OBC Scholarship 2023-2024: OBC scholarships are awarded to students belonging to the OBC category (Other Backward Class). It is primarily aimed at providing better educational opportunities and financial assistance for economically backward, but meritorious students. Hence, this scholarship is also known as a merit-cum-means scholarship. There are many such scholarships primarily targeted at OBC students. scholarship for obc students by the central government.
The scholarships are of 6 types and are awarded by either the state or the central government. There are a limited number of seats under each scholarship. Moreover, some of these scholarships require specific criteria to be eligible for the scholarship amount. However, these terms are conditions can be changed without any prior notice at the convenience of the respective authority.
You can also find more Scholarship Articles for 12th passed, 10th passed Students and many more O B C scholarships are a boon to students from economically weaker backgrounds. It relieves many of the hurdles that prevent students from completing their education. Poverty can wreak havoc on the student’s academics by leading students to stray. This can be manifested in the form of trying to earn a minimum wage to downright antisocial activities. Thankfully, scholarships such as these will curb such events or opportunities from ever happening.
OBC Scholarship – List
Following is a list of scholarships commonly awarded to OBC candidates
| Name of the Scholarship | Awarding Authority | Scholarship Slots and Application Period (Tentative) |
| Central Sector Scheme for National Overseas | Government | 25 & July to October |
| Merit Scholarship for OBC Students (Delhi) | Delhi Government | Not Available & March to April |
| National fellowship for OBC | Government | 300 & July to August |
| ONGC Scholarship | Government | 1000 & September to October |
| Post-matric Scholarship | All-State Governments | Not Available & September to December |
| Pre-matric Scholarship | All-State Governments | Not Available & September to December |
Note: The application period is based on past trends. It is subjected to change without prior notice.
Central Sector Scheme for National Overseas
Central Sector Scheme for National Overseas is an OBC scholarship for candidates who wish to pursue a master’s degree or a Ph.D. program in a foreign university. The fields of study range from professional courses such as medicine and engineering to management and agriculture. Annually, 25 scholarships are provided per subject, and 30% of those are alloted to female candidates.
Candidates pursuing their masters are offered a 3-year fellowship while Ph.D. candidates are offered, 4-year fellowship. Additional benefits include visa fee reimbursement, airfare, allowance for local travel and incidence journey allowance.
Eligibility Criteria for Central Sector Scheme for National Overseas
- Candidates pursuing their Ph.D. or masters are eligible to apply
- The candidate must have scored a minimum of 60% marks in their previous course
- Candidates should not be over 35 years of age
- The candidate’s annual family income must be less than INR 3 lakh from all sources.
Number of Scholarships Available
- Agriculture Science Available Scholarships – 6
- Engineering Course Available Scholarships – 7
- Management Course Available Scholarships – 6
- Medicine Course Available Scholarships – 6
Rewards of Scholarship
- Annual Maintenance allowance for the United States – $ 15,400 + $ 1500 additional for books
- Annual Maintenance allowance for the United Kingdom – £ 9,900 + £ 1100 additional for books
- Annual Research allowance in the United States – £1,560
- Annual Research allowance in the United Kingdom – $2,400
OBC Scholarship Application Procedure
- Candidates are required to obtain an application form from the Ministry of Social Justice and Empowerment, Government of India.
- Fill in the required details and attach relevant documents mentioned in the application.
- Send it back to the Ministry after completing all required processes. Employed candidates are required to send the application form through their employers. Such candidates are also required to attach their tax assessment details and salary slip.
Selection Procedure: The candidates will be selected after careful analysis by a selection committee formed by the ministry. Preference will be given to candidates who have already procured admission to a foreign institution.
Merit Scholarship for OBC Students – Delhi
Merit Scholarship for OBC Students is an OBC scholarship available to students pursuing their class 6th to class 12th. The scholarship is also available for students pursuing professional courses such as medicine or engineering. Students pursuing technical courses are awarded a maximum amount of INR 1620 per month and up to INR 4500 per year for other courses.
