Scholarship Guides
Unlike our scholarship listings, these are complete, plain-English explainers — how a state's scholarship system actually works, how a category like SC/ST or OBC is organized nationally, and what to check before you apply. Start here if you're not sure where to begin.
How Scholarships Work
National, topic-level guides — start here if you're new to how Indian scholarships are organized.
National Scholarship Portal (NSP): The Complete Guide (2026)
NSP is not one scholarship — it's a shared application portal for over a hundred central government and UGC/AICTE scholarships, plus some state schemes.
How State Scholarships Work in India: The Complete Guide (2026)
Every Indian state runs its own scholarship system, separate from the central National Scholarship Portal (NSP) — funded by the state, applied for on the state's own website, and only open to residents of that state (called domicile).
By Category
Caste and community-based scholarship systems, explained nationally across states.
Minority Scholarships in India: The Complete Guide (2026)
In India, six communities are officially notified as minorities for scholarship purposes: Muslim, Christian, Sikh, Buddhist, Parsi, and Jain. Eligibility isn't based on caste — it's based on religious community.
OBC Scholarships in India: The Complete Guide (2026)
OBC scholarships come from two separate sources: central schemes (applied for on NSP) and state schemes (applied for on your own state's portal) — and most states also run their own version alongside the central one.
SC/ST Scholarships in India: The Complete Guide (2026)
There are two kinds of SC/ST scholarships: Central (apply on NSP) and State (apply on your own state's portal). They are not the same.
By Course
Course-specific funding — where the money actually comes from for your field of study.
Engineering & BTech Scholarships in India: The Complete Guide (2026)
Engineering scholarships come from four different sources — AICTE/government schemes, your state, corporate CSR programs, and research fellowships for postgraduate work. Most students only check one.
MBBS & Medical Scholarships in India: The Complete Guide (2026)
There is no single 'MBBS scholarship' — medical students draw funding from the same state and central schemes as other students, since most list Medical/MBBS as one of several eligible courses rather than running a dedicated medical-only scheme.
Corporate & Private Funding
Scholarships funded outside government systems — CSR programs, foundations, and trusts.
By State
How each state's own scholarship system is organized — portals, categories, and class stages.
Andhra Pradesh Scholarships: The Complete Guide (2026)
AP ePASS and Jnanabhumi are not two different systems. ePASS is the name of the system, and Jnanabhumi is the website you actually use.
Bihar Scholarships: The Complete Guide (2026)
Bihar's two main systems — PMS and Medhasoft — each exist under two slightly different web addresses. Both versions are real, not a scam or a mistake.
Chhattisgarh Scholarships: The Complete Guide (2026)
Chhattisgarh scholarships are not based on one single rule. Some depend on your caste, some on your family's poverty status (BPL), and some on your marks.
Gujarat Scholarships: The Complete Guide (2026)
Almost every Gujarat scholarship runs through one website, digitalgujarat.gov.in — but within that site, forms are split by your category and by your class stage (Pre-Matric vs Post-Matric), same as most other states.
Haryana Scholarships: The Complete Guide (2026)
Haryana runs separate Post-Matric scholarships for SC students and BC/OBC students, plus a Consolidated Stipend Scheme specifically for SC students.
Jharkhand Scholarships: The Complete Guide (2026)
Jharkhand's main scholarship system runs through e-Kalyan, the state's welfare department portal — most Post-Matric support for SC, ST, and OBC students goes through it.
Karnataka Scholarships: The Complete Guide (2026)
Karnataka uses two separate websites: ssp.karnataka.gov.in for Pre-Matric (school) and ssp.postmatric.karnataka.gov.in for Post-Matric (college). Using the wrong one is a common mistake.
Kerala Scholarships: The Complete Guide (2026)
Kerala splits scholarships across several portals by department: DCE for merit-based schemes, e-Grantz for caste-based schemes, and separate sites for minority and science-specific scholarships.
Madhya Pradesh Scholarships: The Complete Guide (2026)
Madhya Pradesh splits its scholarships across three different websites: MPTAAS (caste-based), MMVY (merit-based), and the main state scholarship portal (welfare schemes).
Maharashtra Scholarships: The Complete Guide (2026)
Maharashtra's main scholarship system, MahaDBT, is actually split across two websites — mahadbt.maharashtra.gov.in and mahadbt2.maharashtra.gov.in. Check which one your specific scheme uses.
Odisha Scholarships: The Complete Guide (2026)
Odisha runs 21 different state scholarship schemes, but almost all of them use one website: scholarship.odisha.gov.in.
Punjab Scholarships: The Complete Guide (2026)
Punjab runs separate Post-Matric scholarships for SC students and OBC/BC students — check the one that matches your category, not a single combined form.
Rajasthan Scholarships: The Complete Guide (2026)
Rajasthan uses one login system for everything, called SSO. But which department handles your scholarship — SJE for caste-based, others for merit-based — still depends on the scheme.
Tamil Nadu Scholarships: The Complete Guide (2026)
Tamil Nadu spreads its scholarships across several different websites, and picking the wrong one is easy to do.
Telangana Scholarships: The Complete Guide (2026)
Telangana keeps almost all its scholarships on one portal, TS ePASS — simpler than many other states. The confusion here is picking the right form, not the right website.
Uttar Pradesh Scholarships: The Complete Guide (2026)
Uttar Pradesh uses one main website, scholarship.up.gov.in, but it hosts many separate forms — split by your category group and by your class stage.
West Bengal Scholarships: The Complete Guide (2026)
West Bengal does not have one scholarship website. It has several — SVMCM, Oasis, Aikyashree, Kanyashree, and more — and each one is for a different group of students.
Looking for a specific scholarship instead of a guide? Browse all states or search all scholarships.