Scholarship for college students are offered by various government and private organisations in India. The eligibility criteria vary depending on the the type of scholarship that require the candidate to meet a certain percentage in the qualifying exam, domicile of the candidate, etc.
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The benefit of a scholarship for college students includes supporting a student in paying tuition fees in college, buying books, paying rent, and other essential expenditures required for higher education. Scholarships are an important aspect of any student who wants to pursue higher education. Whether the student wants to go for a higher education in India or abroad, a scholarship is desirable.
Scholarships are given to the students based on their merit, academic background, financial condition, etc. In India, different types of scholarships are available for students seeking a higher education in college and universities.
Benefits of Scholarships for College Students
Scholarships help students to chase their dreams and pursue higher education in many ways. The benefits of a scholarship for college students are as follows:
Provides Financial Support
A scholarship provides financial support to a student who is studying at a college or institution. With the help of a scholarship, students can buy books, pay their college tuition fees, and pay their hostel fees. They can purchase instruments, laptops, etc. with the help of a scholarship. Students may not opt for an education loan for their studies. Hence, a scholarship removes the majority of the financial burden of a student.
Also Read: Chandigarh University Scholarship 2025
Helps in Pursuing Higher Education
Education fees in schools and colleges are increasing exponentially every year. Therefore, students who are going to apply for higher education in any college should spend a lot of money. A scholarship helps the students to fulfill their dreams of pursuing higher education.
Builds the Career of a Student
By providing access to pursue higher degrees, scholarship builds the careers of students. After graduating from college students will start their professional journey as an employee or an entrepreneur. Hence, scholarships not only help students to get a degree but also help to build their careers.
Encourage and motivate
A scholarship encourages students to give more effort in their education. It motivates them to study hard and secure good grades in the degree they are pursuing. Students can give attention to their extra-curricular activities along with their education.
Also Read: UP Scholarship Login 2024-25: Fresh, Renewal, Retrieve Password, Status
Types of Scholarships for College Students
There are different types of scholarships available in India such as merit based scholarships, subject based scholarships, government scholarships. etc. . Those are mentioned as follows:
Merit-Based Scholarships
Merit-based scholarships are awarded to students who have excellent academic records and achievements in education. Apart from education students who are exceptionally good in sports, arts, and community services are considered under the Merit-based scholarships.
Need-Based Scholarships
Need-based scholarships are awarded to students who are not financially well to support their higher education. Candidates are selected in terms of their family income. To get a need-based scholarship, candidates must submit documents of their family earnings in the last financial year verified by the authority mentioned in the guidelines.
Subject-Based Scholarships
Subject-based scholarships are designed for students who are studying and researching specific subjects. In this way, institutes attract more students to study and research on these subjects.
Demographic Based Scholarships
Some scholarships are offered to meritorious students of specific gender, ethnicity, and disability statuses. Many foundations fund students of special demography to encourage them for higher education.
Institutional Scholarships
Many institutes offer scholarships to their students to support their higher education. In some cases, the institutes offer scholarships to attract students who possess an excellent educational record. Students can opt for these scholarships too.
Government Scholarships
There are a lot of scholarships offered by the state and the central government to the students for pursuing higher education. Candidates need to identify the scholarships which they are eligible for and get funding from the government for their education.
Private Scholarships
Numerous private organization offers scholarships to students to fund their higher education. Students can figure out those scholarships with the required documents to have a chance to secure any of these scholarships.
Also Read: Digital Gujarat Scholarship Eligibility, Rewards, Application Process
Popular Scholarships for College Students available in India
The top scholarships for college students in India include HDFC Badhte Kadam Scholarship, MI Scholarship, Jio Scholarship. etc. Here are the details of all the scholarships available in India for college students are mentioned in the table below.
