There are various government scholarships available at both the central and state levels to help students cover their educational costs. On this page, we will provide a simple and clear guide to popular Government Scholarships in India 2024.
Whether you are a student looking to further your studies or a parent seeking financial assistance for your child's education, this guide will help you discover the support you need to fulfill your educational in the coming year.
These are the two categories of government-funded scholarships in India:
1. Centrally-funded
Centrally-funded government scholarships 2024 are national initiatives sponsored by the central government. They aid students across the country with specific criteria like academic excellence or minority status, reducing the financial burden and intensifying education access nationwide.
2. State-funded
State governments extend scholarships exclusively to permanent residents of their respective regions. While the quantity of scholarships may differ from state to state, their common aim is to curtail school and college drop-out rates. These scholarships cater to state residents, aligning with the state's educational priorities.
On this page, we will discuss the scholarships offered by the Central Government in 2024:
Central Govt Schemes
1. Only for students from class 1st to 10th
2. Students must have scored not less than 50% marks in the previous final exam.
3. Annual income equal to or less than INR 1,00,000
1. Students studying in Class 11th or 12th, in the stream of vocational and technical courses, ITI courses, polytechnics and other courses.
2. A minimum of 50% marks or equivalent grades in the previous final examination.
3. The annual family income of students should be more than INR 2 LPA.
4. Students belonging to minority communities, such as Christians, Sikhs, Muslims, Jain, Buddhists and Zoroastrians (Parsis).
5. 30% scholarship is set aside for girls of each minority community in a State/UT.
1. Must belong from minority communities like Muslims, Sikhs, Christians, Buddhists
2. Must pursue technical or professional course at either UG or PG level
3. Must have secured at least 50% in the latest exam
4. Family income must be below INR 2.5 lakhs per annum
1. Only for Minority girl students from class 9 to 12
2. Annual income equal to or less than INR 2,00,000
3. Not for Study Abroad students
1. Student of Class 9th or 10th of a school recognized by Government or Central/State Board of Secondary Education
2. Must have more than 40% disability and a valid certificate for the same have an annual family income of less than INR 2.50 LPA
1. Candidates must have a 40% benchmark disability.
2. Not more than 2 children of same parents can apply
3. Family income must be within INR 2.5 lakhs per annum
4. UDID enrolment is a must
5. Integrated courses are not covered under this scheme
6. Working students whose combined income with family does not exceed INR 2.5 lakh, can also apply.
1. Valid Certificate of Disability (person with at least 40% disability
2. Not more than two children with disabilities of the same parents will be
entitled to this scholarship
3. Scholarship amount for each class will be awarded only once. If a student fails in a class, he/she will not receive the scholarship amount.
4. Student cannot avail any other scholarship
5. Students studying abroad can apply (30% Girl Quota)
6. 50% seats reserved for girls
1. SC students having total annual family income up to INR 8 LPA.
2. Having secured admission in a full-time course in any of the notified institutions according to the general selection criteria prescribed by the concerned institution.
3. Thirty percent (30%) of slots allotted to the Institution shall be reserved for eligible SC girl students.
4. The students who have studied class 10th from any of the Central/State/Municipal Govt. or Govt. aided schools (except KVS schools), shall be automatically qualified under the scheme.
1. Should belong to OBC,EBC or DNT category
2. Must be studying in Class 9th or 11th
3. Family annual income shall not exceed INR 2,50,000 yearly
4. Must study in Government school
1. Either of the parents of the students should be Beedi, Iron Ore Manganese & Chrome
Ore Mines, Limestone & Dolomite Mines, Cine worker with at least six months
2. Total Monthly Income
a) Beedi Worker - Equal to or less than INR 10,000 per month
b) Mine or Cine Worker - Equal to or less than INR 8,000 per month
3. Applicants must have passed the last qualifying examination in the first attempt.
4. Students pursuing studies through Correspondence are not eligible
1. All students belonging from families wherein individuals work as a Beedi worker, Iron Ore Manganese & Chrome Ore Mines (IOMC) worker, Cine worker, LSDM (Limestone & Dolomite Mines) are eligible.
