CBSE Merit Scholarship Scheme for Single Girl Child

What is the CBSE Merit Scholarship Scheme for Single Girl Child?

The CBSE Merit Scholarship Scheme for Single Girl Child is a scholarship run by the Central Board of Secondary Education, under the Ministry of Education, to recognise and support the education of a family's only daughter. It was started to encourage parents to educate their girl children and to reward single girl children who do well in the Class 10 board examination.

According to CBSE, the scheme pays Rs 1,000 per month to eligible students for up to two years, covering Class 11 and Class 12 in a CBSE-affiliated school. Unlike most need-based scholarships, there is no parental income limit. Instead, the scheme keeps the benefit targeted by capping the school tuition fee. A student whose school charges more than the ceiling set in that year's circular is not eligible.

Key features

• Rs 1,000 a month, paid for up to two years.
• Only for a single girl child, a girl with no brother or sister.
• Only for students of CBSE-affiliated schools.
• No family income limit, but a cap on the school tuition fee.
• Renewed into Class 12 on promotion and minimum marks.

Who is eligible for the CBSE Single Girl Child scholarship?

A student can apply if:

• She is a single girl child. The only child of her parents, with no siblings.
• She passed the CBSE Class 10 examination with high marks in that year's board exam. (CBSE specifies a minimum percentage in its annual circular; historically the scheme has looked for a strong Class 10 result, so check the exact threshold before applying.)
• She is studying Class 11 in a school affiliated to CBSE.
• Her monthly school tuition fee is within the ceiling laid down in the CBSE circular for that year.

A student is not eligible if:

• She has a brother or sister. The scheme is strictly for a single girl child.
• She studies under a board other than CBSE.
• Her school tuition fee exceeds the prescribed ceiling.
• She does not meet the minimum marks required in the Class 10 board exam.

Because the exact marks threshold and fee ceiling are revised by CBSE from year to year, applicants should read the current year's official scholarship circular rather than relying on figures quoted elsewhere.

How much does the scheme pay?

The scholarship is Rs 1,000 per month, disbursed directly to the student's bank account. It runs for the two years of Class 11 and Class 12, provided the renewal conditions are met after the first year. The amount is meant to help with the day-to-day costs of continuing school; books, transport, coaching and similar expenses, rather than to fund the whole cost of education.

What documents are required?

How to apply for the CBSE Single Girl Child scholarship

1. Wait for CBSE to open the scholarship application window, usually a few months after Class 10 results are declared, and announced on cbse.gov.in.
2. Go to the CBSE scholarship portal and register using your Class 10 roll number and date of birth.
3. Fill in the online application form with your personal, school and bank details.
4. Prepare the notarised single girl child affidavit and get the school fee certificate and undertaking signed and attested by your school principal.
5. Upload the documents as required (often as a single combined PDF) and submit the form before the deadline.
6. Ensure your school forwards and verifies your application online, as verification by the principal is part of the process.

Keep a printout of the submitted form and the acknowledgement for your records.

How renewal works

The scholarship is sanctioned first for Class 11. To continue receiving it in Class 12, the student must:

• Be promoted to the next class, and
• Secure at least the minimum aggregate marks specified by CBSE (commonly 50%) in the intervening class.

A fresh renewal application must be filed in the second year within the CBSE window. If the scholarship is discontinued for any reason, restoring it needs the board's approval.

Help and grievance redressal

• CBSE scholarship enquiries: the scholarship unit at CBSE headquarters, reachable through the contact numbers listed on cbse.gov.in.
• Application, verification and renewal are handled entirely through the CBSE scholarship portal and your school.
• Because eligibility figures and dates change each year, always confirm the current terms in the official CBSE circular for your application year before applying.

The scholarship is a government benefit paid directly to the student; no fee or agent is involved in applying.

How to check your application status

Once you have submitted the form on the CBSE scholarship portal, you can track it in a few ways.

