StudyDesk
Who can apply
The criteria are tight, and all of them must hold at once:
- You are an Indian female student who has completed Class 12.
- You are enrolled in the first year of an undergraduate STEM programme — B.Tech/B.E., MBBS, B.Pharm, BDS or B.Sc. — at a NIRF-ranked institution. Students in the second year of a five-year B.Arch or of an integrated/dual-degree programme are also eligible. Girls admitted to government engineering or medical colleges that do not appear in the NIRF rankings may also apply.
- Your annual family income does not exceed ₹8,00,000, proved by a government-issued income certificate, a BPL card or an Ayushman Bharat card.
- You are not receiving another scholarship that covers the same expenses — STEM Stars will not double-fund costs another award already pays.
There is no separate entrance test. Selection runs off your application: screening on financial background and academic record, document verification, a telephonic interview for shortlisted candidates, and final confirmation by the Infosys Foundation. Partners describe a preference for students from government or aided schools, so if that is your background, make sure the application shows it.
What you receive
Selected scholars receive up to ₹1,00,000 per year, for the full duration of the course — up to four years for B.Tech, MBBS, B.Pharm, BDS and integrated/dual-degree programmes, and up to three years for a three-year B.Sc. The money is meant to cover real study costs — tuition fees, living expenses and study materials — and study-material costs are reimbursed against valid receipts, so scholars should keep every bill from day one. ₹1 lakh a year does not make an IIT or a private medical seat free, but stacked against actual expenses it removes most of the annual shortfall that pushes families toward loans or withdrawal.
Continuation: the scholarship has conditions
STEM Stars is renewable year to year, not automatic. Continuation requires you to stay in the eligible course and keep your academic record up — the published continuation bar is a CGPA of at least 7 for engineering and related courses, or passing all papers for MBBS. Change of institution or course, a backlog-heavy year, or taking another scholarship for the same expenses can each end the award. Treat renewal documentation — marksheets, fee receipts for the new year — as part of the scholarship itself, and file it as soon as the partner asks.
Dates
The 2025–26 round ran on Buddy4Study and closed in the autumn of 2025, with the listing's final application date of 30 October 2025. The 2026–27 round had not been announced when this guide was prepared. The pattern of the programme is a window that opens after Class 12 results and first-year admissions settle, so a first-year student in 2026–27 should watch the Buddy4Study listing from mid-2026 onward rather than relying on any blog's predicted date — including ours.
How to apply
- Open the Infosys Foundation STEM Stars listing on buddy4study.com and click Apply Now.
- Register or log in to Buddy4Study with your own email/mobile, then open the STEM Stars application form and choose Start Application.
- Fill in personal, academic and family-financial details exactly as your documents state — institute name and NIRF standing, course and year, Class 12 marks, entrance score (JEE Main/CET/NEET as applicable), and family income.
- Upload the documents below and your expense receipts (tuition, hostel, mess, books) — the reimbursement logic means receipts are not decoration.
- Accept the terms, preview the whole form carefully, and submit. Save the application confirmation; shortlisted candidates are contacted for document verification and the telephonic interview.
Documents you will need
Passport-size photograph; Class 12 marksheet and passing certificate; JEE Main/CET/NEET scorecard as applicable; a government ID (Aadhaar, voter ID, passport or ration card); proof of current admission — fee receipt, admission letter or institution ID card; family income proof (government income certificate, BPL card or Ayushman Bharat card); electricity bills for the past six months; receipts for academic expenses; and your bank passbook or a cancelled cheque. The six-month electricity bills surprise many applicants — the programme uses them as a household-circumstances check, so gather them early rather than at deadline.
Where applications fail
Applying in the wrong year is the commonest error — a second-year B.Tech student (outside the B.Arch/integrated exception) is not eligible, however strong the case. Then: family income stated differently across the income certificate, the form and the interview; claiming expenses already covered by a state post-matric scholarship, which breaches the no-double-funding condition; missing receipts for costs the applicant wants reimbursed; and an institute assumed to be NIRF-eligible without checking the current listing. Queries go to the partner at [email protected] or 011-43092248 (Ext. 351).
Sources & verification
Checked against Infosys Foundation / primary published information on 6 September 2026.
Frequently asked questions
Who can apply for the Infosys Foundation STEM Stars Scholarship?
Indian female students who have completed Class 12 and are in the first year of an undergraduate STEM programme — B.Tech/B.E., MBBS, B.Pharm, BDS or B.Sc. — at a NIRF-ranked institution, with annual family income not exceeding ₹8,00,000. Students in the second year of a five-year B.Arch or an integrated/dual-degree programme are also eligible.
How much does STEM Stars pay and for how long?
Up to ₹1,00,000 per year for the full duration of the course — up to four years for B.Tech, MBBS, B.Pharm, BDS and integrated/dual-degree programmes, and up to three years for a three-year B.Sc. Study-material costs are reimbursed against valid receipts.
What is the last date to apply for the 2026–27 round?
No 2026–27 application window had been announced when this guide was prepared. The 2025–26 round closed on 30 October 2025, and the next round should be watched for on the Buddy4Study listing rather than relying on a predicted date.
Can I hold STEM Stars together with another scholarship?
No, not for the same expenses — you must not be receiving another scholarship that covers the same costs, and taking one can end the award.
What do I need to do to keep the scholarship in later years?
Continuation requires staying in the eligible course and keeping a CGPA of at least 7 for engineering and related courses, or passing all papers for MBBS, along with renewal documentation such as marksheets and fee receipts for the new year.
Which documents are needed to apply?
A passport-size photograph, Class 12 marksheet and passing certificate, JEE Main/CET/NEET scorecard as applicable, a government ID, proof of current admission, family income proof (government income certificate, BPL card or Ayushman Bharat card), electricity bills for the past six months, receipts for academic expenses, and a bank passbook or cancelled cheque.
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