Who is Eligible for Scholarships at Ashoka University?

For many students, studying in a world-class institution is a dream that is often met with barriers and uncertainty. To these students, scholarships are like a lifeline, something that helps them overcome obstacles to achieve their dream and pursue a bright future.

At Ashoka University, scholarships are a significant part of our commitment to making top-quality education accessible to all, regardless of their financial background or academic path. If you are someone who aspires to study at Ashoka University, one of India’s top interdisciplinary institutions and is yet unsure how our scholarships support your academic journey and make it easier, you’ve come to the right place!

Merit-based vs Need-based Scholarships

Ashoka University, in accordance with its principles of upholding an academically rigorous and culturally diverse environment, awards scholarships that not only aim to reward excellence and talent but also provide financial support for top-quality educational access to all. Merit-based scholarships are awarded to those students who have demonstrated their determination, knowledge and skills through various endeavours, academic or otherwise, and/or have performed exceptionally well in national aptitude examinations such as JEE Mains, IISER (IAT) or the Indian National Olympiads (INO).

On the other hand, need-based scholarships are provided to those who require financial assistance for their education. What matters here is whether a student is capable of sponsoring their education at a university. We, at Ashoka, prioritise providing need-based scholarships to promote financial inclusivity and accessibility to top-notch education to all who dream of being a part of a world-class interdisciplinary curriculum that gives you a platform to grow and build your future. So, to put it simply, you can think of Merit-based scholarships as a recognition of your hard work and potential for brilliance. Need-based scholarships, on the other hand, aim to level the playing field and give everyone a fair chance at pursuing their dreams.

Scholarships: Categories and Eligibility

Scholarships are simply modes to help bring you closer to a bright future. Ashoka understands the importance of these modes to students and ensures that the allocation of scholarships is fair, diverse and suitable for students coming from different backgrounds and circumstances.

There are two main merit categories at Ashoka: Special Merit Scholarships and Achievers’ Merit Scholarships. Special Merit Scholarships are where 100% tuition fee waivers are awarded to 50 exceptional students who have performed extremely well in national examinations such as JEE Mains, CMI or the Indian National Olympiads (INO). One must score high in these tests to have a strong opportunity to receive this scholarship. The qualifying criteria are as follows:

• JEE Mains: Minimum of 98 percentile
• CMI Entrance Examination: Top 100 Rank
• IISER Aptitude Test: Top 2000 Rank
• Students who have qualified for the Training Camp stage of the National Olympiads in Mathematics, Science, Astronomy, Linguistics and Informatics

One must note that this scholarship is only available to students who wish to pursue a Science major (Computer Science, Chemistry, Biology, Physics and Mathematics).

The Achievers’ Merit Scholarship offers up to a 100% tuition fee waiver to 150 students, completely based on their individual performance on Ashoka University’s holistic admission process. Students must have also performed remarkably well in their school board examinations (ISC/ICSE and CBSE) to be eligible for this scholarship. [The final or predicted board scores for classes 10 and 12 should be 98% or above.]

What makes Ashoka’s scholarship application process so unique is that a student is eligible for either the Achievers’ Merit Scholarship or the Special Merit Scholarships, and can also remain eligible for additional need-based scholarships to ensure that financial barriers do not hold back individuals with the potential to excel in either academic or co-curricular activities.

Need-based Scholarship: Holistic Approach

At Ashoka, we are committed to providing a well-rounded education to a diverse range of learners. We believe that promising students should not be held back by financial limitations or any such circumstances. So, we provide up to a 100% tuition fee waiver to those candidates who are qualified to receive this scholarship.

Unlike other rigid scholarship programmes that evaluate students based on a fixed income bracket, Ashoka ensures a holistic approach that allows us to get the full picture of a student’s familial circumstances and their ability to pay so that we can bridge the gap where needed to ensure the student’s access to quality education and academic success. This is why, for our Need-based scholarship application, we look at current income and supporting documentation, savings and investments, educational loans, if any, wealth details, family business details (where applicable), whether the job is pensionable and any other financial responsibilities.

For further information, you can view the Need-Based Scholarships application form here.

Common Myths

We all know how complicated and uncertain scholarship applications may be. There might be multiple students who are unsure if they might qualify for either a Merit scholarship or a Need Scholarship, but that is why we are here to help!

A predominant misconception about scholarships is that it is only for toppers. This is not true. In fact, Ashoka has multiple scholarships that cater to different needs or difficulties students may have, which might pose a barrier to their pursuit of better education and a definitive route to a future career. Whether a student is someone who cannot finance their education or has the potential to excel and grow in their field, they are eligible for a scholarship that can support them.

In contrast, if you are someone who believes that only those who are in need of financial assistance are eligible for a scholarship, then we would like to point you towards our merit scholarships that allow you to realise your potential and grow in an educational field of your choosing.

Now, if you are an international student who is under the impression that Indian students are more likely to get scholarships than international students, fear not! Ashoka provides both need-based and merit-based scholarships without any bias. If you meet the eligibility requirements for a need-based scholarship (which requires the appropriate financial documentation from your home country) or have achieved outstanding results in your national exams for a merit-based scholarship, you have an equal opportunity to receive funding, just like any Indian student.

When are scholarship decisions made?

The timeline for making the decision is quite simple. The first stage is the application and admission process, during which you must receive an offer of admission. Scholarship applications follow this stage. Merit Scholarships are typically awarded around the time of admission, based on the student’s test scores, board marks and overall performance in the Ashoka University application process. Once admitted into the university, the student who seeks a need-based scholarship has to fill out a scholarship application along with financial documentation. The university will then assess your ability to sponsor your education and will decide whether to give you a scholarship accordingly.