StudyDesk
What you receive
Each selected student gets ₹25,000 per year, for a maximum of three years — ₹75,000 across the degree. The money is meant for college fees and the tools of study: purchase of a computer, stationery, books, equipment and software. Two exclusions are written into the scheme itself: no additional grant is payable in lieu of hostel charges or medical charges. Payment is made by Direct Benefit Transfer (DBT), annually, into the student's Aadhaar-linked bank account, after selection. The guidelines add a small mercy that applicants should know: no documentary proof needs to be attached for how the amount is spent — the scholarship is a grant toward study costs, not a reimbursement audit.
3,110 scholarships are earmarked every year across India (split across the BBA/BMS and BCA streams), distributed state- and UT-wise through the scheme portal, with a floor of at least 10 scholarships for any state or UT whose calculated share falls below that number. It is a competitive merit list, not an entitlement for everyone who qualifies — which is why the selection rule matters.
Who can apply
- You are a girl student admitted to the first year of a degree-level BBA, BCA or BMS course at an AICTE-approved institution.
- No more than two girl children per family are eligible — if two sisters both qualify, both may hold it; a third cannot.
- Your family income from all sources is not more than ₹8 lakh per annum in the current financial year, proved by a valid income certificate issued by the State/UT Government. No certificate, no eligibility — this is a document-first condition, not a declaration.
Selection is merit-based on your Class 12 (10+2) marks — there is no entrance test and no interview round in the scheme design. That makes the application a paperwork exercise with a merit list at the end: your board percentage does the competing, and your documents do the qualifying.
How to apply
- Confirm your institution is AICTE-approved for your course — the scheme lives and dies on this, and your college office or the AICTE approval list settles it in minutes.
- Go to the scheme portal, sarswati.aicte.gov.in, and complete the student registration (the portal carries a written user manual and a video walkthrough for registration — use them; most form errors are the ones the manual pre-empts).
- Fill the application with your Class 12 details exactly as the marksheet states them, and upload the income certificate and the other documents the portal asks for.
- Submit within the cycle window shown on the portal. Late applications are not a category this scheme recognises.
- Your application then passes verification at the institute level, followed by AICTE's own verification, before the approved list is finalised and DBT payment is released to selected students.
Technical queries about the portal go to [email protected].
Documents to keep ready
Your Class 12 marksheet (the merit document); the State/UT-issued family income certificate for the current financial year; proof of admission to the first year of BBA/BCA/BMS at the AICTE-approved institution; your Aadhaar and the details of your Aadhaar-linked bank account (DBT cannot land anywhere else); and identity and category documents as the portal's form specifies.
Where applications fail
The failures cluster in three places. First, the institution: a college that runs a BBA or BCA without AICTE approval for that programme is outside the scheme, however good the college is. Second, the income certificate: one issued by the wrong authority, for the wrong financial year, or showing income a rupee over ₹8 lakh. Third, timing and year: this is a first-year-only entry — a second-year student cannot join late, so a girl who misses the first-year window has missed the scheme. Sisters should also count the family rule before both apply in overlapping years. If you are a first-year BBA, BCA or BMS student reading this near the start of your degree, the correct move is to register on the portal and file in the current cycle — the merit list cannot include an application that was never submitted.
Sources & verification
Checked against AICTE / primary published information on 7 September 2026.
Frequently asked questions
How much is the AICTE Saraswati Scholarship and for how long?
Each selected student gets ₹25,000 per year for a maximum of three years — ₹75,000 across the degree — paid annually by Direct Benefit Transfer into the student's Aadhaar-linked bank account.
Who can apply for the Saraswati Scholarship?
Girl students admitted to the first year of a degree-level BBA, BCA or BMS course at an AICTE-approved institution, with no more than two girl children per family eligible and family income of not more than ₹8 lakh per annum proved by a valid State/UT-issued income certificate.
How are Saraswati scholars selected?
Selection is merit-based on Class 12 (10+2) marks, with no entrance test and no interview round in the scheme design. 3,110 scholarships are earmarked every year across India.
Where do I apply for the Saraswati Scholarship?
On the scheme portal, sarswati.aicte.gov.in, by completing the student registration and application for the current cycle. Your application then passes institute-level verification followed by AICTE's own verification before the approved list is finalised.
Does the Saraswati Scholarship cover hostel or medical charges?
No. The scheme states that no additional grant is payable in lieu of hostel charges or medical charges; the money is meant for college fees and study tools such as a computer, stationery, books, equipment and software.
Can a second-year BBA, BCA or BMS student apply later?
No. This is a first-year-only entry — a second-year student cannot join late, so missing the first-year window means missing the scheme.
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