Government Scholarships:
NSP (National Scholarships Portal) — Central Sector Scheme. Eligibility: family income under 8 lakhs/year, top 80 percentile in Class 12 or qualifying entrance. Amount: 12,000-20,000/year tuition + book allowance. Apply: scholarships.gov.in.
INSPIRE-SHE (Innovation in Science Pursuit for Inspired Research). Eligibility: top 1 percent in Class 12 board OR JEE Main / NEET / KVPY rank. Amount: 80,000/year + 20,000 mentorship grant for 5 years. For B.Sc / B.Tech in pure sciences and engineering. Apply: inspire-dst.gov.in.
Karnataka Vidyasiri Scholarship. Eligibility: Karnataka domicile, family income under 1 lakh/year (SC/ST), 2.5 lakhs/year (OBC). Amount: 100 percent fee waiver + maintenance allowance. Apply: ssp.postmatric.karnataka.gov.in.
Tamil Nadu Tuition Fee Waiver. Eligibility: Tamil Nadu domicile, qualifying TNEA rank, family income under specific threshold. Amount: full tuition waiver at government and aided colleges. Apply: tnea.tngov.in.
Maharashtra OBC / SC / ST Scholarships. Eligibility: Maharashtra domicile, MHT-CET rank, family income within state-specified limits. Amount: tuition fee + maintenance allowance. Apply: mahadbtmahait.gov.in.
College-Specific Scholarships:
RVCE Merit Scholarship. Top 5 percent of KCET-allotted students receive 25-50 percent fee concession. Renewable annually based on CGPA above 8.5.
BMSCE Merit Scholarship. KCET rank under 1,000 receive 25 percent tuition waiver. SC/ST: 100 percent waiver.
PES University Merit Scholarship. KCET rank under 500 receive 50 percent tuition discount. PESSAT top 1 percent receive 100 percent waiver for 1st year.
BITS Pilani Merit Scholarships. BITSAT top 1 percent receive 80 percent tuition waiver. Top 2-3 percent receive 50 percent waiver.
VIT GVS (Graduate Voluntary Scholarship). Multiple categories: top 1000 VITEEE rankers get 100 percent tuition waiver. Need-based scholarships for income under 5 lakhs/year.
Manipal Merit Scholarship. MET top 100 receive 100 percent tuition waiver. KCET-allotted top 5 percent get 25 percent discount.
Private Foundation Scholarships:
KC Mahindra Scholarships for Postgraduate Studies (PG abroad). Eligibility: Indian citizen, GRE/GMAT score, admission to top global university. Amount: up to 8 lakhs.
Aditya Birla Scholarship. Top JEE Advanced and CAT/CLAT entry. Amount: 1.75 lakhs/year + mentorship.
Tata Trusts Scholarships. Multiple programmes for SC/ST/OBC engineering students. Amount: 25,000-50,000/year.
Reliance Foundation Scholarship. Eligibility: top JEE Main / NEET / CLAT rankers from family income under 8 lakhs/year. Amount: up to 6 lakhs total.
OP Jindal Engineering Scholarship. Eligibility: top JEE rankers, family income under specific threshold. Amount: 2.5 lakhs/year.
NRI / Minority / Women-Specific Scholarships:
PMRF (Prime Minister Research Fellowship). Eligibility: top B.Tech / M.Tech / MS rank for direct PhD entry at IISc, IITs, IIITs. Amount: 70,000-80,000/month for 5 years.
Pragati Scholarship for Women in Technical Education. Eligibility: female student in AICTE-approved engineering programme, family income under 8 lakhs. Amount: 50,000/year.
Begum Hazrat Mahal National Scholarship. Eligibility: minority community female students. Amount: 12,000/year.
INSPIRE Scholarship for Higher Education. Eligibility: pursuing B.Tech with strong Class 12 rank. Amount: 80,000/year.
Application Strategy:
- Apply to multiple scholarships in parallel — most government scholarships have separate windows from college merit awards.
- Keep documents ready: family income certificate, caste certificate (if applicable), Aadhaar, bank account details, latest marks card.
- Many scholarships are renewable annually — maintain CGPA above 8.0 to retain eligibility.
- Some scholarships require students to clear an interview or aptitude round in addition to academic eligibility.