Pre Matric Scholarship Scheme for 2021-22

While numerous students struggle to pursue higher education due to different restraints, seeking pre-matric education is even more of a difficult quest for many facing financial issues or familial responsibilities. Financial restraints are amongst the common issues that hinder students from underserved communities to finish their pre-matric education and seek basic employment. For such students, Pre Matric Scholarship Scheme enables them to fulfill their secondary education without worrying about finances. Offered by the Government of India, this scholarship covers the tuition cost, maintenance cost, and other related expenses that incur during a student’s pre-matric education. If you are exploring the best scholarships and financial aid schemes for the upcoming academic year, here is a blog that aims to highlight the key features of the Pre Matric Scholarship Scheme.

What is Pre Matric Scholarship?

Exclusively offered by the Ministry of Minority Affairs, Government of India, the scholarship at the Pre-matric level is a special financial aid scheme for Class 1st to 10th students belonging to the minority communities in India. The scholarship strives to provide equal educational opportunities to minority students and imparts them with financial assistance to complete their pre-matric education. 

Objective of the Pre Matric Scholarship 

The objective of the pre-matric scholarship is to encourage parents from minority groups to take their school-age children to school, alleviate their financial burden on school education, and maintain their efforts to promote their children’s school completion. One of the goals of this plan is to empower people through education, which has the potential to improve the socioeconomic situations of minority populations.

Basis of Distribution 

Applicants belonging to Muslim, Sikh, Christian, Buddhist, Jain, and Zoroastrian (Parsis) communities have all been designated as minority communities under Section 2 (c) of the National Commission for Minorities Act of 1992. A total of thirty (30) lakh scholarships are expected to be given as ‘Fresh’ Scholarships, in addition to Renewal Scholarships. The pre-matric scholarship will be distributed among the states/union territories based on the number of minorities in the states/union territories as of Census 2001 for 2017-18 and the population of minorities in the states/union territories on the basis of Census 2011 for 2018-19 and 2019-20.

Note: 30% of the scholarship money will go to female students. If there are not enough qualified women students, the remaining designated scholarships may be granted to suitable boy students.

Pre Matric Scholarship: Eligibility Criteria

There are certain prerequisites that you must fulfill to be eligible for this scholarship. Also, it is advised to apply within the notified dates to increase your chances of getting shortlisted. Here are the eligibility requirements for Pre Matric Scholarship-

• The applicant must be studying in Class 1st to Class 10th. 
• The candidate’s family income must be less than INR 1 Lakh per year. 
• The candidate must have secured at least 50% in the previous year’s examination.
• The applicants shall belong to minority communities like Muslims, Sikhs, Buddhists, Christians, Jains as well as Parsis/Zoroastrians.

Document Checklist 

While applying for the pre-matric scholarship, you must make sure to create a document checklist which you need to enclose alongside the application. Here is a complete list of documents/certificates you need while registering for this scholarship: 

• All educational documents and transcripts 
• Self-attested copy of community certificate
• Student’s Bank account number and IFSC code of the bank branch*
• A copy of Aadhar Card or Aadhar Enrollment or Scanned copy of Bank passbook
• Income certificate issued by official authorities under State/Central/UT Government
• If the Institute/School is not in the applicant’s home state, a bonafide student certificate from the Institute/School is required.

* In case children do not have their own bank account, parents can submit their own account data for the pre-matric scholarship scheme. However, parents’ account numbers can only be used for a maximum of two children when applying for scholarships.

Those who fall under the category of eligible candidates can move forward with applying for the scholarship. Mentioned below are the steps you can follow to register for a pre-matric scholarship.

Pre Matric Scholarship Amount and Duration 

Selected applicants of this scholarship are awarded financial assistance in different ways and depending upon the class they are in. Both maintenance allowance and tuition fee are covered under the Pre Matric Scholarship. Let’s have a look at the assistance offered for various classes:

Rate of Scholarship Admission + Tuition Fee	Amount in INR
Admission Fee for Class VI to X	INR 500 per annum
Tuition Fee for Class VI to X	INR 350 per month
Maintenance allowances	Amount in INR
For Class I to V	INR 100 per month for Day Scholars
For Class VI to X	INR 600 per month for HostellersINR 100 per month for Day Scholar

Note: Once awarded, the scholarship may be renewed throughout the next academic year of the course upon submission of a certificate indicating that the student has received 50% of the possible grades.

How to Apply for Pre Matric Scholarship?

Enlisted below are the steps that one must follow while applying for the Pre Matric Scholarship 2021.

Step 1: Visit the official website of the National Scholarship Portal and Click on ‘New Registration’. 

Step 2: After reading the given guidelines/ terms and conditions, click on the undertaking and continue.

Step 3: Carefully select Domicile, category, scheme type and enter the name, gender, age, date of birth, etc.

Step 4: Mention your bank details such as A/c number, IFSC code, etc

Step 5: Choose between Aadhar or Bank Account Number as identification details and click on ‘Register’.

Step 6: Verify your mobile number.

Step 7: Login using OTP 

Step 8: Save your generated ID and password for further use. 

Thus, we hope that through this blog, you are now aware of the important features of the Pre Matric Scholarship. To know more about such exciting scholarships to fund your higher education, reach out to our experts at Leverage Edu. Sign up for an e-meeting with us today!