Category |
Popular Scholarship |
Awarding Body |
Eligible Students |
Scholarship Amount |
Private |
Kotak Kanya Scholarship |
Kotak Education Foundation |
For female students who want to pursue higher education after class 12 |
Up to INR 1 lakh |
HDFC Badhte Kadam Scholarship |
HDFC |
For students pursuing higher education after class 12 |
Up to INR 1 lakh |
|
Rolls Royce Wings4Her Scholarship |
Rolls-Royce Private Limited India |
For female engineering students who are in the 1st, the 2nd, and the 3rd year of the UG engineering course |
INR 35,000 |
|
MI Scholarship |
Xiaomi Limited |
For students pursuing class 11, class 12, and UG courses |
INR 3,800 (for Class 11 and Class 12 students) INR 5,800 (for UG students) |
|
ONGC Scholarship |
ONGC Limited |
For students enrolled in the 1st year of Engineering, MBBS, MBA, or Master’s degree in Geophysics/Geology courses |
INR 48,000 per annum |
|
Colgate Scholarship |
Colgate- Palmolive India Limited |
For students enrolled in class 11, class 12, and the 1st year of Engineering/MBBS/BDS/ 3-year Diploma/ 3-year Graduation, etc. courses |
INR 20,000 per annum (for Class 11 and Class 12) INR 30,000 per annum (for Diploma and UG courses) |
|
Atul Maheshwari Scholarship |
Amar Ujala Foundation |
For students of Class 9 to Class 12 standard with economically weak family |
INR 30,000 per annum (for Class 9 and Class 10) INR 50,000 per annum (for Class 11 and Class 12) |
|
Jio Scholarship |
Reliance JIO |
For students of Class 10 to PG standard with economically weak family |
INR 35,000 per annum (for Class 10) INR 38,000 per annum (for Class 11) INR 45,000 per annum (for Class 12) INR 52,000 per annum (for UG level) INR 55,000 per annum (for PG level) |
|
Reliance Foundation Scholarship |
Reliance Foundation |
For meritorious students enrolled in the 1st year of UG and PG standard |
Up to INR 2,00,000 (for UG students) Up to INR 6,00,000 (for UG students) |
|
Tata Capital Pankh Scolarship |
Tata Capital Limited |
For students of Class 11, Class 12, Diploma, and Graduation standard with economically weak family |
Up to 80% of the tuition fees of the course are covered or, a scholarship of INR 10,000 to 12,000 is granted. |
|
L’Oreal India for Young Women in Science Scholarship |
L’Oreal India |
For female students enrolled in the 1st year of UG, PG, and PhD courses in a science-related field |
INR 62,500 (for UG students) INR 1,00,000 (for PG students) Up to INR 2,50,000 (for PhD students) |
|
State Government |
Digital Gujarat Scholarship |
Government of Gujarat |
Different scholarships are available for students of all classes and categories |
Variable |
SSP Scholarship |
Government of Karnataka |
Different scholarships are available for students in the pre-matric, post-matric, UG, and PG standards |
Variable |
|
Aikyashree Scholarship |
Government of West Bengal |
For students of Class 1 to PhD standard with economically weak family |
Pre-Matric Scholarship (INR 1100 - 11,000 per annum) Post-Matric Scholarship (INR 16,000 per annum) Merit cum Means (up to INR 33,000 per annum) |
|
PRERANA Scholarship |
Government of Odisha |
For post-matric students of SC, ST, Minority, and OBC category |
INR 550 for day scholars and INR 1200 for hostellers(For SC and ST category students) INR 350 for day scholars and INR 750 for hostellers(For OBC, SEBC, and EBC category students) |
|
Prize Money Scholarship |
Government of Karnataka |
For SC, ST, and Minority students in Karnataka enrolled in Graduate and Post Graduate courses |
Up to INR 20,000 (for PUC students) Up to INR 20,000 (for Polytechnic Diploma students) Up to INR 25,000 (for UG students) Up to INR 30,000 (for PG students) Up to INR 35,000 (for students enrolled in professional courses) |
|
MYSY (Mukhyamantri Yuva Swavalamban Yojana) Scholarship |
Government of Gujarat |
For students from the Economically Weaker Section (EWS) in this state |
INR 10,000 - 2,00,000 per annum |
|
Jnanabhumi Scholarship |
Government of Andhra Pradesh |
For students belonging to SC, ST, OBC, and EBC categories in this state |
INR 1000 (for boys) and INR 1,500 (for girls) of class 5 to 8 per annum. For day scholars of classes 9 and 10 (INR 1500 and INR 750 as book grants) per annum. For Hostellers of class 9 and 10 (INR 3500 and INR 1000 as book grants) per annum. Up to INR 10,000 (for ITI students) Up to INR 15,000 (for polytechnic students) Up to INR 20,000 (for UG/PG/PhD students) |
|
Rajarshi Chhatrapati Shahu Maharaj Merit Scholarship |
Government of Maharashtra |
For students of the SC category studying in Class 11 or Class 12 |
INR 300 per month for 10 months |
|
Pathani Samanta Scholarship |
Government of Odisha |
For students in Odisha state studying in Class 11 or Class 12 with proficiency in Mathematics |
INR 5,000 per month for 10 months |
|
Swami Vivekananda Scholarship |
Government of West Bengal |
For students in Class 11 to Post Graduate standard |
INR 1,100 per month (for HS students) INR 1,500 per month (for polytechnic students) INR 1,100 - 5,100 per month (for UG students) INR 2,100 - 5,100 per month (for PG students) |
