Why MBBS Scholarships are required by Indian Students?
Let’s look into the MBBS education framework in India
In India, the cost of studying medical can be humungous if you get into any private college. In comparison, the cost in government colleges is low. On an average, the cost to study medicine in government colleges in India ranges between rupees 5,000 to rupees 30,000 per annum, with a yearly hostel fee around rupees 50,000. The problem of the hour is not the fee to study medical in government colleges. It is the number of seats available against the candidates appearing in the medical entrance examination conducted by the board of medical education in India. Out of 66,771 medical seats, only 30,455 (state & central) seats are available to study in the government institutions. The rest is occupied by the private medical colleges and universities. Alongside, 151 seats are available in AIIMS and JIPMER. While, on average 10 lakh students appear for NEET (National Eligibility Cum Entrance Test). So, the number of seats that are there in the government medical colleges is very low.
The students who do not get a chance to study in the government colleges opt to study in private colleges, bearing a heavy education cost. The cost to study medicine in private medical colleges is also very high. An estimated amount which is capped at rupees 6.8 lakh per annum is required to study medicine at private medical colleges in India. To save the students from financial difficulties and curb out the problems of the parents, there are several organizations (private and government) that provide financial aids scholarships or can be termed as medical scholarships.
There are several scholarships for mbbs courses in India, among which NEST Senior, BSE, Vijayalakshmi R.L. Jalappa Scholarship, Vahani Scholarship, Dr. Shamanur Shivashankarappa Janakalyana Trust’s Scholarship Program, Nilam Patel Bahushrut Foundation Scholarship, CCB, Padala Charitable Trust Scholarship, IM-SET, AIYSEE, Swami Vivekananda Merit Cum Means Scholarship, Swami Dayanand Education Foundation Merit-cum-Means Scholarships, SHDF Scholarships and JBNSTS Scheme are some of the Top Scholarships for Medical Students in India. These undergraduate medicine scholarships are provided to students who fulfill certain criteria. Prime Minister’s Scholarship for MBBS or Prime Minister Scholarship Scheme that is governed by Kendirya Sainik Board Secretariat, Department of Ex-Servicemen Welfare, Ministry of Defence, and Government of India is given to students who are dependent on ward/widow or of Ex-Coast Guard, Ex-Servicemen personnel. It is provided to students of various streams where MBBS is also included.
Top Scholarships for Medical Students
As mentioned above the array of scholarships in India, let’s dig deep into the details of these scholarships.
1. NEST Senior – This MBBS Scholarship is provided to Indian medical students who are studying in the 1st year or 2nd year in MBBS, BAMS, BHMS, BDS and Engineering. The student must have studied science in 10+2. The 1st and 2nd year students to receive this scholarship are termed as ‘Senior I’. 3rd year students and 4th year students are also eligible to apply for this scholarship. They will be called ‘Senior II’. NEST – Nation Wide Education and Scholarship Test conducts a qualifying examination. The questions are based on the syllabus of classes 11 and 12, along with verbal aptitude, logical thinking and general knowledge. This is for Senior I. For Senior II, they need to choose subjects which are categorized into A, B, C and D. For MBBS students, it is option D. The exam fee for General and OBC Male is rupees 1200 and for female applicants, SC/ST and PwD category it is rupees 600. There are exam centers across major cities of India.
2. BSE – Bharati Scheme for Education is awarded to applicants who are Brahmins and their parents must reside in Andhra Pradesh. The applicant should fulfill the criteria of scoring pass marks in all subjects before applying for the scholarship. Their family income should be within rupees 30000 pa. Also, the candidate must not avail any other scholarship opportunity and they can only receive the benefits of Archaka Welfare Trust.
3. Vijayalakshmi R.L. Jalappa Scholarship – Candidates should belong to Arya Idiga community and should be a resident of Bangalore Urban, Bangalore Rural, Ramanagara, Kolar, Chikkaballapura, Tumkur, Mandya, Mysore, Chamarajnagara, Hassan, Chitradurga, Davanagere or Bellary Districts. They must score 60 percent or above in examinations. Every family member must hold a BPL card and the candidate should be a regular student.
5. Vahani Scholarship – Applicants are required to go through two rounds interviews if they satisfy the criteria that they belong to bright potential category and they have went through extremely difficult circumstances.
6. Dr. Shamanur Shivashankarappa Janakalyana Trust’s Scholarship Program – If you are applying for this scholarship you need to be a native of Karnataka with a family annual income not more than 1 lakh pa. You should also be a regular college student in a reputed college.
7. Nilam Patel Bahushrut Foundation Scholarship – If you have hearing impairment and you reside in Gujarat and Maharashtra then you have the opportunity to avail this scholarship. You need to study or you need to take admission in a reputed college or university abroad.
8. CCB – Combined Counselling Board Scholarship is awarded to students who score 33 percent to 50 percent marks in the qualifying examination.
9. Padala Charitable Trust Scholarship – Candidates must be a domicile either of Andhra Pradesh or Telangana. They need to have studied or should be studying in government schools and colleges. Resources to support their education should not be there.
10. IM-SET – International Medical Scholarship Eligibility Test can be applied to by Indian students who are studying in class 12. Students who are studying outside India in a CBSE school are also eligible. The test is conducted by American University of Barbados (AUB). In the 90 minutes test, students need to 90 MCQs of 1 mark each. The subjects include Physics (25), Chemistry (25), Botany (20) and Zoology (20). Syllabus is same as NEET.
11. AIYSEE – Students that are appearing for 12th examination or have passed 12th examination are eligible to apply for All India Youth Scholarship Entrance Examination. Students need to clear the examination conducted by AIYSEE board with minimum 55 percent aggregate. The online test includes subjects – Physics, Chemistry and Mathematics/Biology. The syllabus includes topics from classes 11 and 12. It’s a 90 minute online examination with 90 MCQs. There is exam center present in most of the major cities of India.
12. Swami Vivekananda Merit cum Means Scholarship – Candidates must belong to West Bengal and they should be studying in the state to be considered as eligible. Candidates must have 75 percent aggregate in class 12 and their family income should not cross the margin of rupees 2.5 lakh.
13. Swami Dayanand Education Foundation Merit-cum-Means Scholarships – The annual family income should be under or be equal to 6 lakh. The candidate should secure 85 percent marks in class 12. If applying in second or third year, the candidate should score at least 7.5 cgpa out of 10. The candidate should not be a recipient of any other scholarship.
14. SHDF Scholarships – Class 12 passed out candidates with a minimum of 60 percent marks and a family income of total rupees 1.8 lakh per annum are eligible to apply for the SHDF scholarships.
15. JBNSTS – Female candidates of West Bengal are only eligible for the Bigyani Konna Medha Britti Scholarship (JBNSTS) and should be pursuing a medical degree.
There are other scholarships such as L’Oreal India Scholarship (for female candidates with 85 percent marks and with a family income not more than rupees 4 lakh), Santoor Women’s Scholarship (for female candidates of Andhra Pradesh, Karnataka and Telangana who completed 10th and 12th from local government school and should be from underprivileged background), Sahu Jain Trust Loan Scholarship, Nirankari Rajmata Scholarship (students need to score more than 90 percent marks and must be pursuing medical education in government college and their family income should be less than rupees 3.5 lakh) available for medical students.
