Scholarship programmes senior secondary students can apply for

High drop-out rate and inaccessibility to quality education are among the top challenges that the Indian education system is struggling with. Availability of sufficient financial aid is the need of the hour to combat both these challenges. In fact, there are many scholarship programmes available in our country to help students continue with their educational endeavours and improve their learning outcomes. Here is a list of scholarships that class IX and X students can avail.  

National Means-cum-Merit Scholarship Scheme 
This is a merit-cum-means scholarship aimed to support class IX students coming from the economically weaker section of the society. This scholarship, provided by the Department of School Education and Literacy, Government of India, offers Rs. 12,000 per annum to the students with an annual family income less than 1.5 lakh. The selection for scholarship is based on a test conducted nationally by each state or Union Territory.   

Eligibility

• The student has to be an Indian National 
• The applicant must be a class IX student  
• Marks obtained in class VIII should be at least 55% 
• Annual family income should be equal to or less than Rs. 1.5 lakh 

Pre-Matric Scholarship for Students with Disabilities 
The Department of Empowerment of Persons with Disability, Government of India introduced this scholarship for class IX and X students with more than 40% disability. Also, the family income shouldn’t be more than Rs. 2.5 lakh per annum. The components of this programme include maintenance and disability allowances and book grants.  

Eligibility 

• The applicant must be an Indian national 
• The student has to be in Class IX or X of a government or government-recognised school
• The disability should be 40% or more 
• Annual family income should be equal to or less than Rs. 2.5 lakh per annum 

Pre-Matric Scholarships Scheme for Minorities 
This is a scholarship offered by the Ministry of Minority Affairs, Government of India in order to support the school education of children belonging to the minority communities: Muslim, Parsi, Christian, Zoroastrian, Buddhist and Jain. Students from Class I to Class X enrolled in any government or private school can avail this scholarship if they score at least 50% marks in their last qualifying exam. Also, their family income should be less than 1 lakh per annum. The programme includes admission fee, tuition fee and maintenance allowance.  

Eligibility:  

• The student has to be part of the minority community (Muslim, Parsi, Christian, Zoroastrian, Buddhist and Jain) 
• Government or private school students from Class I to Class X i 
• The score of the last qualifying exam has to be 50% 
• Annual family income should not exceed 1 lakh per annum 

HDFC Bank Parivartan’s ECS Scholarship  
This scholarship is designed to support underprivileged meritorious students from Class VI to those pursuing UG and PG programmes. The ECS scholarship provides financial assistance to the tune of Rs.  75,000 to students who are unable to bear the expenses of their education and are likely to drop out.   

Eligibility: 

• The student has to be an Indian national 
• The applicant must be a student of class VI and above, up to class XII in a private, government or government-aided school. 
• The student must obtain at least 55% marks in the last qualifying exam .  
• Annual family income should be less than or equal to INR 2.5 lakh (2,50,000) per anum.