Scheme for the Award of Scholarship for the Under Graduate Meritorious Students of Various Faculties of Junagadh Agricultural University

What is the Junagadh Agricultural University undergraduate merit scholarship?

The Scheme for the Award of Scholarship for the Under Graduate Meritorious Students of Various Faculties of Junagadh Agricultural University is a university-level scholarship supported by the Agriculture, Farmers Welfare and Cooperation Department, Government of Gujarat. The scheme pays Rs 1,000 per month for 12 months to 36 selected undergraduate students across the faculties of Junagadh Agricultural University, and provides free hostel accommodation to girl students in the undergraduate faculties.

Junagadh Agricultural University, established in 2004, is one of Gujarat's four state agricultural universities and serves the Saurashtra region. Its undergraduate faculties include Agriculture, Agricultural Engineering and Technology, Horticulture, Fisheries and Agribusiness Management, taught at constituent colleges at Junagadh and at outlying campuses including Mota Bhandariya and Khapat.

The scholarship exists because of who those campuses serve. A large share of the university's undergraduate intake comes from farming families in Saurashtra villages, and the practical barrier for those students is not tuition but living cost; hostel fees, mess charges, books, instruments and travel home. A student whose family is meeting those costs from a groundnut or cotton crop that failed in a dry year is the student this scheme is designed to keep enrolled.

Key objectives

• Attract and retain bright students from rural Saurashtra in agricultural education.
• Reduce the drop-out risk that comes from living costs rather than fees.
• Improve participation of girl students in agricultural degree programmes, both through priority in selection and through free hostel accommodation.
• Build a pipeline of graduates who go on to work in agricultural research, extension and rural development in Gujarat.

Main features

• Rs 1,000 a month for 12 months, so Rs 12,000 in the year.
• 36 scholarships in total.
• Available through the undergraduate programme, including semester breaks and vacations.
• Free hostel accommodation for girl students in all undergraduate faculties.
• Applied for offline, on plain paper, through the constituent college.

Who is eligible for this scholarship?

You are eligible if:

• You are enrolled in an undergraduate programme at Junagadh Agricultural University or one of its constituent colleges.
• You obtained a minimum of 45% marks in the Science stream of the Higher Secondary Certificate (HSC) examination.
• You are in good academic standing at the university.

Priority in selection

• Girl students of the Colleges of Agriculture at Junagadh, Mota Bhandariya and Khapat are considered first.
• If enough eligible girl applicants are not available, the remaining scholarships are awarded to economically weaker male candidates on merit.

You cannot apply if:

• You are a student of another university or another agricultural university in Gujarat. Enrolment at Junagadh Agricultural University is the core condition.
• You are a postgraduate or doctoral student, the scheme is undergraduate only.
• You scored below 45% in the Science stream at HSC.
• You are not enrolled in one of the university's undergraduate faculties.

Junagadh Agricultural University also administers other awards. A Merit Cum Means Scholarship, a National Talent Scholarship for students admitted from other states, and a separate undergraduate scholarship for girl and economically backward candidates. A student who does not fit this scheme should ask the Principal's office which of the others applies.

What documents are required?

Attach self-attested photocopies and carry the originals to the Principal's office for verification.

How to apply for the Junagadh Agricultural University scholarship

1. Confirm with your college office that the scholarship round for the current academic year has been announced. Rounds are announced after admissions close, and the college notice board is the operative announcement.
2. Write an application on plain paper addressed to the Director of Junagadh Agricultural University, stating your name, enrolment number, faculty, college, year of study, HSC percentage and the scholarship you are applying for.
3. Attach self-attested copies of your bonafide certificate, HSC marksheet, Aadhaar card and bank passbook, plus an income certificate if you are a male student applying on the economically weaker criterion.
4. Submit the complete application to the Principal of your constituent college within the date the college notice specifies.
5. Collect an acknowledgement or note the date of submission, since there is no online tracking for this scheme.
6. Await the selection list published by the college. Selection is made against the 36 available scholarships, with girl students of the Junagadh, Mota Bhandariya and Khapat agriculture colleges considered first.

Is there an online application route?

No. The scheme is applied for offline only. Junagadh Agricultural University does not accept applications for this particular scholarship through the state Digital Gujarat scholarship portal or through the e-Samaj Kalyan portal — those portals carry a different set of state scholarships that a JAU student may also be entitled to, such as the Ministry of Social Justice post-matric scholarships and the Mukhyamantri Yuva Swavalamban Yojana.

Applying for this university scholarship does not stop a student from also applying for those state scholarships, provided the terms of each allow concurrent benefit. Check with the college office before assuming both can be drawn together.

How much does the scholarship pay, and when?

The scholarship pays Rs 1,000 per month for 12 months, that is Rs 12,000 per academic year. The award runs through the undergraduate programme, covering semester breaks and vacations as well as teaching weeks.

Girl students selected under the scheme additionally receive free hostel accommodation in the undergraduate faculties, which in practice is the larger part of the benefit, hostel and mess charges for a full academic year typically exceed the cash component several times over.

Payment is made to the student's own bank account. Students should ensure the account is active and correctly recorded with the college office, because a dormant account is the usual cause of a delayed credit.

How to check your application status

1. Ask at the Principal's office of your constituent college, which holds the applications and the selection list. There is no online status page for this scheme.
2. Watch the college notice board for the published list of selected students.
3. If your name appears but no credit arrives, confirm your bank account details with the college accounts section before escalating.

Common reasons applications are rejected

• HSC percentage below 45% in the Science stream.
• Application submitted to the wrong office rather than to the Principal of the constituent college.
• Missing bonafide certificate, so enrolment cannot be confirmed.
• Application filed after the college's announced date.
• Scholarships exhausted, only 36 are available, so a fully eligible applicant may still miss out in a year with many claimants.
• Bank account not in the student's own name, so the monthly credit cannot be released.

Key dates and grievance route

Junagadh Agricultural University announces the scholarship round each academic year through its constituent colleges, normally after undergraduate admissions close. No standing year-round last date is published, so the college notice is the deadline that matters.

For queries and grievances, approach the Principal of your constituent college first, then the Students' Welfare office of the university, and then the Registrar, Junagadh Agricultural University. Scheme information is published through the university at jau.in. Applying is free, and no fee is payable to any person for being included in the selection list.