The objective of the SOF scholarship is to promote overall academic development among students. The scholarship will be awarded based on academic excellence in different Olympiad Exams conducted by Science Olympiad Foundation. Each school can recommend only one student. Only the scholarship recommendation letter with the school headmaster/principal's sign will be approved. Recommendation letters should be submitted to the National Office of Science Olympiad Foundation by December every year.
Table of Contents
SOF Scholarships
Scholarship winners from each class will be the students with the highest cumulative marks in any 4 Olympiad Exams during the year. The marks obtained in the 2nd level Olympiad will be considered for IEO, NSO, and IMO, whereas for NCO & IGKO, marks obtained in the 1st level will be considered. In case a student appears for five Olympiad exams, the best of four Olympiad marks will be considered for the ranking.
Every year SOF spends over INR 18 crores on awards, scholarships, gifts, felicitations, etc.
- Girl Child Scholarship Scheme (SOF GCSS)
- SOF Scholarship For Excellence in English (SOF SEE)
- SOF Academic Excellence Scholarship
Girl Child Scholarship Scheme (SOF GCSS)
SOF GCSS aims to provide financial assistance to girls from the economically weaker section, enabling them to continue their school education. Three hundred girls across India will be provided with an education scholarship amounting to INR 5000 each for their education for the academic year.
Girls will be selected from nominations, which will be received from schools in India. The nomination form will be sent to the respected schools along with the prospectus.
Salient Features of SOF GCSS Scheme
Given below are the salient features of the GCSS scheme.
- The girl child scholarship scheme is an annual scholarship covering one academic year of a girl child.
- Under the GCSS scheme, 300 girl students will be selected from across India.
- GCSS student selection will be made from the recommendation sent by the schools.
- Each selected girl student will be given a scholarship worth Rs.5000 to support her school education.
- A cheque for the selected candidate's amount in favor will be dispatched to her school address.
SOF GCSS Selection Criteria
A school may send a proposal recommending a girl child for consideration of the GCSS.
- Each school may recommend only one girl child.
- The school principal/headmaster should sign the proposal.
- The proposal should be in the official format.
- The girl being nominated must be studying in the respective school.
- She should have scored at least 60% aggregate or equivalent grade in the previous class.
- The school should send a copy of her previous year's report card to the SOF along with the GCSS application form.
- The child's parent's combined monthly income should be less than INR 15,000 per month.
- The decision made by the SOF committee will be final and binding.
- Qualifiers of GCSS will be notified individually and also through respected schools.
- In case of any disputes, jurisdiction will vest with the Delhi court only.
Note: Check out the SOF awards criteria, sections, and levels.
SOF Scholarship For Excellence in English (SOF SEE)
Science Olympiad Foundation and the British Council announced the launch of the SOF scholarship for excellence (SOF SEE) in English 2024-25.
SOF SSE scholarships are awarded in association with the British Council to recognize and reward excellence in the English language among school students in India. The scholarship forms will be sent to respective schools along with the prospectus.
Salient Features of SOF SEE Scheme
Given below are the salient features of the SEE scheme.
- The SSE is a one-time scholarship.
- Under SSE, 120 school students from across India will be selected.
- The selection of SSE winners will be made from the recommendation sent by the schools.
- Each selected student will be awarded a Merit Certificate as a recognition of their excellence in the English language.
SOF SEE Selection Criteria
Given below are the selection criteria of the SEE scheme.
- A school may send a proposal recommending a student for consideration under SSE.
- The school must be a participant in the SOF IEO.
- Each school may recommend only one student.
- The school principal/head must sign the recommendation.
- The student being recommended must be studying in the approved school in class 1 to class 10.
- The student should have scored at least 90% or equivalent grade in English subject.
- All suggestions sent will be evaluated by a committee set up by SOF.
- Winners of SOF-SEE will be notified individually and also through respected schools.
- Students should have scored at least 85% or equivalent in the previous year's exams as aggregate.
- In case of any disputes, jurisdiction will vest with the Delhi court only.
SOF Academic Excellence Scholarship
The objective of the SOF-AES is to promote overall academic development among students.
The scholarship is offered to students who have excelled in Olympiad exams in different subjects, as mentioned below.
- Each class's scholarship winner will be the student with the highest cumulative marks in any 4 Olympiad exams during the year.
- For IEO, NSO, and IMO marks obtained in the 2nd level Olympiad will be considered, whereas for IGKO, ISSO, ICO & NCO marks obtained in the 1st level will be considered. In case 2nd level exams are not conducted, marks scored in the 1st level exams will be considered.
- Under AES, one student from each class, i.e., from grades 3 to 10 from each state/zone, will be selected for the scholarship.
- Eight winners will be selected from each state/zone. Thus from 26 zones, 208 winners will be selected.
Features of SOF AES Awards
A trophy and a citation will be awarded to each winner of SOF AES. In a tie situation between two or more students, winners will be decided on the following priority.
- Students with higher cumulative marks in first-level exams.
- Students with higher marks in the first level exam in English, mathematics, science, computers, and general knowledge.
- Students with higher rank in 2nd level exams in the order of English, mathematics, and science.
- Winners of the AES will be declared by the end of March 2023.
Steps to Apply for SOF Scholarships
Science Olympiad Foundation scholarships are offered to students with the above eligibility criteria. Students satisfying any of the above requirements can follow the below steps to apply for the Science Olympiad Foundation scholarships.
Students can apply for the SOF scholarships through their schools. School coordinators can download the SOF scholarship form by clicking on the link.
Below are the steps to download the SOF scholarship application.
- Visit the official website of SOF.
- Click on the scholarship option available on the home page.
- Select the respective scholarship from GCSS, SEE, or AES.
- Each SOF scholarship application form must be in a prescribed format.
- Only participating schools can send the recommendation letter to the SOF national office.
- The documents that should be submitted for the scholarship are the previous year's exam report card, filled application form, and recommendation signed by the Headmaster/Headmistress or Principal.
- After evaluating all the required documents and forms, SOF will approve the scholarships.
- SOF will send the final draft of scholarship approval and amount to the respective schools.
SOF Awards
Other than Science Olympiad Foundation scholarships, it also offers SOF Awards national, zonal, and class awards to the toppers of every exam conducted them. Each winner is entitled only to one SOF award for each exam. Students entitled to national awards are not eligible for zonal awards.
For, e.g., the top 3 national rank holders will be entitled to scholarships based on their national ranks; they do not qualify for zonal or class awards. Students with the next highest ranks will be eligible for zonal ranks in such a case. Similarly, students eligible for zonal awards won't be entitled to class-based awards.
Note: The students can also check out the Olympiads conducted in India based on the national and international levels.
