name of Scholarships | Scholarship for Medical Students |
| Providers | Government organizations, business groups, institutions, foundations, universities and others |
| Types of Scholarship | Scholarships, grants and stipends |
| Beneficiaries | Medical students pursuing MBBS, nursing, dental and other related courses |
| Scholarship category | Means and Merit |
Scholarship For Medical Students – List of Medical Scholarships
1). GSK Scholars Programme was introduced by one of the world’s largest pharmaceutical and healthcare companies as part of its CSR (Corporate Social Responsibility) initiative. It aims to support meritorious and financially constrained students to pursue a career in medicine.
Provider’s Name – GlaxoSmithKline (GSK) Pharmaceuticals Ltd. (India)
Tentative Registration Month – March
Eligibility Criteria:
- Applicants must be citizens of India.
- Students must be pursuing their first year of MBBS programme from government colleges in the academic year 2022-23.
- They must have obtained at least 65% marks in Class 12 board examinations.
- Annual family income of the applicants should be below INR 6,00,000 from all sources.
Award:
- Up to INR 1,00,000 per year for students pursuing MBBS
- A total of up to INR 4,50,000 lakh over four and a half years
Note – Candidates can utilize the amount for educational expenses that include tuition fees, exam fees, hostel fees, seminars, books and food.
Application Process
- Candidates need to visit the official page of the GSK Scholarship Programme on Buddy4Study.
- Click on the ‘Apply Now’ button at the bottom of the page.
- Fill in the required details in the online application form.
- Upload relevant documents.
- Accept the ‘Terms and Conditions’ and click on ‘Preview’.
- If all the details filled in by the applicant are correctly showing on the preview screen, click on the ‘Submit’ button to complete the application process.
2). Nationwide Education and Scholarship Test (NEST Senior) is one of the most popular scholarship for medical students. It is mandatory for students to appear for this test who desire to receive NEST scholarship. The test is conducted in two different categories – Senior 1 and Senior 2. The details are listed below-
Provider’s Name – SEMCI India and Students’ Unity Foundation of India
Tentative Registration Period – September to November
Eligibility Criteria:
- Category ‘Senior I’ – 1st and 2nd-year students of MBBS/BAMS/BHMS/BDS/Engineering or other courses and Class 12 (Science stream)
- Category ‘Senior II’ – 3rd Year & 4th year of B.Sc., B.Tech. & MBBS students
Note: Only bonafide degree students registered at colleges/universities and appearing in the final exams of the current academic year can apply.
Award – A tuition fee of up to INR 40,000
Application Process
- Visit the official website of Nationwide Education and Scholarship Test.
- Go through each category of the NEST SCHOLARSHIP TEST before applying for the scholarship.
- Select the ‘click here to register’ option given under NEST SENIOR-I/II.
- Read the information and select proceed to register.
- Fill out the application form that appears on the screen and upload a passport-size image.
- Select proceed to the payment option to pay the fee of INR 650 which is not refundable.
- Follow the instructions and complete the application.
- Submit the application and take a printout of the application form for future reference.
Exam Pattern:
- Both NEST SENIOR-I and II have four sections.
- It includes subjects like Physical Sciences, Mathematics or Life Sciences, English Grammar and General Knowledge (GK).
- Each of the subjects has a weightage of 50 marks.
- Duration of the exam for each subject is 2 hours.
3). Bharati Scheme for Education (BSE), Andhra Pradesh is one of the most celebrated scholarships listed under the top scholarship for medical students 2023.
Provider’s Name – Andhra Pradesh Brahmin Welfare Corporation
Tentative Registration Month – September
Eligibility Criteria:
- The applicants and their parents must belong to the Brahmin community and the parents must be residing in Andhra Pradesh.
- Students of Class 1 to PG are eligible for this scholarship.
- Students pursuing medicine and allied courses at UG and PG levels can also apply.
- The candidates must have passed all the subjects till their previous year of study.
- The annual family income must not be more than INR 3,00,000.
- The applicants must not be availing of any other scholarship benefit, except the benefits from Archaka Welfare Trust.
Award Details
Upon meeting the eligibility criteria, candidates are eligible to get tuition fees of up to INR 20,000.
Application Process
Interested candidates should apply online for the Bharati Scheme through the Online Application Page of Andhra Pradesh Brahmin Welfare Corporation. They need to follow the steps mentioned below –
- Candidates need to visit the official website of Brahmin Community, Andhra Pradesh.
- Navigate to the ‘Bharati Scheme’ and click on the ‘Registration’ option.
- Fill in all the required details and information.
- Attach all the required documents and click on the ‘Submit’ button.
4). Vijayalakshmi R.L. Jalappa Scholarship is listed under the most searched medical scholarships.
Provider’s Name – Smt. Vijayalakshmi R.L. Jalappa Education Foundation
Tentative Registration Period – September
Eligibility Criteria:
- The applicants must be from the Arya Idiga community.
