Azim Premji Foundation on May 15 announced the Azim Premji Scholarship to support girls pursuing higher education after school. The Foundation estimates that it will offer the Azim Premji Scholarship to up to 2.5 lakh girls in the academic year 2025-26. The program will be available in 18 states of the country.
The Azim Premji Scholarship was pilot launched in the 2024-25 academic year in Madhya Pradesh, and certain districts of Uttar Pradesh, Rajasthan, and Jharkhand. Over 25,000 girls have been given the scholarship in this pilot cycle. The money of the first year of the scholarship has been transferred to the accounts of these girls.
Key points about the Azim Premji Scholarship:
Eligibility:
- Girls who have done their class 10 and 12 schooling in government (public) schools.
- Have admission in a bona-fide higher education institution (HEI) – in a degree or diploma program. List of ‘Bona-fide’ HEIs will include all government (public) HEIs and select private HEIs as well.
- Scholarship:
- Rs 30,000 per year for the duration of the degree or diploma program, so long as the girl continues successfully in the program.
- For example, a girl pursuing the 4-year B Sc nursing program, will get Rs 1,20,000 scholarship support in those 4 years.
- The money will be transferred in two instalments to the girls’ bank account directly every year. She may use the money as is needed.
The application process for the 2025-26 cycle will start in September 2025. The list of eighteen states is: Arunachal Pradesh, Assam, Bihar, Chhattisgarh, Jharkhand, Karnataka, Madhya Pradesh, Manipur, Meghalaya, Mizoram, Nagaland, Odisha, Rajasthan, Sikkim, Telangana, Tripura, Uttar Pradesh and Uttarakhand. Details of the program and any changes in the program design or coverage will be notified at the start of the application process. The scholarship program is likely to be expanded to cover the entire country in coming years.
“Good school education is foundational for life, while higher education changes social and economic prospects in life. Despite the all-around progress India has made, girls continue to confront differential societal and financial hurdles at all levels of education. We are making a significant commitment to support girls to pursue higher education, which will help them gain greater control over their life’s trajectory,” noted Anurag Behar, Chief Executive Officer, Azim Premji Foundation.
