Merit Based Scholarships

The Merit-based scholarships are provided to empower meritorious students' academic and career goals by removing several economic barriers. The financial help given by the government motivates them to focus on higher education and gain knowledge to excel in their respective fields. Many governments, private organisations, and several colleges that provide merit-based scholarships aid deserving students who cannot afford their educational expenses. 

Note: Merit Based scholarships application for 2023 still needs to be updated. However, the expected date for 2023 will be declared soon.

Table of Contents

• List of Merit-Based Scholarships 
• Application Process for the Merit-Based Scholarships
• Essential Documents 

Check Other Important Scholarships in India

State wise Scholarships

Discipline Level Scholarships

Category wise Scholarships

Class wise Scholarships

Course wise Scholarships

List of Merit-Based Scholarships 

• INSPIRE Scholarship 
• Scholarship for Higher Education (SHE) 
• KVPY Scholarship
• Swami Vivekananda Merit cum Means Scholarship
• NEC Scholarship Assam
• Medhabruti Scholarship
• Aditya Birla Group Scholarship 
• Merck India Charitable Trust [MICT] Scholarship
• NSF (North-South Foundation) Scholarship
• Glow and Lovely Scholarship 
• G P Birla Educational Foundation Scholarship

INSPIRE Scholarship  

The Innovation in Science Pursuit for Inspired Research (INSPIRE) scholarship is offered by the Department of Science and Technology [DST], the government of India. An amount of INR 80,000 per annum is granted to the meritorious students who undertake bachelor's and master's level courses in natural & basic sciences. Under this scheme, 10,000 scholarships are disbursed every year for 5 years to the selected scholars.

Last Date

The last date for INSPIRE scholarship will be updated soon.

Read more: INSPIRE Scholarship.

KVPY Scholarship

KVPY (Kishore Vaigyanik Protsahan Yojana) is a government-funded national merit scholarship offered by the Department of Science and Technology (DST), the government of India. It covers up to INR 7,000 and a contingency grant to meritorious students studying in classes 11 & 12 (PCM/B), 1st year of B.Sc/B.S./ BStat/ BMath) or integrated M.Sc course in basic sciences. The candidates selected for the merit-based scholarship eligibility criteria will have to undergo an aptitude test and interview round before the final selection for the KVPY scholarship.

Last Date

The last date for the KVPY scholarship application is yet to be updated.

Read more:  KVPY Scholarship.

Swami Vivekananda Merit cum Means Scholarship

The Swami Vivekananda scholarship scheme is a merit-based scholarship scheme for college students in India conducted by Minorities Development and Finance Corporation of West Bengal. It is available for deserving students with poor financial backgrounds aspiring to pursue higher studies. The students pursuing undergraduate, postgraduate, MPhil, and doctoral level courses can apply for these merit-based scholarships for minorities incorporated under the Swami Vivekananda scholarship program. Rewards up to INR 8,000 are granted to the eligible candidates.

Last Date

The last date of application for the Swami Vivekananda scholarship has not been updated yet.

Read more: Swami Vivekananda Scholarship.

NEC (North Eastern Council) Scholarship Assam

The NEC scholarship is one of the top merit-based scholarship scheme initiated by the Directorate of Technical Education (DTE), Assam. It is an excellent advantage for the economically backward students of the North-Eastern regions. A stipend of up to INR 30,000 per annum is provided to the meritorious students pursuing professional/ technical/ management/ M.Phil/ Ph.D. programs within or outside North-East. The applicant's annual family income should not exceed INR 4,50,000 from all sources to get qualified for the merit-based scholarship 2023.

Last Date

The application for NEC (North Eastern Council) scholarship in Assam will be announced soon.

Read more: NEC (North Eastern Council) Scholarship Assam.

Medhabruti Scholarship

The Medhabruti scholarship is a merit-based scholarship scheme initiated by the Higher Education Department, government of Odisha, for the brilliant students of Odisha. Candidates who wish to pursue higher education in general, technical, and professional courses can avail the benefits of the scholarship scheme. The merit-based scholarship offers a reward of up to INR 10,000 to the deserving candidates. Eligible candidates must be residents of Odisha and must have scored at least 60% marks in the last exam. In addition, the annual family income of the applicants must not exceed INR 6 Lakhs.

Last Date

The last date assigned for the Medhabruti scholarship will be updated soon.

Read more: Medhabruti Scholarship.

Aditya Birla Group Scholarship 

The Aditya Birla Group conducts the Aditya Birla Group scholarship for the bright and intelligent students of renowned colleges of India like IITs, IIMs, etc. Under the merit-based scholarships 2023, full tuition and hostel fees waiver (Up to INR 1,80,000) are provided to the eligible students who retain an excellent academic record throughout the course.

Last Date

The tentative merit-based scholarship's last date of application submission for the Aditya Birla Group scholarship has not been declared yet.

Read more:  Aditya Birla Group Scholarship 

Merck India Charitable Trust [MICT] Scholarship 

The Merck India charitable trust [MICT] scholarship is a corporate scholarship introduced by Merck India. It assists the meritorious students from class XI to their graduation (in any subject) in achieving their career goals in different spans. This merit-based scholarship for undergraduates is available for 150 eligible students residing in Maharashtra and Karnataka, under which a maximum merit-based scholarship amount of upto INR 35,000 is provided for their education.

