The Merit-Cum-Means (MCM) Scholarship is the main scholarship that IIT Kharagpur gives to undergraduate students. The institute pays for it from its own funds. Holders get their institute tuition fee waived and a monthly stipend. Students who meet both the merit test and the family income test can apply.
The scheme covers 4-year B.Tech (Hons), 5-year dual degree, 5-year B.Arch (Hons), 5-year integrated M.Sc. and 4-year BS students. SC and ST students who qualify for their state government’s post-matric scholarship are covered by that scheme instead. No more than 25% of the students admitted each year to undergraduate and dual degree courses can receive it.
What you get
Holders are exempt from institute tuition fee and receive a monthly stipend set by the Board of Governors. The official pages do not publish the stipend amount. Holders must still pay all other prescribed fees. Payment runs for 12 months, from July to June. The July payment is made in full only if you join on the registration date the institute sets; otherwise it is paid pro rata.
| Scheme part | Who it is for | What it gives |
|---|---|---|
| MCM scholarship | UG, dual degree, B.Arch, BS and integrated M.Sc. students who meet the merit and means rules | Full tuition fee exemption plus a monthly stipend; amount not published |
| Tuition fee exemption | Students who meet the means test but not the merit test | Limited to 10% of the students admitted each year, tuition only |
| MCM for 2-year M.Sc. (Joint M.Sc.-Ph.D.) | Students of this M.Sc. course | Rs. 1,000 per month, up to 25% of students |
The same name is used for the 2-year M.Sc. (Joint M.Sc.-Ph.D.) course, where the official assistantship page lists Rs. 1,000 per month. The official pages give no stipend figure for the undergraduate scheme. Dual degree students in their 5th year (9th and 10th semesters) are not eligible for MCM or any other undergraduate scholarship or assistantship. Students selected on the basis of JEE for the dual degree programme are considered eligible for an assistantship in the 5th year.
Tuition also depends on family income. The 2024-25 UG admission manual listed these per-semester tuition amounts for general, EWS and OBC-NCL students: Rs. 1,00,000 where family income is above Rs. 5 lakh, Rs. 33,335 where it is between Rs. 1 lakh and Rs. 5 lakh, and nil below Rs. 1 lakh. SC, ST and PwD students paid nil. The manual marks this fee structure as tentative. The official pages I read do not show slabs for 2026-27.
Who can apply
- Students in an eligible programme: 4-year B.Tech (Hons), 5-year dual degree, 5-year B.Arch (Hons), 5-year integrated M.Sc. or 4-year BS.
- Fresh entrants: at least 60% marks in aggregate, or an equivalent grade, in the JEE Advanced qualifying examination.
- Family income: the upper limit of annual income laid down by the Government of India from time to time applies. The income of the financial year completed before the session starts is counted. The official pages do not state the figure.
- Conduct: No disciplinary action taken or pending in the preceding year, and no examination malpractice.
- Not eligible: SC and ST students covered by a state post-matric scholarship, and 5th-year dual degree students.
- Unfinished EAA: Students who have not completed the EAA requirement can still be eligible for MCM.
- Only one scholarship: No student may enjoy more than one scholarship during the same period.
- Age: the official sources do not publish an age limit.
How to apply
The official pages do not show a 2026-27 application form. The most detailed official guide I found is the 2024-25 UG admission manual, which works through the institute’s ERP portal.
- Create your ERP profile through the sign-up process at the ERP site before you come to campus.
- After online registration, the login ID and password are the student’s roll number.
- Upload your family income documents on ERP for verification, with the affidavit in the prescribed format.
- Check the verification status in your ERP login. Tuition is recalculated after the income document is verified.
- Each year, declare the family income for the relevant financial year and upload it again.
For queries, the 2024-25 manual lists the Admission and Registration Unit, with a phone number and the email acadug@iitkgp.ac.in. The scholarships page says to contact the Dean, Undergraduate Studies.
Documents you need
- A family income document from a local district authority such as an SDO, BDO, Tahasildar or MRO. For the 2024-25 round, the manual required documents for financial year 2023-24.
- Or the Form-16, ITR or annual pension certificate of both parents, with an income affidavit.
- An income affidavit on Rs. 20 non-judicial stamp paper, sworn before a First Class Magistrate or notary.
- Class X certificate or birth certificate, Class XII marksheet and Class X marksheet.
- Caste or category certificate, and a PwD certificate if applicable.
- Guardian’s declaration and student’s undertaking form, guardian’s photo ID and the medical certificate.
The family income certificate, both parents’ ITRs or an income affidavit must go with every application.
How students are selected
Both the merit condition and the means condition must be met for the first award and for each renewal. Students who meet the means test but not the merit test may get a tuition fee exemption, which is limited to 10% of each year’s intake. If two or more students tie for the last available scholarship, every student in the tie receives it, even if the count goes above 25%. The official pages do not describe any further ranking or cut-off.
Renewal
- The GPA must not be lower than 7.00 for the two consecutive semesters of the preceding session, as updated after supplementary or summer quarter exams.
- Attend classes and sit all semester examinations, barring illness or family calamity with documents. A breach ends the scholarship.
- Declare the family income again each year, as described above.
- Keep a clean disciplinary record in the preceding year.
- The scholarship can resume after a temporary withdrawal on medical or family grounds, subject to approval.
- If false documents were used, the scholarship is stopped at once and an inquiry follows.
Important dates
- The latest official call I found is a notice dated 10 August 2025, inviting applications for MCM, Institute Free Studentships and alumni-endowed scholarships for the autumn session. That is the 2025-26 cycle.
- For 2024-25, the last date to apply through ERP was 29 July 2024, and income documents were to be verified by 31 October 2024.
- For 2026-27, the official sources I read give no closing date. Watch the scholarships page and the ERP portal for the notice.
Official sources
- Indian Institute of Technology Kharagpur | Scholarships
- IIT Kharagpur | Students
- iitkgp.ac.in/assistantships
- student.iitkgp.ac.in/docs/UGAdmManual2024.pdf
Checked against these official sources on 5 November 2026.