Eligibility
- Students from class 6th to 12th are eligible
- Candidates pursuing professional courses should have secured a minimum of 60% marks in their Class 12 or equivalent.
- The income of the family from all sources should not exceed INR 2,00,000
Course-Wise Allowance as per Merit Scholarship
| Group Name | Day Scholar Allowance (per month) – Hostellers Allowance (per month) |
| Group A – Degree courses – Medical, Engineering, B.Sc. Agri, Forensic science |
INR 1620 – INR 900 |
| Group B – (I) Postgraduate course in a technical/professional course | INR 1860 – INR 960 |
| Group B – (II) Diploma Level courses- Engineering, Architecture, Applied Nutrition, Printing technology | INR 1110 – INR 720 |
| Group C – (I) Certificate course – Engineering and architecture | INR 930 – INR 630 |
| Group C – (II) Medicine diploma courses – Agriculture/Veterinary Science, Dairy, Fishery, public health | INR 930 – INR 630 |
| Group C – (III) Degree or postgraduate diploma or postgraduate courses – Music, Fine Arts, Law | INR 930 – INR 630 |
| Group D – (I) General course at Undergraduate level | INR 804 – INR 420 |
| GroupD – (II) Postgraduate course in Arts and Commerce | INR 930 – INR 630 |
Application Procedure
- Candidates need to visit e-District Delhi and fill in the required details. The process is done entirely online as no offline application form exists.
- Relevant documents, such as income certificate, caste certificate, bank passbook (copy), fee receipt, passport sized photo, and Aadhar card are to be uploaded.
National Fellowship for OBC
National fellowship for OBC is a scholarship that falls under the purview of the Ministry of Social Justice and Empowerment, Government of India. It aims to provide financial assistance to OBC students who wish to pursue advanced degrees and courses. A total of 300 scholarships are available for JRF (Junior Research Fellow) and SRF (Senior Research Fellow). The scheme is applicable to all universities that are recognized by the University Grants Commission (UGC). The duration of the scholarship for JRF is two years, however, candidates can continue availing the scholarship as SRF for 3 additional years, provided that the research is progressive.
Eligibility Criteria
- Candidates must belong to the OBC category with documents to support the same
- Total family income from all sources should not be over INR 6,00,000
- Must have completed post-graduation
- Transgender candidates are eligible to apply. Reservation shall be provided as per the norms laid out by the Government of India.
- Candidates who are already registered for Ph.D./ MPhil are eligible for the award of the fellowship.
- Selection is made based on the merit of the candidate.
National Fellowship for OBC – List of Financial Assistance
| Details | Subject | Award |
| Fellowship in Sciences, Humanities, and Social Sciences | JRF | INR 25,000/-p.m. for the initial two years |
| SRF | INR 28,000/-p.m. for the remaining duration | |
| Contingency A | Humanities & Social Sciences | INR 10,000/-p.a. for the initial two years |
| INR .20,500/-p.a. for the remaining duration | ||
| Contingency B | Sciences, Engineering Technology | INR 12,000/-p.a. for the initial two years |
| INR 25,000/-p.a. for the remaining duration | ||
| Escorts/Reader assistance | All Subjects | INR 2,000/- p.m. in cases of physically
Handicapped and blind candidates |
| HRA | All Subjects | As per the rules of the respective institution |
Application Procedure
- Candidates are required to visit the official UGC website and check the relevant links to apply for the scholarship
- The application is presented in two parts candidates are required to fill out both
- Fill the relevant fields such as contact details and personal information
- Educational details such as institute details, postgraduate qualifications, and research topics are to be filled in.
Selection Procedure: The candidates are selected based on merit cum means. UGC also has its own processes and guidelines to award scholarships to deserving candidates.
ONGC Scholarship
ONGC (Oil and Natural Gas Corporation) provides 1000 scholarships to candidates from OBC category. The scholarship is applicable for OBC students pursuing their first-year graduate or postgraduate courses. Successful candidates will be awarded an allowance of INR 4,000 per month for the duration of the course.