|
Gargi Puraskar Scholarship |
Government of Rajasthan |
For students in Rajasthan State studying in Class 11 and Class 12 |
INR 3,000 per annum |
|
E-Grantz Scholarship |
Government of Kerala |
For SC, OBC, and EBC students in schools and colleges in Kerala |
Variable |
|
Oasis Scholarship |
Government of West Bengal |
For students in UG, PG, and PhD courses |
Up to INR 1,00,000 per annum |
|
Dr. Ambedkar Scholarship |
Government of Punjab |
For SC, OBC, and ST, and female students in Punjab state |
Up to INR 1,200 per month |
|
MahaDBT Scholarship |
Government of Maharashtra |
For students in schools and colleges in Maharashtra state |
Variable |
|
MMVY (Madhya Pradesh Mukhyamantri Vidyarthi Yojna) Scholarship |
Government of Madhya Pradesh |
For meritorious college students from economically weaker sections in Madhya Pradesh |
Variable |
|
Karnataka Raita Vidya Nidhi Scholarship |
Government of Karnataka |
For students from economically weaker sections in Karnataka |
INR 2,500 - 11,000 |
|
Nabanna Scholarship |
Government of West Bengal |
For students who are in Class 11, Class 12, UG, and PG standard |
INR 10,000 - 12,000 per annum |
|
Central Government |
INSPIRE Scholarship |
Government of India |
For the top 1% of students in the 12th standard exam, students who ranked below 10,000 in the IIT JEE entrance exam. |
INR 60,000 - 80,000 per annum |
Indira Gandhi Single Girl Child Scholarship |
University Grants Commission (UGC) |
For single girl child pursuing PG course in India |
INR 36,200 annually for two years |
|
Post-Matric Scholarships for Minorities |
Government of India |
For minority students studying in class 11 to PhD standard |
Up to INR 10,000 per annum |
|
Post-Matric Scholarships for Students with Disabilities |
Government of India |
For students enrolled in UG/ PG course recognized by UGC |
Variable |
|
Central Sector Scheme of Scholarship |
Government of India |
For students enrolled in UG/ PG/ Professional courses recognized by AICTE |
Variable |
|
LIC Golden Jubilee Scholarship |
Life Insurance Corporation (LIC) |
For meritorious students from financially weaker section |
Up to INR 40,000 |
|
PFMS Scholarship |
Government of India |
For meritorious students pursuing UG, PG, and Professional courses |
INR 1,000 per month for UG students INR 2,000 per month for students pursuing PG and Professional courses |
|
Ishan Uday Scholarship |
University Grants Commission (UGC) |
For students in the North Eastern Region (Assa, Tripura, Manipur, Mizoram, Nagaland, Meghalaya, Arunachal Pradesh) |
INR 5,400 per month for general course INR 7,800 per month for technical/ medical/ professional/ paramedical courses |
|
Pragati Scholarship |
All India Council for Technical Education (AICTE) |
Female students in the first year of technical diploma course |
INR 50,000 per annum during the course. |
|
Vidyasaarathi Scholarship |
Protean eGovTechnologies Limited |
Intelligent students studying in School, ITI, Diploma, UG, and PG courses in India |
INR 10,000 - 40, 000 |
Also Read: National Scholarship Portal Registration 2025
How to apply for a Scholarship for College Students?
The application format for each scholarship varies depending on various factoINR Here are the common procedures to apply for a scholarship for college students mentioned as follows.
- A student must research on the internet for the scholarships.
- The student should make a list of scholarships where he/she has the required eligibility criteria.
- Check the application window and start applying for the scholarships from the list.
- While applying for a scholarship keep all the essential documents (ex: academic marksheets, certificates, resume, letter of recommendation, etc.) ready.
- Submit your application within the application window.
- Follow regularly for any updates or communication from the authorities regarding any of the scholarships you have applied for.
Read More: 10 Ways to Avoid Scholarship Scams in India & Abroad
Tips to get maximum benefits in a Scholarship for College Students
Students can follow the tips below to get maximum benefits in a scholarship:
- Always start early. Check the portals of the scholarships when they start receiving applications. Apply as soon as the portal opens.
- Apply for as many scholarships as possible where you are eligible to increase your chance of getting a scholarship.
- Make sure that your application does not contain any erroINR Check multiple times of your application before submitting it.
- Check the portals regularly where you applied for scholarships.
Read More: Best 5 Scholarship Essay Examples that Works in 2025
Conclusion
Securing scholarships is always a challenge for any student. Students need to research a lot and put a lot of effort into applying for a scholarship. Getting funding for higher education is always a dream for many candidates who wish to go into a premium institution. However, securing a decent scholarship is always worth it.
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