Scholarship Finder

Govt. of Tamil Nadu — Adi Dravidar & Tribal Welfare Dept.

Category

SC / ST / SCA

Eligible stage

Class 11, 12, Diploma, UG, PG, professional courses

Income limit

Family income up to ₹2.5 lakh/year

Benefit

Full tuition fee, exam fee, hostel allowance (~₹4,000/year), and up to ~₹13,500/year extra for professional courses. Paid via DBT.

Annual application window; confirm the current cycle's exact dates on the portal.

Govt. of Tamil Nadu — Backward Classes Welfare Dept.

Category

BC / MBC / DNC

Eligible stage

Class 11, 12, Diploma, UG, PG, professional courses

Income limit

BC: family income ₹1-2.5 lakh/year (varies by sub-scheme). MBC/DNC: no income limit for exam-fee reimbursement.

Benefit

Tuition/exam fee reimbursement and allowances; exact amount varies by category and course.

Annual application window; confirm the current cycle's exact dates on the portal.

Govt. of Tamil Nadu — Social Welfare & Women Empowerment Dept.

Category

Girls (TN govt. school students)

Eligible stage

Class 6-12 in a TN govt. school, continuing into UG / Diploma / ITI

Income limit

No income limit stated

Benefit

₹1,000/month (₹12,000/year) via DBT, paid uninterrupted through the UG/diploma/ITI course.

Can be combined with other scholarships per the scheme's own rules.

Ministry of Education, Govt. of India

Category

Merit + means (all categories)

Eligible stage

Class 9-12, govt./govt.-aided/local-body schools only

Income limit

Family income up to ₹3.5 lakh/year

Benefit

₹12,000/year (₹1,000/month) via DBT, from Class 9 through Class 12.

Students of Kendriya Vidyalayas / Jawahar Navodaya Vidyalayas are not eligible.

AICTE (All India Council for Technical Education)

Category

Girls in technical education

Eligible stage

1st year (or 2nd year lateral entry) of an AICTE-approved diploma/degree

Income limit

Family income up to ₹8 lakh/year

Benefit

₹50,000/year via DBT. 5,000 scholarships/year for degree + 5,000/year for diploma nationally.

Limited to two girls per family. Highly competitive given the fixed national quota.

AICTE (All India Council for Technical Education)

Category

Specially-abled students (40%+ disability)

Eligible stage

AICTE-approved technical diploma or degree

Income limit

Family income up to ₹8 lakh/year

Benefit

₹50,000/year lump sum via DBT. 1,000 scholarships/year nationally.

Limited national quota — apply as early as the window opens.

AICTE (All India Council for Technical Education)

Category

Orphans / wards of Armed Forces or paramilitary personnel killed in action

Eligible stage

AICTE-approved technical diploma or degree

Income limit

Family income up to ₹8 lakh/year

Benefit

₹50,000/year for the entire course duration, via DBT.

Also covers orphans and wards of parents who died of COVID-19, per the scheme's stated criteria.

Dept. of Science & Technology, Govt. of India

Category

Merit — top science students

Eligible stage

B.Sc./Integrated M.Sc. in Natural Sciences (Physics, Chemistry, Maths, Biology, Statistics, Geology)

Income limit

No income limit — purely merit-based

Benefit

₹60,000/year (₹5,000/month) plus a ₹20,000 summer research mentorship grant — ₹80,000/year total via DBT.

No separate competitive exam. Eligible if you're in the top 1% of your Class 12 Science board, top 10,000 in JEE Main/NEET, or a KVPY/NTSE/Science Olympiad scholar, and admitted to a recognised Natural Sciences degree.

Govt. of Tamil Nadu

Category

First graduate in the family

Eligible stage

UG, especially via TNEA/Anna University counseling admission

Income limit

No income limit stated

Benefit

₹20,000/year for both day-scholars and hostellers.

Aimed at students who are the first in their family to pursue a degree, regardless of income.

Dept. of Higher Education, Govt. of India

Category

Merit (all categories, top scorers)

Eligible stage

UG (and PG renewal) at a recognised college/university

Income limit

Family income up to ₹4.5 lakh/year (typical; confirm current threshold)

Benefit

~₹12,000/year at UG level, ~₹20,000/year at PG level, for students in roughly the top 20th percentile of their Class 12 board.

Renewal each year depends on maintaining minimum academic performance.

Ministry of Minority Affairs, Govt. of India

Category

Minority communities (Muslim, Christian, Sikh, Buddhist, Jain, Parsi)

Eligible stage

Class 11, 12, UG, PG, Diploma, ITI

Income limit

Family income up to ₹2 lakh/year

Benefit

Covers admission/tuition fee plus a maintenance allowance; the exact annual amount is not settled here — sources disagreed (₹10,000 vs ₹22,000/year), so confirm the current figure on the National Scholarship Portal directly.

Merit rank and quota distribution also apply — check the portal for this year's cutoffs.