Top Class Scholarship for SC Students 2025-26: Check guidelines, eligibility & more

The Central government has introduced a new scholarship scheme for Scheduled Caste (SC) students, Top Class Scholarship for SC Students 2025-26, with the aim of recognising and promoting quality education amongst students belonging to the reserved group.

The Scheme will cover SC students pursuing studies beyond Class 12 and will operate in all institutions notified by the Ministry of Social Justice and Empowerment for FY 2024-25 to 2025-26.

However, the scholarship, once awarded, will continue until the completion of the course, provided the student's performance is deemed satisfactory.

SC Students Scholarship 2025-26: Eligibility

• SC students having a total annual family income from all sources up to ₹8 lakh. An income declaration of self-employed parents/guardians, in the form of a certificate issued by a revenue officer not below the rank of Tehsildar, would be required.
• SC students who have secured admission in a full-time prescribed course in any of the notified institutions.
• The scholarship will be awarded only to first-year students. Students of 2nd/3rd/4th year will not be eligible.
• Thirty per cent of slots allotted to the Institution shall be reserved for eligible SC girl students as per their inter-se merit. However, it won't include the girl students selected based on their performance in the overall merit list.
• In the absence of a sufficient number of girl students, the 30% slots may be transferred to eligible boy students as per their inter-se merit.
• If the number of eligible students admitted exceeds the number of slots allotted to the institution, the scholarship will be awarded to the top students in the inter-se merit list.
• The benefit of the scholarship scheme will not be provided to more than 2 siblings in a family.
• The scholarship scheme will be terminated if the student fails to get promoted. It will be released automatically after the student is promoted.

SC Students Scholarship 2025-26: ‘Top Class’ Institutions

All the IIMs / IITs/ IIITs / AIIMSs/ NITs/NIFTs/ NIDs/ IHMs/NLUs and other Central Government Institutions will be eligible.

If an institution is not in any of the above categories, it has to be included in the current list of:

i) National Assessment and Accreditation Council (NAAC) A++ and A+ Accredited Institutions

ii) Top 100 National Institutional Ranking Framework (NIRF) Institutions

iii) Institutions of National Importance as per lists issued by the Ministry of Human Resource Development (MHRD) from time to time.

SC Students Scholarship 2025-26: Number of Scholarship Slots