Daijiworld Media Network - Bengaluru
Bengaluru, Aug 27: The Karnataka Higher Education Department has announced the Deepika Scholarship Scheme for 2026–27, offering financial support to girl students from government institutions to pursue higher education and help curb the dropout rate after class 12.
Under the scheme, eligible students will receive Rs 30,000 a year until the completion of their degree course. The scholarship can be used towards tuition fees or other educational expenses.
Students who have completed classes 10 and 12 in government schools or colleges and are pursuing a general degree, professional degree, or post-PU diploma can avail themselves of the scheme. The higher education institution may be government, aided, or private.
During the 2025–26 academic year, 14,262 students received Rs 30,000 each, while applications from another 6,700 students are currently under scrutiny by the department.
For the current academic year, the Karnataka School Examination and Assessment Board has provided the department with details of 51,399 girls who passed classes 10 and 12 in government institutions. SMS notifications have been sent to those among them who are pursuing higher education, urging them to apply for the scholarship.
The department has directed 440 government first-grade colleges and 421 aided first-grade colleges to inform eligible students about the scheme and facilitate applications.
The scholarship has two components. The Azim Premji Foundation will fund 37,000 scholarships annually, while the state government will extend the same Rs 30,000 benefit to eligible applicants beyond this number.
Fresh applications for the first round can be submitted from August 10 to 31, while renewal applications will be accepted from September 15 to October 30. A second window for fresh applications will open from January 10 to 31, 2027.
Students applying for the scholarship must submit documents including class 10 and 12 marks cards, admission receipt, bonafide certificate, photograph, signature, Aadhaar card, and Aadhaar-linked bank passbook along with their applications.