When it comes to the best job options in India, engineering remains to be one of the most popular options among students.
Many of you, I'm sure, are already considering this choice as a way to realise your dream of becoming an engineer and working for a reputable firm.
Thousands of students have to give up their dream of working as an engineer each year, out of an estimated 15 lac Engineering students.
One of the main reasons is that they cannot afford the expensive fees required to obtain an engineering degree from a reputable college.
An engineering degree from a top engineering college or university might cost anywhere between INR 7 lakhs and INR 20 lakhs. Many deserving students from low-income households and undeserved communities are unable to pay this fee.
This is where engineering scholarships come in handy, as they provide much-needed financial assistance to students pursuing engineering degrees at prestigious institutions.
We've compiled and listed scholarships for engineering students offered by a variety of corporations, organisations, and prominent colleges to help them reach their goals.
Indian Oil Corporation Scholarship
Under the purview of their Indian Oil Educational Scholarship scheme, IOCL is another well-known firm that awards 300 scholarships for engineering students in India.
Successful candidates are chosen purely on the basis of merit and are awarded scholarships of INR 3,000 per month for a four-month term.
Candidates must be accepted into the first year of a full-time Engineering course – with a government/UGC recognised college/institution – in order to be considered.
Physically challenged students, girls, and students from Jammu and Kashmir and the North-East states are given special consideration under the scheme.
Ratan Tata Scholarship for Engineering students
The Tata Education and Development Trust, which is backed by the world-famous Tata Group, offers scholarships to engineering students in India who truly deserve to study engineering.
The trust has established a $25 million endowment fund with Cornell University in New York to give financial aid to Indian undergraduate and graduate students.
At any given time, the endowment supports 20 Indian scholars. It was established to ensure that deserving Indian students gain admission to Cornell's College of Engineering based only on their academic excellence and not on their financial capacity.
A student must be an Indian citizen and have completed secondary school in India to be eligible . He or she must also be eligible for financial aid and be accepted into Cornell's Engineering undergraduate programme.
Central Sector Scholarship Scheme for College and University Students
The primary goal of the central government's and the Ministry of Human Resources Development's (Department of Higher Education) scholarship programme is to assist deserving students with limited financial resources in meeting a portion of their fixed expenses while pursuing graduate and postgraduate degrees.
The total number of scholarships available for the year is distributed among the Education Boards of various states. Female students are eligible for 50% of the scholarship. This scheme does not apply to students obtaining a diploma in engineering. The total number of scholarships available for the year is distributed among the Education Boards of various states
Students who earned 80 percent or more on their government Class XII exams and who are enrolled in full-time professional studies at recognised schools are eligible to apply.
VIT University Ignite Scholarships
The Ignite scholarship for Engineering students is offered by the Vellore Institute of Technology, which is regarded as one of India's finest universities.
This scholarship for Engineering students is only available to students who get a good rank in the - GV School Development Programme. Successful students are exempt from paying tuition but are responsible for other charges such as external training and placement fees.
For students who have excelled on the central or state boards, VIT also offers a cost free for all four years of graduation. Every year, an estimated 2.33 lakh candidates take the VITEEE exam in order to get admitted to VIT's top undergraduate Engineering programmes.
Swami Vivekananda Merit-cum-Means Scholarship
This scholarship for engineering students, which was started by the West Bengal government, is for needy but worthy students who are pursuing their Higher Secondary, Diploma (Polytechnic), undergraduate degree, postgraduate degree, or M. Phil/Doctoral degree.
All Kanyashree (K-2) scholarship holders are also eligible for this scholarship. In addition to completing the other academic requirements, interested individuals' total income should not exceed INR 2,50,000 per year.
This well-known Indian award was revised in 2016 in terms of scholarship amounts to serve a larger number of poor students.
Siemens Scholarship Program
The Siemens Scholarship for Engineering Students is based on the German dual education pedagogy, which states that more than half of Germans prefer to find jobs by enrolling in dual vocational and educational training programmes (VET). Siemens India grants four-year scholarships to deserving Engineering students from economically challenged homes through this programme.
