Here’s some good news for girl students going to college across India. Azim Premji Foundation on Thursday announced a scholarship of Rs 30,000 per annum for higher studies of girls from poor backgrounds studying in government schools.

For starters, the scholarship will be available for all girl students leaving school for college education across 18 states in India this year.

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Announcing the Azim Premji Scholarship, Anurag Behar, Chief Executive Officer, Azim Premji Foundation, said the foundation will be supporting girls pursuing higher education after school.

Addressing a press conference, he said there is no eligibility test for the scholarship. But the condition is that the girls ought to have done their class 10 and 12 schooling in government (public) schools, he said.

And they must have admission in a bona fide higher education institution (HEI) – in a degree or diploma program. The list of ‘bona fide’ HEIs will include all government (public) HEIs and select private HEIs as well. The scholarship amount of Rs 30,000 per year will be for the duration of the degree or diploma program, so long as the girl continues successfully in the program.

The money will be transferred in two instalments to the girls’ bank account directly every year. She may use the money as needed, he said.

The Foundation estimates that it will offer the Azim Premji Scholarship to up to 2.5 lakh girls in the academic year 2025-26, and will be available in 18 states and it is starting in September.

“Good school education is foundational for life, while higher education changes social and economic prospects in life. Despite the all-around progress India has made, girls continue to confront differential societal and financial hurdles at all levels of education. We are making a significant commitment to support girls to pursue higher education, which will help them gain greater control over their life’s trajectory,” Behar said.

The application process for the 2025-26 cycle will start in September 2025.

These 18 states — Arunachal Pradesh, Assam, Bihar, Chhattisgarh, Jharkhand, Karnataka, Madhya Pradesh, Manipur, Meghalaya, Mizoram, Nagaland, Odisha, Rajasthan, Sikkim, Telangana, Tripura, Uttar Pradesh and Uttarakhand – will see the implementation of the program, starting in September.