Scholarships to Students Studying in Central Government Institution like IIT, IIM, IIIT, NIT and Central Universities

What is the Tamil Nadu scholarship for students in central government institutions?

Scholarships to Students Studying in Central Government Institutions like IIT, IIM, IIIT, NIT and Central Universities is a scholarship of the Backward Classes, Most Backward Classes and Minorities Welfare Department, Government of Tamil Nadu, administered by the Directorate of Backward Classes Welfare.

The Government of Tamil Nadu issued orders granting a scholarship to students native to Tamil Nadu belonging to Backward Classes, Most Backward Classes and Denotified Communities who are pursuing UG or PG courses in Government of India institutions such as the Indian Institutes of Technology, Indian Institutes of Management, Indian Institutes of Information Technology, National Institutes of Technology and Central Universities.

The scholarship exists to solve a specific problem. A student from a Tamil Nadu BC, MBC or DNC family who clears JEE Advanced, CAT or a Central University entrance faces institutional fees far above what a state college charges. The state's regular post-matric scholarship, built around Tamil Nadu's own fee structures, does not stretch that far. This scheme fills the gap so that a seat in a national institution is not surrendered for want of fees.

What the scholarship covers

According to the Directorate of Backward Classes Welfare, the scholarship covers tuition fee, special fee, examination fee and other compulsory fees as prescribed by the institution, subject to a maximum of Rs 2,00,000 per year, whichever is lower. The amount is reimbursed to the student every year for the entire duration of the UG or PG course.

Who is eligible for this scholarship?

You can claim if:

• You belong to the Backward Classes, Most Backward Classes or Denotified Communities, certified by the Tahsildar.
• You are a native of Tamil Nadu.
• You are pursuing a UG or PG course in an IIT, IIM, IIIT, NIT or a Central University.
• Your annual family income does not exceed Rs 2.50 lakh, certified by the Tahsildar.
• Your institution's Principal or Director gives concurrence to the application.

You are not eligible if:

• Your family's annual income exceeds Rs 2.50 lakh. This is a hard ceiling and such students cannot apply, regardless of merit.
• You belong to a Scheduled Caste or Scheduled Tribe community. Those students are served by the Adi Dravidar and Tribal Welfare Department's scholarship schemes and are not eligible under this BC/MBC/DNC scholarship.
• You are studying in a state university, deemed university, private or self-financing institution, however reputed. The scheme is written specifically for Government of India institutions.
• You are not a native of Tamil Nadu, even if you are studying in an IIT located in Tamil Nadu.
• You are pursuing a course below UG level, or a short certificate programme rather than a full UG or PG degree.

Where applications exceed the number of scholarships available, eligible candidates are prioritised on the basis of their plus two public examination marks.

What documents are required?

How to apply for the scholarship

1. Watch for the annual announcement. The Directorate of Backward Classes Welfare invites fresh and renewal applications for each academic year, and district administrations and the institutions themselves publish the notice. Check bcw.tn.gov.in and your institute's student affairs or scholarship notice board.
2. Collect the community and income certificates from the Tahsildar. The income certificate must be current for the academic year being claimed. A certificate from two years ago is a common cause of return.
3. Complete the application form, entering your course, year of study, the institution's fee heads and amounts, and your bank details.
4. Obtain the concurrence of the Principal or Director of your IIT, IIM, IIIT, NIT or Central University, along with a bonafide certificate and the fee receipt or official fee structure.
5. Send the application with all supporting documents to the Commissioner of Backward Classes Welfare, Ezhilagam Annex Building, 2nd Floor, Chepauk, Chennai 600 005. Applications may also be routed through the institution where it collects and forwards them in a batch.
6. Keep a complete copy of everything submitted, and note the date of dispatch, since follow-up depends on it.
7. Reapply the following year as a renewal candidate, with an updated fee receipt, bonafide certificate and income certificate.

How is the money paid?

The scholarship is a reimbursement, not an advance. It is credited to the student's own bank account after the claim is sanctioned, against the compulsory fee heads shown in the institution's fee structure. Hostel rent, mess charges, laptop purchases and personal expenses are outside the covered heads.

Because it is capped at Rs 2,00,000 a year, a student at an institution charging less than that receives the actual fee amount, and a student at an institution charging more meets the balance from other sources, such as the institute's own fee remission, an education loan, or a central scholarship.

How to check the status of your application

1. Ask your institution's scholarship or student affairs section, which usually holds the acknowledgement for batch-forwarded applications.
2. Contact the Directorate of Backward Classes Welfare on 044-28551462, or write to tngovtiitscholarship@gmail.com, quoting your name, community, institution, course and year.
3. Check bcw.tn.gov.in for sanction lists published for the academic year.

Why applications get rejected, and how to fix them

• Income certificate above Rs 2.50 lakh, or issued for an earlier year. Obtain a fresh certificate for the current year.
• Community certificate in a category not covered — an SC or ST certificate filed under a BC/MBC/DNC scheme is redirected, not sanctioned here.
• Institution not a central government institution. Verify the institute's status before applying.
• No concurrence from the Principal or Director. An application without the institution's endorsement is incomplete.
• Plus two mark sheet missing, which prevents the prioritisation step when applications are oversubscribed.
• Fee structure not attached, so there is nothing against which to compute the reimbursement.
• Missing the year's announced last date. Because the window is announced annually rather than being open all year, a late application waits for the next academic year.

Related Tamil Nadu scholarships

The Directorate of Backward Classes Welfare also runs the post-matric scholarship for BC, MBC and DNC students in colleges in Tamil Nadu, exam fee reimbursement for school-level students, and administers PM-YASASVI scholarships in the state. SC and ST students should look instead at the Adi Dravidar and Tribal Welfare Department's free education, post-matric scholarship and merit award schemes.

Help and grievance route

• Commissioner of Backward Classes Welfare, Ezhilagam Annex Building, 2nd Floor, Chepauk, Chennai 600 005
• Phone: 044-28551462
• Email: tngovtiitscholarship@gmail.com
• Portal: bcw.tn.gov.in

No fee is charged for applying. No agent or consultancy is authorised to charge for securing this scholarship.