Last Date

The last date of applying for the Merck India Charitable Trust [MICT] scholarship will be updated soon.

Read more: MICT Scholarship.

NSF (North-South Foundation) Scholarship

The NSF scholarship is an annual scholarship for undergraduate students who are stepping ahead in engineering and medicine. The North-South Foundation has already distributed around 20,000 scholarships for supporting the students financially and morally. A merit-based amount of INR 25,000 is granted under this merit-based scholarship scheme for engineering and medical students. The eligible students must be 12th pass and rank holders in JEE/ NEET/ CET.

Last Date

The last date for submitting the application form for the NSF scholarship will be released shortly.

Read more: NSF (North-South Foundation) Scholarship.

Glow and Lovely Scholarship

The Glow and Lovely career foundation scholarship (earlier known as Fair and Lovely Scholarship) was initiated by Glow and Lovely Foundation, Hindustan Unilever Limited. The Glow and Lovely is a much-appreciated scholarship scheme to empower meritorious girl students of India falling in the age group of 15 to 30 years by assisting them financially in their higher education. The eligible female students must be enrolled or should be pursuing undergraduate or postgraduate programs in government-affiliated institutions in India. Upto INR 50,000 rewards are granted to the selected applicants who meet the merit-based scholarships eligibility criteria under this scholarship program.

Last Date

The last date for Glow and Lovely career foundation scholarship application will be updated soon.

Read more: Glow and Lovely Career Foundation Scholarship.

G P Birla Educational Foundation Scholarship 

The G P Birla educational trust was launched to fulfill the dream of Late Shri G. P. Birla, who was an Industrialist and Philanthropist. The foundation's main objective is to promote students of economically backward sections of society and make them capable of growing and excelling in their fields. Around 100 students of West Bengal are selected for this merit-based scholarship 2023 who have passed their 12th examination and are awarded merit-based scholarships amounting to INR 50.000 per year.

Last Date

The last date for online form submission for G P Birla educational foundation scholarship will be notified soon.

Read more: G P Birla Educational Foundation Scholarship

Application Process for the Merit-Based Scholarships

The interested applicants who satisfy all the required criterias can apply for the merit-based scholarships in governmental (National) and non-governmental (Official) portals. Online application forms are available for application on both the portals mentioned above. The process can be simplified in the following steps.

National Scholarship Portal

• INSPIRE Scholarship
• KVPY – Kishore Vaigyanik Protsahan Yojana
• Swami Vivekananda Merit cum Means Scholarship
• NEC Scholarship Assam
• Medhabruti Scholarship

How to Apply on the National Scholarship Portal?

For the merit-based scholarships 2023, the candidates need to visit the specific scholarships on the National Scholarship Portal. All the information regarding the merit-based scholarships application form and documents required are available on the portal itself. The following steps on how to apply for the NSP are provided below:

Step 1: Applicants need to visit the official website of the National Scholarship Portal.

Step 2: First-time users should first register to get the merit-based scholarships login details.

Step 3: After registration, they must log in to the portal using the generated credentials.

Step 4: They can search for the desired scholarships from the different merit-based scholarship schemes provided on the website.

Step 5: Click on the apply now button given on the page.

Step 6: Provide the required details.

Step 7: Upload the vital merit-based scholarship documents asked for.

Step 8: Tick on the terms and conditions button and review the information filled.

Step 9: If the details are correct on the preview screen, click the submit button and end the application procedure.

Read more: NSP Login.

Official Scholarship Portal

• Aditya Birla Group Scholarship 
• Merck India Charitable Trust (MICT) Scholarship
• NSF (North-South Foundation) Scholarship
• Glow and Lovely Scholarship 
• G P Birla Educational Foundation Scholarship

How to Apply on the Official Scholarship Portal?

The selected applicants applying for the merit-based scholarships 2023 through the official portals must satisfy all the required merit-based scholarship eligibility criteria. In addition, they can gain insight into the application process by following the steps furnished underneath.

Step 1: Open the official website of the desired scholarships.

Step 2: Applicants need to search for the selected scholarship on their respective websites.

Step 3: They should hit the apply now button on the scholarship pages.

Step 4: New users need to complete their first-time merit-based scholarships registration on the portal.

Step 5: After completing the registration, the candidates must fill in the merit-based scholarships online form and all the required details.

Step 6: They should upload the necessary scholarship documents and review the information filled.

Step 7: Next, the applicants should click on the submit button to end the process.

Note: The application process for several scholarships might differ.

Essential Documents

There are particular merit-based scholarship documents required to be uploaded while filling out the application form for the merit-based scholarship scheme. The documents provided should be valid and in prescribed format to avoid any rejections. A list of essential documents are listed below: 

• Photograph
• Marksheets
• Fee receipt
• Income certificate
• I.D. proof
• Aadhaar card
• Bank details
• Reference letter
• Recommendation letter from the head of the institution

For more details, visit our Scholarships 2023 Directory.