One scholarship, many futures: Helping India’s bright minds turn dreams into possibilities

• Scholarships can be the bridge between financial hardship and a future in technology, medicine, engineering, research, entrepreneurship and the creative economy
• Navjeevan Express-Buddy4Study initiative puts verified scholarship opportunities within reach of deserving students across India
• From IIT aspirants and postgraduate researchers to girl students, transgender learners and first-generation scholars, opportunities span diverse educational journeys
• Reliance Foundation scholarships target future-ready talent in engineering, technology, energy and life sciences, while undergraduate aid widens access to higher education
• CSR-backed programmes from Kotak, Hero FinCorp, Mahindra and Ujjivan open new pathways for students from economically and socially disadvantaged communities
• Parents, teachers and institutions can become scholarship ambassadors—ensuring no deserving student misses an opportunity simply because a deadline passed unnoticed

NE EDUCATION BUREAU

AHMEDABAD, AUG 20

What if the distance between a brilliant student and a brilliant future is not ability, but awareness of the right scholarship at the right time?

A scholarship application filed before a deadline can sometimes do much more than pay a fee. It can keep a daughter in college, help a first-generation learner reach a premier institution, enable an aspiring researcher to pursue advanced studies, or give a young entrepreneur, designer or technology enthusiast the financial runway to turn talent into a career.

In an increasingly digital India, where knowledge, technology and innovation are opening new vistas of opportunity, financial constraints should not become a digital-age barrier to education.

That is the larger purpose behind Navjeevan Express, in association with Buddy4Study, continuing its Scholarship Alert series to bring verified opportunities from corporate CSR initiatives, educational institutions, philanthropic organisations and charitable trusts to students and families across the country.

The initiative is also aimed at creating a network of scholarship ambassadors—parents, teachers, schools, colleges, universities and career counsellors who can identify talented students, guide them towards suitable opportunities and help ensure that financial hardship does not quietly terminate an educational journey.

Where talent meets opportunity

The current scholarship landscape offers opportunities across disciplines, social categories and stages of education—from school and undergraduate programmes to specialised postgraduate courses.

Among the prominent opportunities is the Reliance Foundation Postgraduate Scholarships, designed to support future leaders pursuing select future-ready programmes in engineering, technology, energy and life sciences.

Students enrolled in the first year of eligible full-time regular postgraduate programmes can qualify through either a GATE score between 550 and 1,000 or, for those who have not attempted GATE, a CGPA of 7.5 or above in their undergraduate studies, or an equivalent percentage normalised to CGPA.

The programme’s vision is particularly relevant to India’s emerging knowledge economy, seeking students who can “think big, think green, and think digital” for the benefit of society.

The Reliance Foundation Undergraduate Scholarships, meanwhile, support meritorious students from across India in pursuing undergraduate education, helping them continue their studies, build professional careers and contribute to India’s socio-economic development.

From classrooms to India’s future economy

For students looking beyond conventional career choices, the Luxury Connect Business School Scholarship Program 2026-27 offers an opportunity to enter the specialised world of luxury management.

Students admitted to the MBA in Luxury Brand Management or the Advanced Diploma in Luxury Retail Management & Client Experience at Luxury Connect Business School can receive tuition-fee waivers, making specialised professional education more accessible to aspiring luxury-industry professionals.

The Raman Kant Munjal Scholarships 2026-27, an initiative of the Raman Kant Munjal Foundation supported by Hero FinCorp, focus on first-year undergraduate students pursuing finance-related courses, helping talented young people build pathways towards promising careers.

Together, such programmes reflect a changing educational landscape in which scholarships are no longer merely about meeting tuition costs—they can also help students acquire industry-specific skills for emerging and specialised careers.

Girl students get a stronger financial runway

The Kotak Kanya Scholarship 2026-27, a CSR initiative of Kotak Mahindra Group companies and Kotak Education Foundation, is aimed at meritorious girl students from underprivileged backgrounds.

Girls who have passed Class 12 and secured admission to professional undergraduate courses can receive ₹1.5 lakh per year until completion of their degree, subject to the programme’s applicable conditions.

For families facing difficult financial choices, such assistance can be particularly significant in ensuring that a daughter’s higher education continues uninterrupted.

The Mahindra EmpowerHer Scholarship Program 2026-27 similarly seeks to support meritorious girl students from SC, ST and OBC communities.

The programme offers a fixed scholarship award of ₹5,500 to eligible students studying in Classes 9 to 12 or pursuing general undergraduate and postgraduate courses, helping them continue their education despite financial constraints.

Inclusion moves beyond conventional boundaries

The scholarship ecosystem is also increasingly recognising students whose educational journeys have historically faced additional barriers.

The B.S. Abdur Rahman “India in a Classroom” Scholarship 2026-27, offered by B.S. Abdur Rahman Crescent Institute of Science and Technology, Chennai, provides 200 undergraduate scholarship seats for SC, ST and Muslim students from across India.

Depending on income and academic performance, the scholarship can cover up to 100% of tuition, hostel, food and examination fees.

Another significant inclusion-focused opportunity is the Ujjivan Small Finance Bank Transgender Scholarship Program 2026-27, a CSR initiative of Ujjivan Small Finance Bank implemented through Buddy4Study.

The programme is open to talented and deserving transgender students studying in Classes 9 to 12 or undergraduate/postgraduate courses at recognised government or private open schools and universities.

Such programmes underscore an important principle: educational opportunity becomes truly transformative when financial assistance reaches students who may otherwise be pushed to the margins.

The deadline should never defeat the dream

For every scholarship listed, eligibility criteria, documents required, income limits, academic conditions and application deadlines can differ.

Students and parents should therefore carefully examine the detailed conditions and submit applications only through the respective official scholarship/application portals.

But the responsibility need not rest with students alone.

A teacher who alerts a promising student, a parent who searches for opportunities, a college counsellor who helps complete an application, or a school that circulates a scholarship alert can become the crucial link between talent and opportunity.

In the new India being shaped by digital technology, artificial intelligence, advanced manufacturing, research, entrepreneurship and specialised professional skills, the next breakthrough may come from a student who today is simply looking for a way to stay in college.

The scholarship may be the opportunity. The student may be the future.