2. They must be studying in Class 1st to 10th at a government-recognised school.
3. The monthly family income should not exceed INR 10,000.
1. ST candidates must pass the Post Grad exam after receiving the scholarship.
2. He/she must be a registered M. Phil/ Ph.D candidate from any UGC recognized institute
3. Annual Income of the family must not exceed INR 6 lakhs
1. Must be a regular schooling student of class 9.
2. Passed Class 8 with a minimum of 55% marks or more.
3. For continuation of scholarship after class 10, a minimum mark of 60% has to be achieved in Class 10.
4. Combined annual income of the family should be equal to or less than INR 1,50,000.
5. Students enrolled in NVS, KVS, Sainik schools and private schools are not eligible.
1. The applicants must be in the top 20th percentile merit list of class 12th results of concerned boards (SEB/CBSE/ICSE).
2. The candidates belonging to reserved categories of SC, ST, OBC and PWD will get a reservation of 15%, 7.5%, 27% and 5%, respectively.
3. The candidates’ annual family income must not exceed INR 8 LPA.
4. The applicants must not be availing of any other scholarship benefits.
1. Wards and widows of CAPFs who died in harness
2. Wards of Ex-CAPF personnel with disabilities caused while on duty
3. Wards and widows of Ex-CAPF personnel below Officer Rank
1. For CAPFs & Assam Rifles :
a)Wards/widows of deceased CAPF and Air personnel (category A to G)
b) Minimum Entry Qualification - 60% in 12th, diploma or graduation
2. For State Police Forces :
a) Pursuing first professional degree programme in the field of Engineering, Medicine,
Dental, Veterinary, BBA, BCA, B. Pharma, B.SC (Nursing, Agriculture, etc.), MBA
b) Minimum Entry Qualification - 60% in 12th, diploma or graduation
1. Diploma - At least 60% percent marks in HSLC/HSSLC/Secondary School Examination
2. Degree - Minimum 60% marks in HSSLC/Senior Secondary Examination
3. Post Graduate - 60% marks in any degree level course. (BA/BSc/BE/BTech/MBBS/LLB/BCA/BBA etc)
4. M.Phil/Ph.D - Minimum 60% marks in Post Graduate Degree
5. Applicant must apply for the scholarship in the first year of the degree
6. Must be a permanent resident of Northeastern States
UGC/AICTE Schemes
1. Applicants must have a domicile of the North-Eastern states (Assam, Arunachal Pradesh, Manipur, Meghalaya, Mizoram, Nagaland and Tripura).
2. Annual Family Income less than or equal to INR 4.5 Lakh.
3. Must have passed class 12.
4. Students of any gender (Transgender, Male and Female) can apply for this scholarship.
5. Must get enrolled in the first year of any degree course.
6. Students studying at or open universities are not eligible.
7. Management Quota students cannot apply.
1. Single Girl Child pursuing PG courses who has taken admission in regular, full-time 1st year Masters Degree course in any recognized university
2. Girl students up to the age of 30 years at the time of PG admission
1. Candidate must be 30 years or below 30 years at the time of PG Admission
2. Distance mode education not applicable
3. Candidates who have completed their UG in Life Sciences, Physical Sciences, Earth and Mathematical Sciences, Social Science, Commerce and Languages can apply.
1. Only for PG Students pursuing professional course (Engineering & Technology,
Management, Pharmacy, etc. from Indian Universities/Institutions/ Colleges)
2. Must belong to SC/ST Category.
3. Candidates studying professional courses in distance mode are not eligible.
1. It is extended for Two Girl Child per family where the family income is less than INR 8 Lakh /annum
2. The candidates should have been admitted to the 1st year of the Degree in any of the AICTE approved institutes during the current Academic Year through a centralized admission process of the State/ Centre Government.
1. It is extended for Two Girl Child per family where the family income is less than INR 8 Lakh /annum
2. The candidates should have been admitted to the 1st year of the Diploma in any of the AICTE approved institutes during the current Academic Year through a centralized admission process of the State/ Centre Government.
1. Specially Abled Student, having disability of not less than 40% and family income not more than INR 8 lakh per annum during the preceding financial year
2. The candidate should be admitted to 1st year of Degree course in any of
the AICTE approved Institution of respective year through Centralized Admission process of the State/Central Government
1. Specially Abled Student, having disability of not less than 40% and family income not more than INR 8 lakh per annum during the preceding financial year
2. The candidate should be admitted to 1st year of Diploma course in any of the AICTE approved Institution of respective year through Centralized Admission process of the State/Central Government
1. The candidate should either be an orphan or both parents died due to Covid-19 or Wards of Armed Forces and Central Paramilitary Forces martyred in action.
