₹50,000 a Year for First-Year BTech, MBBS Students: SDEF Scholarship Closes Nov 30

First-year BTech, MBBS, BDS and BArch students can get up to ₹50,000 a year for their studies. The SDEF India Scholarship Programme 2026-27 is open now, and the last date to apply is November 30, 2026.

The Swami Dayanand Education Foundation runs this scholarship for bright students from families that cannot easily pay for a professional degree. It is a merit-cum-means scheme, which means your marks and your family income both count. Students who are selected can keep the support for up to four years, so the total help can reach ₹2 lakh across the course.

One detail matters for families planning their budget. The money does not go to the student. It is paid straight to the college or university, towards fees and approved education costs. That makes it a fee-support scholarship, not a cash award, and the renewal each year depends on your marks and continued eligibility.

What the scholarship pays

Selected students receive up to ₹50,000 per academic year. The amount is described as “up to” because the exact support depends on the selection criteria, including your entrance exam rank and your Class 10 and 12 marks. The programme runs for up to four academic years, which is why the total support can reach ₹2,00,000.

Applications opened on October 12, 2026, and the form is online only. Paper or emailed applications are not accepted.

Who can apply

The scheme is only for students who have just started a professional degree. You must have taken admission in 2026-27 to the first year of a full-time course in India. The courses covered are BTech or BE, MBBS, BDS and BArch.

Four conditions decide eligibility:

• You scored at least 80% marks, or an equivalent CGPA, in Class 12, unless a different course or category threshold applies to you.
• Your total family income from all sources is not more than ₹12 lakh a year.
• You meet the rank or percentage cut-off set for your course and category.
• You did not take a drop or gap year after Class 12. Students with a gap year are not eligible.

Keep your income certificate or salary papers ready before you start, because the form asks for proof of income.

The rank and marks you need

Your entrance exam rank decides a large part of selection. For general-category students, the cut-offs for 2026-27 are an all-India rank up to 10,000 in JEE Advanced for IIT students, and up to 10,000 in JEE Main for NITs and other government institutes. For MBBS, the NEET cut-off for general-category students is a rank up to 20,000. BDS and BArch applicants need 60% marks in the general category.

Cut-offs are relaxed for OBC, SC, ST and EWS students, so check the full category-wise table on the official scholarship page before you apply.

The money goes straight to your college, not to your bank account. It covers fees and approved costs, and it can run for four years if your grades stay up to the mark.

How to apply in five steps

The application runs through the Buddy4Study portal. Keep your documents scanned and ready before you begin, because the form asks for several uploads in one sitting.

1. Open the SDEF India Scholarship page on Buddy4Study and click Apply Now.
2. Log in with your registered ID, or create an account with your email address, mobile number or Gmail account.
3. Click Start Application and fill in your personal, academic and family details.
4. Upload the documents the form asks for, including the signed SDEF Scholar Pledge Form.
5. Preview the full form, check every detail against your documents, and submit before November 30, 2026.

Every applicant must download the SDEF Scholar Pledge Form, print it, fill it in, get it signed by the applicant and a parent or guardian, and upload a clear scanned copy. A form without this signed pledge is incomplete.

Documents to keep ready

• Recent passport-size photograph and Aadhaar card
• Class 10 and Class 12 marksheets
• Entrance exam scorecard or result letter, wherever it applies
• Admission letter from your college, college ID card and latest fee receipt
• Family income proof, such as an income certificate, salary slip or ITR
• Address proof, such as a utility bill, and proof of residence
• Three photographs of your home, inside and outside, as the form asks
• Agricultural land papers, if your family owns farmland

The full guidelines and the category-wise selection table are on the official SDEF India Scholarships page. If anything in your form does not match your documents, the application can be held up at verification, so read each field twice before you submit.

Students looking for other options this month can also check the NMMSS scholarship, which pays ₹12,000 a year to school students and closes on November 15. Students from seven southern states can look at the Federal Bank Hormis Scholarship, which covers up to ₹1 lakh a year and closes on December 31. For questions about the SDEF scheme, the foundation can be reached at [email protected] or on +91-120-4146823.