Tuition Fee and Examination Fee for Tribal Students (Freeship), Maharashtra 2025-26

Question: What is the Tuition Fee and Examination Fee (Freeship) scheme for Tribal students?
Answer: It is a government scheme by Maharashtra to reimburse the full tuition fee, examination fees, and other mandatory institutional charges for tribal students pursuing post-matric education in recognised institutions within the state.

Question: Who administers and disburses the freeship?
Answer: The Department of Social Justice and Special Assistance, Government of Maharashtra, along with district social welfare officers, manages the scheme and ensures disbursement through the MahaDBT portal.

Question: What are the usual eligibility criteria across Maharashtra government scholarships?
Answer: Most scholarships require the applicant to be a permanent resident of Maharashtra, belong to a specified reserved category (such as SC/ST/OBC), have passed the relevant previous exam (like Class 10 for post-matric schemes), and meet a family income limit which is often ₹2.5 lakh per annum for many schemes.

Question: What documents are commonly required for scholarship applications?
Answer: Typical documents include caste or tribe certificate, domicile certificate, income certificate issued by a competent authority, previous year’s mark sheets and passing certificates, fee receipts, Aadhaar card, and passport-size photographs.

Question: Are there income limits for all scholarships?
Answer: Not all scholarships have income limits. Merit-based scholarships like the Rajarshri Chhatrapati Shahu Maharaj Merit Scholarship usually do not have income limits, while many others, especially those targeting economically weaker sections, impose income ceilings usually set at ₹2.5 lakh or sometimes higher, depending on the scheme.