Students in their first year of engineering at government colleges who are under the age of 20 and have a household income of less than INR 2,00,000 are eligible to apply. This fellowship is available to Engineering students in a variety of fields, including Electrical, Mechanical, Instrumentation, Electronics, and Information Technology.
According to the corporate website, students who received this fellowship have gone on to work for Siemens and other prominent firms in the FMCG, IT services, infrastructure, automobile, and engineering sectors.
IET India Scholarship
The Institution of Engineering and Technology established this engineering prize to recognise distinction among outstanding 2nd and 3rd year undergraduate engineering students (IET).
Since its establishment in 2013, this scholarship programme has drawn the enthusiastic involvement of over 32,000 undergraduate Engineering students. Candidates must go through several rounds of selection, including an online test.
Winners are chosen based on a variety of criteria, including their range of outreach initiatives, academic accomplishment, extracurricular activities, and their ability to produce practical solutions to social engineering concerns.
Kishore Vaigyanik Protsahan Yojana Scholarship
This initiative, run by the Department of Science and Technology of the Central government, grants scholarships to Engineering students and students interested in pursuing a career in science or medical.
This award is open to students in grades XI through 1st year of any undergraduate programme in Basic Sciences (B.Sc/B.S/B.Stat/M.Sc) who have a great interest in scientific research.
Passing an aptitude test is another requirement for qualifying. Only those candidates who have been shortlisted and have passed the test will be invited to a personal interview. The marks earned in both the test and the interview round determine a student's final selection.
Successful candidates are eligible for a variety of generous fellowships up to their pre-Ph.D level.
LIC Golden Jubilee Scholarships
These merit scholarships for Engineering students are supported by the Life Insurance Corporation of India (LIC), and they are targeted at deserving students from economically disadvantaged backgrounds.
This scholarship for general students is awarded for studies in India at a government or private college or university. It also includes vocational and technical courses at ITI centres and those associated with the National Council for Vocational Training.
A minimum of 60 percent in the Class XII test and a family income of INR 1,00,000 per year are required to be eligible. Successful candidates will be paid a monthly stipend of INR 1,000 via NEFT into their savings account.
Merit-Cum-Means based Scholarships
This is a merit-based scholarship for Engineering students offered by India's central government (Ministry of Minority Affairs). It is specifically designed for poor but deserving students from minority communities (Parsi, Jain, Muslim, Christian) who wish to pursue advanced professional and technical courses.
Every year, around 20,000 Engineering scholarships are available for students that meet the criteria.
Students who get admission to a recognised college or university after passing a competitive examination are eligible to apply. Successful candidates' course expenses are paid directly to the institute by the appropriate state department.
ONGC Scholarship for SC/ST Students
The Oil Natural Gas Commission, the country's top-ranked energy firm, gives this scholarship to help needy yet deserving Indian students from the SC/ST and OBC categories. Female students are eligible for 50% of the scholarship.
This award is also open to students from the general category who come from economically disadvantaged backgrounds. Students who qualify for this scholarship will get INR 48,000 each year for the four years of their Engineering study, distributed by zone.
For this scholarship for Engineering students, eligibility conditions include a maximum age limit of 30 years and a minimum of 60% marks or equal tally in CGPA/OGPA in their 12th examinations.
NTPC Scholarship Scheme
The National Thermal Power Corporation (NTPC) has established an engineering scholarship for eligible candidates from Scheduled Caste/Scheduled Tribe and physically challenged students.
It was established with the goal of giving them with financial assistance to aid in the development of their professions. Students in their second year of engineering who fit into these criteria are eligible for this scholarship.
To qualify for financial assistance, they must be pursuing a full-time Engineering degree from a government-approved university.
Conclusion
These are some of the best engineering scholarships available in India, and they are offered to all deserving and financially disadvantaged students.
Engineers are an important element of any country's development, and India is no different. As a result, it is critical to ensure that financial constraints do not hinder the supply of young, skilled engineers that our country so desperately requires.
Companies and organisations that provide financial help to eligible Engineering aspirants ensure that India's underprivileged youth have a fair opportunity to receive a decent education and lay a strong foundation for the country's future.