Top educational scholarships for Indian students

To make education affordable for students, the government and various organisations offer various scholarships. Check details here...

With the increasing cost of education, many meritorious and financially weak students drop-out of schools or colleges. Some of them even give-up their dream of pursuing higher education.

Representational image. (Getty Images/iStockphoto)

According to a report by the Hindu, of an initial enrolment of 100 students, on average only 70 finish school in India. Similarly, the enrolment of students in higher institutes is not impressive. To make education affordable for such students, the government and various organisations offer various scholarships.

National Talent Search Examination (NTSE)

The National Talent Search Examination (NTSE), conducted by the National Council of Educational Research and Training (NCERT), covers academic areas in the sciences, social sciences, engineering and medicine.

Around 1,000 students are shortlisted through the test for the scholarship. The scholarship is provided till the completion of the Doctor of Philosophy (PhD) for the courses in sciences and social sciences. But, the students pursuing engineering and medicine get the scholarship up to the post-graduate level.

Kishore Vaigyanik Protsahan Yojana (KVPY)

Started in 1999, the KVPY programme is coordinated by the Indian Institute of Science (IISc), Bengaluru. The scholarship is for the students who wish to pursue a career in scientific research. The students eligible for it are provided assistance till the pre-PhD level. The students are shortlisted for the KVPY through an aptitude test, which is held across different centers in major cities in India.

The Maulana Azad National Fellowship (MANF) offers scholarship to students belonging to the minority communities such as Muslim, Christian, Sikh, Buddhist and Parsi. The scholarship is provided to the students of the minority communities for pursuing studies till MPhil/ PhD degree in Arts (Humanities), Social Sciences, Sciences, Technology & Engineering and not availing of the benefit of JRF of UGC-NET or UGC-CSIR NET.