Free Studentship, Meghalaya

What is Free Studentship in Meghalaya?

Free Studentship is a state scholarship scheme of the Directorate of Higher and Technical Education (DHTE), Education Department, Government of Meghalaya. The Directorate lists it as scheme number 12 in its published list of scholarship schemes, alongside the State Merit Scholarship, the Post Matric Merit Scholarship for Tribal Students, the Meghalaya Tribal Students' Book Grant and the Scheme of Scholarship for Sainik Schools.

According to the Directorate's Handbook of Scholarship Schemes, "Free Studentship is awarded to students based on the prescribed rate of tuition fee and other fees as are being compensated by Post Matric Scholarship Scheme from time to time." That single sentence defines the whole benefit. The state does not calculate what your particular college charges. It applies a fixed rate for your course level, pegged to what the Government of India's Post Matric Scholarship would compensate for the same course, and releases that amount.

The name causes confusion, so it is worth being blunt about it. Free Studentship is not a fee waiver at the college counter. You pay your institution in the normal way, and the scheme reimburses a fixed rate. The scheme exists to catch SC and ST students of Meghalaya who, for one reason or another, are not covered by the central Post Matric Scholarship in a given year, and that is why the rules prohibit holding both at once.

Who is eligible for Free Studentship?

The Directorate publishes seven conditions. All of them must be met.

You can apply if:

1. You are a permanent resident of Meghalaya.
2. You belong to a Scheduled Caste or Scheduled Tribe community of the State of Meghalaya.
3. You are pursuing a regular course of studies in a recognised institution.
4. Your parents or guardian are citizens of India.
5. You are not enjoying a scholarship within the purview of the Government of India's Post Matric Scholarship to SC/ST, or any other scholarship scheme of the central or state government.
6. You are not employed in any service under the government or in any non-government establishment.
7. You are not a repeater in the same class for more than once.

You cannot apply, or are not eligible, if:

• You are not a permanent resident of Meghalaya, even if you study in the state.
• You do not hold an SC or ST certificate for a community of Meghalaya. The handbook's eligibility list names SC and ST only. The scheme is often described publicly as covering SC, ST and OBC students; the Directorate's own text does not say OBC, and Meghalaya runs a separate Post-matric Scholarship for the state's recognised Backward Classes such as Rabha, Borokachari and Kocha. An OBC student should ask the Scholarship Cell which of the two applies before filing.
• You are already drawing the Post Matric Scholarship for SC/ST or any other central or state scholarship. Double-drawing is the single clearest disqualification in the scheme.
• You are employed anywhere, government or private.
• You have repeated the same class more than once.
• You are enrolled in a correspondence, distance or private candidate mode rather than a regular course.

No income ceiling is published for Free Studentship, which distinguishes it from most other Meghalaya scholarships.

How much money does Free Studentship give?

The Directorate publishes six rates, tied to course level and stream:

Two patterns run through this table. Science attracts a higher rate than Arts and Commerce at every level, because laboratory and practical fees are higher. And a Major or Honours course attracts more than a General or Pass course at the same level, for the same reason. The gap between the lowest and the highest rate is almost exactly double.

These rates come from the Directorate's Handbook of Scholarship Schemes, which carries the scheme list "till date". Because the handbook is a compiled document rather than an annually reissued circular, confirm the current rate with the Scholarship Cell before you rely on a figure. The scheme's own definition ties the rate to what the Post Matric Scholarship compensates "from time to time", which means the rate is expected to move.

How to apply for Free Studentship

1. Watch for the advertisement. The Directorate states that advertisements of scholarship schemes are generally given to the press, to the Government of Meghalaya website at meghalaya.gov.in and to the Education Department website at megeducation.gov.in. There is no permanent standing window; applications are invited for an academic year.
2. Collect the prescribed form from your college. Forms are issued by the institution in which you are studying. If you are studying outside Meghalaya, request the form from the office of the Directorate of Higher and Technical Education, Kenilworth Road, opposite Shillong Public School, Laitumkhrah, Shillong-793003. The Directorate also notes that, subject to direction from the competent authority, scholarship forms are to be downloaded from the website only — so check megeducation.gov.in as well.
3. Fill the form and attach your documents. You will need your SC or ST certificate for a Meghalaya community, permanent residence proof, admission or bonafide certificate for a regular course, your previous marksheet, and the declaration that you are not drawing any other central or state scholarship.
4. Submit it through the Head of your institution. This is mandatory. The handbook states that the application in the prescribed form should be submitted through the Head of Institution where the student is pursuing studies. The Principal's office verifies your enrolment and forwards the batch to the Directorate.
5. Keep an acknowledgement. Ask the college office for a receipt or for the forwarding letter number under which your form went to DHTE. Without it you have no way to trace the file later.

How to check your Free Studentship status

Free Studentship has no online tracker and no beneficiary login. Follow this order:

1. Ask your college scholarship in-charge whether your form was included in the institution's forwarding list to DHTE, and on what date.
2. Contact the Scholarship Cell, Office of the Director of Higher and Technical Education, Kenilworth Road, Laitumkhrah, Shillong-793003, email scholarshipregn@gmail.com, quoting the forwarding letter number.
3. Check the Awardees section on the DHTE scholarship pages at megeducation.gov.in, where the Directorate publishes awardee lists for its schemes.
4. Call the Department of Education at 0364-2224201 if the Scholarship Cell does not respond.

Why Free Studentship applications get rejected

• Already drawing the Post Matric Scholarship for SC/ST. This is the commonest rejection. Students apply for everything on the list and are struck off when the cross-check runs.
• Form submitted directly instead of through the Head of Institution. The routing requirement is explicit and a direct submission is not the prescribed channel.
• SC or ST certificate from outside Meghalaya, or a certificate for a community not recognised as SC or ST in the state.
• Not a permanent resident of Meghalaya, even where the student is studying in a Shillong college.
• Enrolled in a non-regular mode, correspondence, distance or private candidate.
• Repeated the same class more than once, which the college's own records will show.
• Employment disclosed or discovered. A student working in a government office or a private establishment fails condition six.
• Missed the institution's internal cut-off. Colleges collect and forward in a batch; a form handed in after the college has already sent its list waits a full year.

Who to contact about Free Studentship

• Scholarship Cell, Office of the Director of Higher and Technical Education, Kenilworth Road, opposite Shillong Public School, Laitumkhrah, Shillong-793003. Email scholarshipregn@gmail.com.
• Directorate of Higher and Technical Education, same address. Email dydhtechnical@gmail.com.
• Department of Education, Room no. 222, Ground Floor, Additional Secretariat, Shillong. Phone 0364-2224201.

For a grievance, write to the Deputy Director, Higher and Technical Education, at the Scholarship Cell address, quoting your name, institution, course, category certificate number and the date your college forwarded the form. A grievance against a Meghalaya department can also be filed on the state grievance portal at mii.nic.in.

No fee is payable to apply for Free Studentship. The form is issued free by your college, and no officer, agent or intermediary is entitled to charge you for filing it or for adding your name to a list.