Scholarships for postgraduates are a bright prospect for students who wish to pursue higher education. Many of the students leave their studies halfway or do not pursue them at all due to money constraints. Postgraduate scholarships solve students’ financial dilemmas by providing assistance in the form of financial aid, grants, tuition fee waiver, monthly allowance, stipend, etc. These scholarships for postgraduates are offered by both government organisations (Central & State) and private ones.
In this article, we have covered the main details of the most popular postgraduate scholarships offered by both government and private entities. Here, students will find the key dates of the scholarships, benefits offered by them, required eligibility and application procedure.
Scholarships for Postgraduates – Government-funded Scholarships
First, we have covered the government scholarships for postgraduates that are popular among students. The scholarships funded and assisted by government organisations or departments or ministries are regarded as government-funded scholarships. There are several scholarships, grants, stipends and other benefits that are offered by both the Central and State government. Given below is the list of some top scholarships for postgraduates offered by the government.
Latest Update: The last date to apply for the LIC HFL Vidyadhan Scholarship for Post-Graduation 2023; Saksham Scholarship Program for Drivers’ Children; and HDFC Bank Parivartan’s ECSS Programme for Postgraduate Courses (Merit-cum-Need Based) 2023-24 is September 30, 2023.
Government-funded postgraduate scholarships
Scholarship Name | Application Period* |
Merit cum Means Scholarship for Professional and Technical Courses CS (Minorities) | September/October |
Post Matric Scholarships Scheme for Minorities | September/October |
Scholarships for Top Class Education for Students with Disabilities | October |
National Fellowship and Scholarship for Higher Education of ST Students | October |
AICTE PG (GATE/GPAT) Scholarship | October |
Post-Graduate Indira Gandhi Scholarship for Single Girl Child | November |
Post Graduate Merit Scholarship for University Rank Holders | November |
Post Graduate Scholarship for Professional Courses for SC/ST | November |
Rajarshi Chhatrapati Shahu Maharaj Shikshan Shulk Shishyavrutti Yojna | December |
Suvarna Jubilee Merit Scholarship, Kerala | July/August |
Abdul Kalam Technology Innovation National Fellowship | December |
Technical Education Scholarships for PG/Degree/Engineering Courses, Himachal Pradesh | December |
SERB Ramanujan Fellowships | December |
INSPIRE Fellowship | September/October |
National Overseas Scholarship for ST | November/December |
* The application period mentioned in the table above is tentative and subject to change as per the discretion of the scholarship provider.
Also Read: MHRD Scholarship – Ministry of Human Resource Development
Scholarships for Postgraduates – Awards
The government provides support to students pursuing postgraduate studies in the form of financial aid, grants, tuition fee waiver, stipends, book grants, travel allowance, maintenance allowance and more. The scholarship rewards offered under the above-mentioned government scholarships are highlighted in the table given below.
Scholarship rewards of postgraduate scholarships
Scholarship Name | Scholarship Awards |
Merit cum Means Scholarship for Professional and Technical Courses CS (Minorities) |
|
Post Matric Scholarships Scheme for Minorities |
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Scholarships for Top Class Education for Students with Disabilities |
|
National Fellowship and Scholarship for Higher Education of ST Students |
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AICTE PG (GATE/GPAT) Scholarship |
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Post-Graduate Indira Gandhi Scholarship for Single Girl Child |
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Post Graduate Merit Scholarship for University Rank Holders |
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Post Graduate Scholarship for Professional Courses for SC/ST |
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Rajarshi Chhatrapati Shahu Maharaj Shikshan Shulk Shishyavrutti Yojna |
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Suvarna Jubilee Merit Scholarship, Kerala |
|
Abdul Kalam Technology Innovation National Fellowship |
|
Technical Education Scholarships for PG/Degree/Engineering Courses, Himachal Pradesh |
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SERB Ramanujan Fellowships |
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INSPIRE Fellowship |
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National Overseas Scholarship for ST |
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Also Read: UGC Scholarship – University Grants Commission (UGC)
Scholarships for Postgraduates – Eligibility Criteria
Each scholarship listed in this article requires certain eligibility conditions to be fulfilled. If the candidates wish to avail the benefits provided under these scholarships, they need to make sure that they fulfil the eligibility criteria of the scholarship for which they are applying for. Find below the specific eligibility conditions of all the scholarships listed in the table.
