Scholarships & fee reimbursement
A real cost concern for a lot of families is never even raised, because students don't know these schemes exist. Every scheme below is a genuine, currently active government programme, not a private "scholarship" site trying to collect your details.
Amounts, income limits and deadlines are set fresh each year and can change. Treat the figures below as accurate as of research for this page (September 2026), and always confirm the current numbers on the official portal before you rely on them for a financial decision.
KEA Supernumerary Quota (SNQ) — 100% Tuition Fee Waiver
The Supernumerary Quota (SNQ) is KEA's built-in fee waiver scheme for undergraduate engineering, architecture, and diploma courses. 5% extra seats are created above the sanctioned intake in every branch across government, aided, and private engineering colleges in Karnataka.
| Feature | SNQ Details |
|---|---|
| Tuition Fee Benefit | 100% Tuition Fee Waived — students pay only minimal university registration/development fees (approx ₹17,910 to ₹32,320/year instead of ₹1,30,320 in unaided colleges). |
| Income Eligibility | Annual family income from all sources must be below ₹8.00 Lakh per annum. |
| Document Required | Valid Income Certificate issued by Karnataka Tahsildar (Nadakacheri RD number) uploaded during KCET registration. |
| Category Coverage | Open to all categories including General Merit (GM), OBC (2A/2B/3A/3B/Cat-1), SC, and ST. |
| Allotment Basis | Purely on KCET / DCET merit rank among all eligible candidates within that quota. |
You do not need a separate application for SNQ: if your income certificate is verified during document verification, KEA automatically considers you for both regular seats and SNQ seats during option entry.
Karnataka State Scholarship Portal (SSP)
ssp.karnataka.gov.in is the Government of Karnataka's single portal for state-run scholarships, including the post-matric scholarship and fee-reimbursement schemes below. It checks your caste, income and religion details against your documents automatically, and your institution approves your application online, no physical stamps needed.
Post-matric scholarship & fee reimbursement (SC / ST / OBC / Category-1)
For SC, ST, OBC, Category-1 and other backward-class students pursuing post-matric education, including professional courses like engineering and medicine:
- Family income up to ₹2.5 lakh: full reimbursement of tuition, admission and examination fees, plus a maintenance allowance (day scholars and hostellers receive different amounts, with hostellers generally receiving more).
- Family income between roughly ₹2.5 lakh and ₹10 lakh: partial fee reimbursement is available specifically for professional courses like engineering and medicine.
Apply through the SSP portal above; the exact amount is calculated by the relevant welfare department based on your category and the fee actually charged by your college.
Vidyasiri scholarship (backward classes)
Run by Karnataka's Backward Classes Welfare Department for SC/ST/OBC/BC/minority/PwD students with family income up to ₹2.5 lakh, covering ITI, diploma, degree, postgraduate and professional courses. It also has a linked food-and-accommodation component for eligible students not staying in a government hostel. Apply through the SSP portal.
AICTE Pragati & Saksham scholarships (central government)
These are not tied to caste category. They're specifically for girls and for differently-abled students in AICTE-approved technical courses (engineering, polytechnic/diploma, pharmacy, architecture and similar), applied for through the National Scholarship Portal (NSP).
| Scheme | Who it's for | Amount | Income limit |
|---|---|---|---|
| Pragati | Girl students, 1st year or lateral entry 2nd year | ₹50,000/year | Up to ₹8 lakh family income |
| Saksham | Students with 40%+ disability | ₹50,000/year | Up to ₹8 lakh family income |
Both are limited in number each year (a few thousand scholarships nationwide per scheme), so apply as early in the cycle as possible rather than close to the deadline.
National Scholarship Portal (NSP)
scholarships.gov.in is the central government's umbrella portal for scholarships that aren't specific to Karnataka, including minority scholarships, the National Means-cum-Merit Scholarship, and the AICTE schemes above. Worth checking even if you're already applying through Karnataka's SSP, since eligibility for state and central schemes is assessed separately.
If you don't qualify for any of the above
Vidya Lakshmi is the government's unified portal for comparing education loans across multiple banks in one place, which is worth checking before approaching a single bank directly: you can compare interest rates and terms side by side.
Before you apply, anywhere
- Keep your caste/income certificates current: most of these schemes require documents issued within the current financial year.
- Apply as early as your admission is confirmed: reimbursement schemes are typically processed per academic year, and late applications can miss a cycle entirely.
- A scheme requiring payment to "process" your scholarship application is not a government scheme. All of the portals above are free to apply through.