- The students must be residents of Bangalore Urban, Bangalore Rural, Ramanagara, Kolar, Chikkaballapura, Tumkur, Mandya, Mysore, Chamarajanagar, Hassan, Chitradurga, Davanagere or Bellary districts.
- The candidates must be pursuing PUC, Diploma, ITI, any general degree, B.E., BVSC, B.Pharma, BHMS, BDS, MBBS, any master’s degree, MVSC or M.Pharma.
- The applicants must have scored 60% or above the cut-off percentage.
- All the family members of the applicant must be holders of BPL cards, low-income farmers or agricultural laborers.
- The candidate must be a regular student.
Award Details
Upon meeting the eligibility criteria, candidates are eligible to get financial assistance for educational purposes.
Application Process
Interested candidates can apply online through the application page of Smt. Vijayalakshmi R.L Jalappa Education Foundation. To apply online, the applicants can follow the below-mentioned steps-
- Visit the official website of Smt. Vijayalakshmi Jalappa Education Foundation.
- On the homepage, click on the ‘Scholarship Application’ option.
- Navigate to the and click on the ‘Apply Now’ tab.
- The registration form will appear.
- Enter all the details and attach the necessary documents.
- Now, click on the ‘Submit’ option.
- Download the PDF of the application form.
- Upload a recent passport-size photograph on the application form and get it verified and signed by the respective college principal/ head and parents/guardian.
Follow the instructions mentioned in the application form and send it to the address given below –
Smt. Vijayalakshmi R L Jalappa
Education Foundation (Regd.)
No.126, Silver Star Hotel,
6th Cross, Gandhinagar,
Bangalore – 560009
5). Dr. Shamanur Shivashankarappa Janakalyana Trust’s Scholarship Program is a well-known scholarship program listed under scholarship for medical students.
Provider’s Name – Dr. Shamanur Shivashankarappa Janakalyana Trust
Tentative Registration Period – August to November
Eligibility Criteria:
- The applicants must be domiciles of Karnataka and regular students studying at a reputed college.
- The annual family income must not exceed INR 1,00,000.
Award Details
Upon meeting the eligibility criteria, candidates are eligible to get financial assistance for educational purposes.
Application Process
Interested candidates can apply online through the application page of Dr. Shamanur Shivashankarappa Janakalyan Trust.
- Visit the official website of the scholarship scheme.
- Click on the ‘Apply Online’ option.
- Enter personal details, education details, and bank details.
- Check the declaration box and click on the ‘Submit’ button.
- Send a printout of the application form along with the required documents by courier, post or personally to –
The Secretary Dr Shamanur Shivashankarappa Janakalyan Trust
C/o. R L Law College,
Behind Bapuji Educational Association Head office, P J Extension,
Davangere-577002, Karnataka, INDIA
6). HDFC Educational Crisis Scholarship
Provider’s Name – HDFC Bank
Tentative Registration Period – August
Eligibility Criteria:
- The applicants must be studying in Class 6 to 12 in government-aided or private schools.
- The students must be pursuing undergraduate or postgraduate (full-time or part-time) degrees or diploma courses in colleges or universities recognized under AICTE/UGC/State/Central Government rules.
- The applicants whose family is facing an unfortunate event/crisis that has occurred during the past three years, due to which they are unable to continue bearing the cost of education and are at risk of dropping out can apply.
Award Details
- Upon meeting the eligibility criteria, candidates are eligible to get up to INR 75,000
Application Process
Interested candidates should apply online through Buddy4Study. The application process is mentioned below –
- Login and register to Buddy4Study with your Email/Mobile/Gmail account.
- Search for the ‘HDFC Parivartan’s Educational Crisis Scholarship (ECS)’ option.
- Navigate to the ‘Application Form Page’ option.
- Click on the ‘Start Application’ button to begin the application process.
- Fill in the required details in the online application form.
- Upload relevant documents.
- Accept the ‘Terms and Conditions’ and click on ‘Preview’.
- If all the details filled in the application are correctly showing on the preview screen, click on the ‘Submit’ button to complete the application process.
Note – Read to know more about HDFC Educational Crisis Scholarships.
7). All India Pre-medical Scholarship Test
Provider’s Name – Brainztorm Technical Excellence Pvt. Ltd.
Last Date to Register – 31 March 2023
Eligibility Criteria
- The candidate must have passed the final examination of 10+2 or equivalent with a minimum 60% score.
- They must be an appearing Class 12 student.
- The applicant must not be more than 26 years of age while applying for this test.
Award Details
Upon meeting the eligibility criteria, candidates are eligible to get up to a 100% rebate on their tuition fees.
Application Process
Interested candidates should apply online through the application page of AIPMST.
- Applicants can apply online for AIPMST (Primary/Secondary).
- For Primary, visit aipmstprimary
- For Secondary, visit aipmstsecondary
- Fill up the application form.
- Attach a passport-size photograph and provide the Aadhaar card number.
- Pay the application fee*.
- Submit the application form.