Eligibility conditions for postgraduate scholarships
Scholarship Name | Eligibility Criteria |
Merit cum Means Scholarship for Professional and Technical Courses CS (Minorities) |
|
Post Matric Scholarships Scheme for Minorities |
|
Scholarships for Top Class Education for Students with Disabilities |
|
National Fellowship and Scholarship for Higher Education of ST Students |
|
AICTE PG (GATE/GPAT) Scholarship |
|
Post-Graduate Indira Gandhi Scholarship for Single Girl Child |
|
Post Graduate Merit Scholarship for University Rank Holders |
|
Post Graduate Scholarship for Professional Courses for SC/ST |
|
Rajarshi Chhatrapati Shahu Maharaj Shikshan Shulk Shishyavrutti Yojna |
|
Suvarna Jubilee Merit Scholarship, Kerala |
|
Abdul Kalam Technology Innovation National Fellowship |
|
Technical Education Scholarships for PG/Degree/Engineering Courses, Himachal Pradesh |
|
SERB Ramanujan Fellowships |
|
INSPIRE Fellowship |
|
National Overseas Scholarship for ST |
|
Scholarships for Postgraduates – Application Procedure
All these government scholarships follow certain procedures during the application process. Several of these scholarships for postgraduates can be applied online through the official website of different government departments under which these scholarships are introduced. The table given below tells students about how to apply for government scholarships for postgraduates.
Application Process of Postgraduate Scholarships
Scholarship Name | Application Process |
Merit cum Means Scholarship for Professional and Technical Courses CS (Minorities) | Apply through the National Scholarship Portal (NSP). |
Post Matric Scholarships Scheme for Minorities | Apply through the National Scholarship Portal (NSP). |
Scholarships for Top Class Education for Students with Disabilities | Apply through the National Scholarship Portal (NSP). |
National Fellowship and Scholarship for Higher Education of ST Students | Apply through the National Scholarship Portal (NSP). |
AICTE PG (GATE/GPAT) Scholarship | Apply online through the official page of the AICTE GATE/GPAT scholarship. |
Post-Graduate Indira Gandhi Scholarship for Single Girl Child | Apply through the National Scholarship Portal (NSP). |
Post Graduate Merit Scholarship for University Rank Holders | Apply through the National Scholarship Portal (NSP). |
Post Graduate Scholarship for Professional Courses for SC/ST | Apply through the National Scholarship Portal (NSP). |
Rajarshi Chhatrapati Shahu Maharaj Shikshan Shulk Shishyavrutti Yojna | Apply online through the official website of the Maharashtra Directorate of Technical Education. |
Suvarna Jubilee Merit Scholarship, Kerala | Apply online through the official scholarship web portal of the Kerala Government, Department of Collegiate Education. |
Abdul Kalam Technology Innovation National Fellowship | Apply online through the official website of the Indian National Academy of Engineering (INAE). |
Technical Education Scholarships for PG/Degree/Engineering Courses, Himachal Pradesh | Apply online through the official scholarship portal of Himachal Pradesh Government, ePASS (Electronic Payment & Application System of Scholarships). |
SERB Ramanujan Fellowships | The application should be submitted in offline mode through the Head of the host institute. |
INSPIRE Fellowship | Apply online through the online portal of the INSPIRE Programme. |
National Overseas Scholarship for ST | Apply online through the website of the Ministry of Tribal Affairs, Government of India. |
Scholarships for Postgraduates – Private-funded Scholarships
Scholarships, grants, stipends and several other benefits provided by Corporates, NGOs, Trusts and other private entities come under the ambit of private-funded scholarships. Find below the table having the list of some top scholarships for postgraduates offered by private organisations.
List of postgraduate scholarships offered by private entities
Scholarship Name | Provider’s Name |
LIC HFL Vidyadhan Scholarship | Hindustan Unilever Limited (HUL) |
Saksham Scholarship Program for Drivers’ Children | Mahindra and Mahindra Financial Services Limited (MMFSL) |
HDFC Bank Parivartan’s ECSS Programme for Postgraduate Courses (Merit-cum-Need Based) | HDFC Bank |
The Anant Fellowship | Anant National University |
Vice-Chancellor’s International Excellence Scholarship for India | University of Waikato, New Zealand |
Scholarships for Postgraduates – Award Details
These scholarships offered by private organisations provide financial assistance to postgraduate students who need monetary help. Find the rewards provided under these scholarship schemes in the table given below.
Rewards of postgraduate scholarships
Scholarship Name | Award Details |
LIC HFL Vidyadhan Scholarship | INR 20,000 per year for 2 years |
Saksham Scholarship Program for Drivers’ Children | INR 20,000 for 1 year |
HDFC Bank Parivartan’s ECSS Programme for Postgraduate Courses (Merit-cum-Need Based) | For general postgraduate courses – INR 35,000 | For professional postgraduate courses – INR 75,000 |
The Anant Fellowship | Up to 80% tuition fee waiver |
Vice-Chancellor’s International Excellence Scholarship for India | Up to $15,000 (one-time) |
The scholarships for postgraduates mentioned above are just a drop in the vast pool of scholarships. There are many more that students can find on the Buddy4Study portal. Students can browse through them, find the ones that match their requirements and apply for them without wasting any time.
Also read: Top scholarships for medical students