• Log in to the CBSE scholarship portal. Use the same roll number and date of birth (or the registered login credentials) you used at the time of application. Most portals show an application status such as "submitted", "forwarded by school", "under process", "sanctioned" or "rejected" against your application number.
• Note your application/reference number. Keep the acknowledgement number generated when you submitted the form. You will need it for any status check or follow-up query, whether online or through the school.
• Check with your school first. Because the school principal has to verify and forward each application, a status stuck at "pending" or "not forwarded" for a long time is often held up at the school's end rather than at CBSE. Ask your school's scholarship or exam coordinator to confirm they have verified and forwarded your form.
• Watch for disbursement in your bank account. Since the scholarship is paid by direct transfer, a simple practical check is whether the Rs 1,000 monthly amount has started reflecting in the student's bank account after sanction. Payments can take time to begin even after an application is approved, so a short delay after sanction is normal.
• Contact CBSE only after checking with the school. If the school confirms the form was forwarded correctly and the status still shows no movement after a reasonable period, reach out to the CBSE scholarship unit through the contact numbers listed on cbse.gov.in, quoting your application number, roll number and school details.
• Recheck each renewal year separately. The Class 12 renewal is a fresh application with its own status trail; a "sanctioned" status from the Class 11 year does not carry forward automatically, so track the renewal application separately in the second year.

Common reasons for rejection

• Sibling exists, so the "single girl child" condition fails. This is the single most common reason for rejection. If CBSE or the school verification finds a brother or sister exists, even one born after the applicant, the affidavit is treated as inaccurate and the application is rejected. There is no fix once a sibling exists; families should not apply if the condition is not genuinely met.
• Affidavit is not properly notarised or does not match the prescribed format. A plain declaration on plain paper, an affidavit without a notary's seal and signature, or one that omits the specific wording CBSE expects (declaring no siblings) is often rejected on document grounds. Fix: get the affidavit made fresh on stamp paper, notarised, and matching the format your school or CBSE circular specifies, before resubmitting.
• School tuition fee exceeds the prescribed ceiling. Since there is no income limit but a fee cap, an application from a student at a school whose monthly tuition fee is above that year's limit is rejected even if every other condition is met. Fix: obtain the school fee certificate first and confirm the fee is within the current year's ceiling before applying; there is no waiver for schools above the limit.
• School does not verify or forward the application in time. Because the process requires the principal to attest the undertaking and forward the form, an application left unverified at the school past the deadline is effectively rejected by default. Fix: follow up with the school's scholarship coordinator well before the closing date rather than at the last moment, and get written confirmation that the form has been forwarded.
• Minimum Class 10 marks not met. Applications from students whose aggregate or the relevant subject marks fall short of the threshold set in that year's CBSE circular are turned down. Fix: check the exact percentage required for your application year before applying rather than assuming a "high marks" performance automatically qualifies.
• Mismatch between mark sheet details and application form. Errors such as a wrong roll number, a name spelt differently from the Class 10 mark sheet, or incorrect date of birth cause the system or school to flag the form as invalid. Fix: fill the form using the details exactly as they appear on the CBSE Class 10 mark sheet and admit card.
• Renewal rejected for not meeting the promotion or pass-mark condition. In the second year, if the student is not promoted to Class 12 or does not secure the minimum aggregate marks CBSE requires for continuation, the renewal application is rejected even though the first year was sanctioned. Fix: track your own Class 11 result against the renewal criteria and file the renewal form promptly if you qualify.
• Incorrect or unverified bank account details. Since disbursement is by direct transfer, an application with a bank account not in the student's name, an inactive account, or mismatched account and IFSC details can be held up or rejected at the payment stage. Fix: use an active bank account in the student's own name and double-check the account number and IFSC code before submission.
• Application filed after the window closes. The scholarship portal opens only for an announced period each year; a form submitted after the deadline is not accepted regardless of eligibility. Fix: watch cbse.gov.in for the announcement soon after Class 10 results and apply as early as possible within the window rather than waiting until the last date.