2. Family income from all sources should not be more than INR 8 Lakh per annum during the financial year of the application.
3. The candidate should be currently studying in the AICTE Approved institutions and courses at Diploma level in regular mode
1. The candidate should either be an orphan or both parents died due to Covid-19 or Wards of Armed Forces and Central Paramilitary Forces martyred in action.
2. Family income from all sources should not be more than INR 8 Lakh per annum during the financial year of the application.
3. The candidate should be currently studying in the AICTE Approved institutions and courses at Degree level in regular mode
In summary, the government scholarships available in 2023, both at the central and state levels, play a crucial role in easing the financial challenges students face. These initiatives are vital for promoting access to education and leveling the playing field. Staying informed about these scholarships is essential for students, parents, and educators to help deserving students access quality education.
Applicants for the Pre Matric Scholarships Scheme for Minorities must be enrolled in a government or private school in India, studying from class 1st to class 10. This includes residential government institutions and accredited private institutions specified and apprised openly by the relevant State Government and Union Territory Administration.
Pre-Matric Scholarship for Students with Disabilities, offered by the Govt of India, is available to provide financial assistance to students with disabilities studying in Class 9 and 10. This scholarship scheme is offered through an online platform known as the National Scholarship Portal (NSP).
The Post Matric Scholarship for Minorities has been established by Govt of India for students who belong to minority communities and are looking for financial assistance for pursuing higher education from Class 11 to the postdoctoral level.
The Post Matric Scholarship for Students with Disabilities 2023-24 is available for students in classes XI, and XII as well as for students with Bachelors and Master’s Degrees, or diplomas from universities recognized by UGC/AICTE.
The core objective of INSPIRE scholarship is to inspire young people in the country to pursue science education from an early age by demonstrating the excitement of engaging in creative scientific exploration. By doing this, it hopes to establish the crucial human resource pool of competent workers required to strengthen and increase the Science and Technology infrastructure and research and development capabilities.
Scholarships for Top Class Education for Students with Disabilities 2023-24 is a scheme implemented by the Department of Empowerment of Persons with Disabilities (DEPWD), under the Ministry of Social Justice and Empowerment of the Government of India. It provides financial support to disabled students are pursuing graduate/postgraduate/diploma level education.
NSP has been established as a unified portal to encompass a wide array of scholarship schemes offered by both Central and State Governments. The objective of this portal is eliminating redundancy in the processing of scholarship applications and streamlining the system for greater efficiency while ensuring more direct and efficient disbursement of funds to deserving recipients.
Started from the academic year 2014-15, Ishan Uday is a special scholarship scheme for the students of North Eastern Region (NER). Under this scheme, NER students get financial assistance pursue general degree courses, technical and professional programmes, including medical and paramedical courses. A total of 10,000 fresh scholarships are disbursed every year as part of this scholarship programme.
India’s top insurance company LIC offers scholarship schemes to meritorious students hailing from disadvantaged backgrounds. The schemes have been designed to financially assist students in completing their higher education thereby paving the way for new career avenues.
PFMS (Public Finance Management System) is platform that helps track the disbursement of funds under the programs/schemes offered by the Ministry of Education, Government of India. Beneficiaries can monitor payment status of all central sector schemes and centrally-sponsored schemes.
The Indira Gandhi Single Girl Child Scholarship 2023-24, introduced by the University Grants Commission, supports the education of single girl children in India. Explore its objectives, eligibility, application process, and key highlights.
Central Sector Scholarship scheme, initiated by the Department of Higher Education of MHRD, is a centrally-funded merit-cum-means scholarship. It is specifically designed to financially assist College and University students who come from economically underprivileged families.
Pragati Scholarship is a government scholarship scheme to provide financial aid to meritorious girl students pursuing technical education. Selected girl students who come from economically weaker sections of society get monetary assistance for their educational expenses.
The Vidyasaarathi Scholarship program, Protean eGov Technologies Limited, has been launched for students belonging to the underprivileged sections of society. Through this scholarship, students can pursue further studies without worrying about the education expenses.
The Top Class Education Scheme for SC Students is a programme aimed to financially support meritorious students from the Scheduled Caste (SC) community, who wish to continue higher education after Class 12.