AICTE Swanath Scholarship Scheme 2026‑27

The AICTE Swanath Scholarship Scheme gives Rs. 50,000 a year to technical degree and diploma students facing a family loss or hardship. Under the scheme, AICTE backs orphans, children whose parents died of Covid-19, and children of Armed Forces and Central Paramilitary personnel martyred in action. The All India Council for Technical Education, based in New Delhi, runs it. Applications are invited once a year through the National e-Scholarship Portal of the Government of India.

The 2026-27 application round has closed. The last date for student application submission was October 31, 2026. If you missed it, watch the scholarships portal for the next round.

What you get

The scholarship is Rs. 50,000 per year for every year of study, paid as a lump sum towards college fee. The May 2025 guidelines set the maximum period as 4 years for a degree student admitted in first year and 3 years for a diploma student.

If you join in a later year, the period is shorter. Degree students in second, third or fourth year get 3, 2 or 1 year. Diploma students in second or third year get 2 or 1 year. These are the 2021-22 guidelines. The money is meant for fees, a computer, stationery, books, equipment and software. No extra grant is paid for hostel or medical charges.

Who can apply

• Category: The 2026-27 notice invites applications from orphan, fatherless or single parent children, and Covid-19 affected students. The guidelines also cover children of martyred Armed Forces and Central Paramilitary personnel.
• Course: You must study at an AICTE approved institution in a degree or diploma course, in regular mode, in 1st to 4th year.
• Income: The 2021 guidelines cap family income from all sources at Rs. 8 lakh per annum for the financial year of application. The 2026-27 notice does not repeat this figure, so check the current guidelines.
• Aadhaar: Aadhaar is compulsory for this scheme.
• Not eligible: Anyone who receives a central, state or AICTE-sponsored scholarship cannot apply.

How to apply

1. Apply online on the National Scholarship Portal at scholarships.gov.in. Eligible candidates must apply online on NSP once the application process starts and the notice is published.
2. Make sure your Aadhaar number is entered. Incomplete applications are summarily rejected.
3. Your host institution verifies the application online. The institution where you study checks the online application.
4. The State or UT Department of Education does the second check. The DTE of your State or UT verifies applications as the second level of scrutiny.
5. Fix any defective application before the institute verification deadline. Resubmission of defective applications must be completed before the institute verification deadline.

Documents you need

• For orphans: death certificates of both father and mother (if available), plus a certificate from the Tehsildar or SDM in the AICTE format.
• A bonafide certificate issued by your institution.
• A valid income certificate issued by the State or UT Government.
• For Shaheed wards: a death certificate and a Shaheed certificate from the armed or paramilitary force. These are listed in the 2021-22 guidelines.
• Aadhaar card and an Aadhaar-seeded bank account.

The official sources I read do not give the full Covid-19 document list in the text I could access. Check the current guidelines before you apply.

How students are selected

For degree level, selection goes by merit, based on the percentage of marks in 10+2 or the equivalent examination. If your marks are given as CGPA, multiply the CGPA by 9.5 to get the percentage. AICTE publishes merit lists on its scheme page. The official sources I read do not give full diploma selection rules in the text I could access.

Renewal

The 2026-27 notice covers renewal cases from the 2023-24 degree batch and the 2024-25 and 2025-26 degree and diploma batches. Under the 2021-22 guidelines, the scholarship is renewed for the next year on receipt of a renewal through NSP, with a promotion certificate from the head of the institution. A student who is not promoted, or who does not apply in time, loses the scholarship.

Important dates

The official sources do not yet publish dates for the next round.