Eligibility
- Candidates must be pursuing their 1st year in professional courses such as engineering or medicine.
- Candidates pursuing an MBA are also eligible.
- Candidates pursuing a master’s in Geophysics or Geology are eligible as well.
- Candidates must have secured not less than 60% marks in their class 12.
- The courses the candidates opt for must be recognized by the AICTE
- The upper age limit should be under 30 years of age.
ONGC Scholarship – List of Eligible Course & Financial Assistance
| Eligible Course List | Tenure | Award (per month) |
| Graduate in Engineering | 4 | INR 4,000 |
| Master in Geology/Geophysics | 2 | INR 4,000 |
| MBA | 2 | INR 4,000 |
| MBBS | 4 | INR 4,000 |
Application Procedure
- The application process is done entirely online
- Candidates are required to visit the official website of ONGC at https://www.ongcindia.com/ to access the application form
- Fill in the required fields and upload documents as mentioned in the guidelines.
- Other documents such as the ECS are to be duly filled by the respective bank and uploaded on to the site to complete the application process.
Selection Procedure
- Candidates are selected on the basis of merit in the qualifying exam for the prescribed course of study. Moreover, special preference is given for candidates who are below the poverty line.
Post-Matric Scholarship
Post matric scholarship aims to provide financial aid to students from the OBC category and other backward classes to complete post-secondary education. This scholarship is overseen by the State and Union Territories in India. Moreover, students are not tied down to a single state. What this means is, a student belonging to one state, but pursuing a course in another state is still eligible to be awarded a scholarship by the respective authority in the same state. The scholarship award varies on the type of course (day scholar or hosteller).
Eligibility: Primarily eligibility criteria are that students have to be from the OBC category. Other eligibility criteria vary according to the respective state.
Post-Matric Scholarship Details
| Details | Day Scholars (per month) | Hostellers (per month) |
| Group A
|
INR 750 | INR 350 |
| Group B
|
INR 510 | INR 335 |
| Group C – All other courses: B.Sc., B.A., B.com | INR 400 | INR 210 |
| Group D – All post matriculation level non-degree courses – ITI, Three-year Diploma (Polytechnic) | INR 260 | INR 160 |
Application Procedure
- Scholarships can be applied in either offline or online mode (in the respective state’s scholarship portal)
- Relevant documents are to be uploaded, such as caste certificate, income certificate, and marks sheet
Pre-Matric Scholarship
Pre-matric Scholarship is provided to students belonging to OBC pursuing pre-matric in government schools or recognized private schools. The students are awarded a stipend up to INR 500 per month.
Eligibility: The annual family income of the candidate must not exceed INR 2,50,000 per annum.
Pre-matric Scholarship Details
| Item | Hostellers | Day Scholars |
| Admission fee: class VI to X | INR 500 per annum | INR 500 per annum |
| Tuition fee: class VI to X | INR 350 per month | INR 350 per month |
| Maintenance allowance is payable for only 10 months in an academic year | ||
| Class I to V | – | INR 100 per month |
| Class VI to X | INR 600 per month | INR 100 per month |
Application Procedure: The application process is to be handled by the respective school authorities on the student’s behalf.
FAQ’s on OBC Scholarship
Question 1.
When is the portal for Central Sector Scheme for National Overseas scholarship opening?
Answer:
The tentative period for applying is between July and October every year.
Question 2.
What is the official site of the Central Sector Scheme for National Overseas?
Answer:
The official site can be accessed at http://nosmsje.gov.in/
Question 3.
When is the application period for the National Fellowship for OBC?
Answer:
The application window for a National Fellowship for OBC opens every July to August. Dates are tentative and subject to change.
Question 4.
What is the official site National Fellowship for OBC?
Answer:
The official site and application form can be accessed at https://www.ugc.ac.in/nfobc/.
Question 5.
When is the application period for ONGC Scholarship?
Answer:
The application window begins in September and closes by the end of October
Question 6.
What is the official site for applying for ONGC Scholarship?
Answer:
Application form for ONGC scholarships can be accessed at https://www.ongcindia.com/.