SHREYAS – Scholarships for Higher Education for Young Achievers Scheme

About this scheme

SHREYAS (Scholarships for Higher Education for Young Achievers Scheme) is an umbrella initiative of the Department of Social Justice & Empowerment, Ministry of Social Justice & Empowerment, Government of India, operational from 2021-22 to 2025-26. It consolidates multiple Central Sector schemes under one framework to promote higher education among socially and economically disadvantaged students belonging to Scheduled Castes (SC), Other Backward Classes (OBC), and Economically Backward Classes (EBC). For SC students, the scheme operates four sub-schemes: (i) Top Class Education Scheme – covering tuition fees, living expenses, and academic allowances at notified top institutions; (ii) National Overseas Scholarship – enabling SC students to pursue higher education abroad with tuition fees, living allowance, and travel support; (iii) National Fellowship for SC Students – providing monthly fellowships for M.Phil and Ph.D. research; and (iv) Free Coaching Scheme – offering coaching for competitive examinations through empanelled institutes. For OBC and EBC students, the scheme runs two sub-schemes: (i) National Fellowship for OBC Students – awarding 1,000 fellowships annually for M.Phil and Ph.D. programmes to candidates qualifying UGC-NET-JRF or CSIR-NET-JRF; and (ii) Interest Subsidy on Education Loans for Overseas Studies – where the government pays the interest during the moratorium (study) period on education loans taken for pursuing higher education abroad. All benefits under SHREYAS are disbursed through Direct Benefit Transfer (DBT) to ensure transparency and eliminate intermediaries. Applications are processed through the National Scholarship Portal (NSP) and relevant ministry portals.

Eligibility

• Community: Must belong to Scheduled Castes (SC), Other Backward Classes (OBC), or Economically Backward Classes (EBC) as per the applicable sub-scheme
• Income ceiling: Family annual income limits vary by sub-scheme — generally below ₹6,00,000 to ₹8,00,000 per annum for scholarship/coaching schemes; no income ceiling for fellowship schemes
• Academic qualification: Varies by sub-scheme — post-graduation for fellowship schemes, first-year undergraduate for Top Class Education, and graduation for coaching schemes
• National exam (for fellowships): Must have qualified UGC-NET-JRF or CSIR-NET-JRF for fellowship sub-schemes (SC and OBC)
• Admission (for overseas schemes): Must have secured admission in a recognised foreign university for overseas scholarship and interest subsidy sub-schemes
• Exclusion: Must not be receiving benefits from any other similar central or state scholarship/fellowship for the same purpose simultaneously

Benefits

• Top Class Education (SC): Full tuition fees, living expenses, and academic allowance at notified top institutions
• National Overseas Scholarship (SC): Tuition fees, living allowance, travel expenses, and other support for studying abroad
• National Fellowship (SC): ₹25,000/month (JRF) and ₹28,000/month (SRF) for M.Phil/Ph.D. research in India
• Free Coaching (SC/OBC): Free coaching for competitive examinations through empanelled coaching institutes
• National Fellowship (OBC): 1,000 fellowships annually for M.Phil/Ph.D. at UGC-recognised institutions
• Interest Subsidy (OBC/EBC): Government bears education loan interest during the study (moratorium) period for overseas education
• All benefits disbursed via Direct Benefit Transfer (DBT) for transparency

Required documents

• Aadhaar Card
• Caste Certificate (SC/OBC/EBC)
• Income CertificateIssued by a competent state/UT authority; required for scholarship and coaching sub-schemes
• Academic mark sheets and degree certificates
• UGC-NET / CSIR-NET scorecard(optional)Required for fellowship sub-schemes
• Admission letter from recognised institution(optional)Required for overseas scholarship, overseas interest subsidy, and Top Class Education sub-schemes
• Passport(optional)Required for overseas education sub-schemes
• Education loan sanction letter(optional)Required for Interest Subsidy sub-scheme
• Bank passbook (Aadhaar-seeded)
• Photograph

Frequently asked