Scholarships for Girl Students in India: Government Schemes

Why dedicated scholarships for girl students exist

Several Government of India and state schemes specifically support girl students, with the goal of encouraging girls' education and reducing dropout. They are secular schemes — eligibility is based on academic performance, family situation (such as being a single girl child) or income, not on faith or community.

Amounts, income limits and deadlines differ by scheme and are revised over time. Use the figures here as a map of what exists, and confirm every current detail on the official source before applying.

Single-girl-child scholarships

A few schemes specifically reward girls who are the only child of their parents, recognising families who invest in a single daughter's education.

These typically require academic performance in a qualifying exam plus proof of single-girl-child status. The exact marks bar, benefit and tenure are set by the scheme.

• CBSE Merit Scholarship Scheme for Single Girl Child — for eligible single girl children who performed well in CBSE Class 10 and continue in Class 11 and 12 in a CBSE-affiliated school.
• UGC Post-Graduate Indira Gandhi Scholarship for Single Girl Child — for eligible single girl children pursuing postgraduate study, applied for via the National Scholarship Portal.

Scholarships for girls in technical and higher education

Girl students in technical and professional courses have dedicated support, the best-known being the AICTE Pragati Scholarship for girl students in AICTE-approved technical diploma and degree programmes, subject to a family-income ceiling.

Many state governments also run their own scholarships for girl students at school and college level, hosted on NSP or the respective state portal. Eligibility, the number of awards and amounts are published by AICTE or the state — verify them on the official site each year.

How to apply

Most central girl-student scholarships are applied for online — many through the National Scholarship Portal after One-Time Registration, while CBSE's single-girl-child scheme is applied for on the CBSE portal.

Keep your mark sheets, the relevant certificate (for example, single-girl-child or income proof), enrolment proof and bank details ready, since incomplete or mismatched documents are the most common reason for rejection.

• Read the official eligibility on the scheme's own page before starting.
• Apply within the published window — dates vary by year and scheme.
• Double-check that your name and details match your documents exactly.

Avoiding scams

Government scholarships for girl students are free to apply for and select students only on their published, secular criteria. No legitimate scheme guarantees an award for a fee or asks for your OTP, password or bank PIN.

• Apply only on official portals (scholarships.gov.in, cbse.gov.in, aicte.gov.in or the official state portal).
• Never pay anyone who 'promises' a girl-child scholarship.
• Treat any message asking for banking OTP/PIN as fraud.