*Application fee structure –
- General / OBC / EWS – INR 1,450+GST
- Female candidates of all the categories – INR 1,250+GST
- SC/ST/PH – INR 1,250+GST
Important Dates
- Last date to apply: 31st March 2023 (11:59 PM)
- Correction of filled application form starts from 22nd May 2023 (10:00 AM)
- Correction of filled application form last date : 24th May 2023 (11:59 PM)
- Download e-Admit Card: 28th May 2023 (10:00 AM)
- Demo Examination starts from 1st June 2023 (10:00 AM)
- Last date of demo Examination: 4th June 2023 (4:00 PM)
- Date of Examination (Slot-I): 10th June 2023 (10:00 AM – 01:00 PM)
- Date of Examination (Slot-II): 12th June 2023 (10:00 AM – 01:00 PM)
- Date of Examination (Slot-III): 14th June 2023 (10:00 AM – 01:00 PM)
- Date of Examination (Slot-IV): 16th June 2023 (10:00 AM – 01:00 PM)
- Declaration of Result: 20th June 2023 10:00 AM
8). All India Youth Scholarship Entrance Examination (AIYSEE)
Provider’s Name – All India Youth Scholarship Entrance Examination (AIYSEE)
Registration Period – 10 December 2022 – 30 March 2023
Eligibility Criteria
- Class 12 passed/appearing students are eligible to apply.
- Candidates appearing in medical or engineering examinations can apply.
Award Details
Upon meeting the eligibility criteria, candidates are eligible to get financial assistance for educational purposes.
Application Process
Interested candidates should apply online through the application page of AIYSEE. The steps are as follows –
- Visit the official website of AIYSEE.
- The application form can be filled by clicking on the “AIYSEE Scholarship Exam Apply online”.
- Now fill in the application form by mentioning personal details, academic details, exam centers, etc.
- Upload the scanned images of the candidate’s signature and photograph.
- Then pay the application fee of INR 1,100.
- Applicants will receive a confirmation email on their registered email-id.
- Applicants can take a printout of the form for future reference.
Important Dates
- Last date to apply: 30th March 2023
- AIYSEE 2023 Examination: 20th-25th July 2023
- Admit Card: June 2023
- AIYSEE Result: 1st-5th August 2023
- Scholarship Distribution: September 2023
Note- Read to know more about AIYSEE
9). L’Oréal India Scholarship
Provider’s Name – L’Oréal India
Tentative Registration Period – July
Eligibility Criteria
- Only female candidates are eligible for this scholarship.
- Applicants must have passed Class 12 from the Science stream with at least 85% marks in Physics, Chemistry, and Biology (PCB).
- Candidates must be admitted to the graduate programme in the current academic year.
- Applicants must not be more than 19 years of age.
- The annual family income must not be more than INR 4,00,000.
- Candidates must be willing to pursue studies in Medical/ Engineering/ Science/ Biotechnology or any other scientific field.
Award Details
Upon meeting the eligibility criteria, candidates are eligible to get INR 2.5 lakh for the duration of the graduation course.
Application Process
Interested candidates should apply online through Buddy4Study. The application process is mentioned below –
- Candidates need to visit the official page of L’Oréal India Scholarship on Buddy4Study.
- Then click on the ‘Apply Now’ button below.
- Complete a 5-step process to fill out the application form and submit it.
Required Documents
- Attested copy of age proof (Aadhaar Card, Birth Certificate, Passport, Voter ID Card, etc.)
- Self-attested copy of parents’ income proof (any one):
- Income certificate issued by a government body
- Salary slip issued by permanent employer
- Form 16 (Income-Tax returns form)
- Mark sheet of Class 10 attested by the school authorities
- Mark sheet of Class 12 attested by the school authorities
Scholarship For Medical Students – FAQs
Does the Indian government provide medical scholarships for general students?
There are several scholarship schemes offered by the Government of India to support the higher education of students based on merit and means.
Who is eligible for the NEST scholarship?
Students from science, engineering and medical courses starting from Class 7 to the postgraduate level can avail of the NEST scholarship.
Is AIPMST one of the tests for Scholarship For Medical Students?
The All India Pre-Medical Scholarship Test (AIPMST) is considered to be one of the most important entrance scholarship examinations in India. It supports MBBS/BDS/BHMS/BUMS/BAMS students to qualify for scholarships and grants so that they can pursue medical courses.
Is the BHEL-FAEA scholarship one of the Scholarship For Medical Students?
The BHEL-FAEA scholarship is offered to MBBS students belonging to the economically and socially weaker section of society by Bharat Heavy Electricals Limited (BHEL). It provides tuition fees, travel allowance, funding for books, maintenance fees along with other miscellaneous allowances depending on the condition of the applicants.
What are the eligibility criteria for the BHEL-FAEA scholarship?
BHEL-FAEA scholarship is offered to students who have passed their Class 12 from a recognised board of higher education in India. Along with this, students who belong to socially and economically backward classes, Scheduled Castes (SC), Scheduled Tribes (ST), and Below Poverty Line (BPL) are eligible to get this scholarship.