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.