Four separate scholarship schemes fund a Scheduled Caste student’s education, from coaching to a PhD abroad. One umbrella name covers all four: SHREYAS.
MCQ Questions✊ Must Know
1. What SHREYAS Is, and Its Four Components
- Full FormSHREYAS stands for Scholarships for Higher Education for Young Achievers Scheme.
- MinistryIt is run by the Department of Social Justice and Empowerment, Ministry of Social Justice and Empowerment.
- Who It’s ForSHREYAS mainly supports Scheduled Caste students. Its Free Coaching component also covers OBC students.
- Four ComponentsSHREYAS brings together four separate sub-schemes: Free Coaching, Top Class Education, National Overseas Scholarship, and National Fellowship for SC Students.
- Coverage SpanTogether, these four components fund a student’s journey from competitive-exam coaching through a fully-funded PhD abroad.
- Income CeilingMost components use a family-income ceiling of ₹8 lakh a year, though eligibility details vary slightly by component.
2. Free Coaching: Eligibility and Coverage
- PurposeThe Free Coaching Scheme funds quality coaching for SC and OBC students preparing for competitive exams.
- SlotsIt offers 3,500 slots a year, split 70:30 between SC and OBC students. 30% of slots are reserved for women.
- Minimum HoursCoaching must run at least 16 hours a week, and is mandatory in-person, not purely online.
- Exams CoveredIt covers UPSC and State PSC exams, SSC and RRB exams, banking and PSU exams, IIT-JEE, NEET, CAT, CLAT, NDA, CDS, and tests like GRE and TOEFL.
- Fee ExampleUPSC Civil Services coaching is capped at ₹1,20,000, for a minimum 9-month course covering 4 prelim and 5 mains subjects.
- StipendSelected students also get a monthly stipend: ₹3,000 for local students, ₹6,000 for outstation students, paid via Direct Benefit Transfer.
- PortalApplications go through coaching.dosje.gov.in, a dedicated portal separate from the other three components.
3. Top Class Education: Premier Institutions
- PurposeTop Class Education funds meritorious SC students studying at premier Indian institutions, beyond Class 12.
- Which InstitutionsIt covers about 266 listed premier institutions: IITs, IIMs, NITs, AIIMS, and NIRF top-100-ranked colleges.
- Income CeilingFamily income must be under ₹8 lakh a year.
- What It CoversSupport includes full tuition fees, an academic allowance, and living expenses, not just a fee reimbursement.
- Why This MattersThis is deliberately narrower than a general scholarship. It targets students who have already secured admission to India’s most selective institutions.
📘 Good to Know
4. National Overseas Scholarship
- PurposeThe National Overseas Scholarship (NOS) funds SC students pursuing a Master’s or PhD at a top foreign university.
- EligibilityApplicants need at least 60% marks, must be under 35, and family income must be below ₹8 lakh a year.
- University BarThe foreign university must rank within the QS World University Rankings’ top 500.
- SlotsNOS offers 125 slots a year: 115 for SC students, 6 for Denotified/Nomadic/Semi-Nomadic Tribes, and 4 for landless agricultural labourers and traditional artisans.
- Women’s Quota30% of NOS slots are earmarked for women.
- How Funds FlowNOS funds are routed through Indian Missions abroad, not paid directly to the student in India.
- PortalNOS has its own dedicated portal: nosmsje.gov.in.
5. National Fellowship for SC Students
- PurposeThis fellowship funds SC students pursuing M.Phil or PhD research, at any UGC-recognised Indian university.
- Qualifying TestApplicants must qualify UGC-NET JRF, for Humanities and Social Sciences, or the joint UGC-CSIR NET-JRF, for Sciences.
- SlotsIt offers 2,000 new fellowships a year: 1,500 for Humanities and Social Sciences, 500 for Sciences.
- Nodal AgencyThe University Grants Commission (UGC) administers this fellowship, on top of the normal reservation-based UGC fellowships.
- Stipend RateRecipients get the same monthly rate as regular UGC-NET JRF holders, disbursed through a dedicated portal.
6. How to Apply: No Single Portal
- Not One PortalSHREYAS is an umbrella brand, not a single application system. Each of its four components has its own application channel.
- Free CoachingApplies through coaching.dosje.gov.in.
- National Overseas ScholarshipApplies through nosmsje.gov.in.
- National FellowshipApplies through UGC’s own dedicated disbursement portal, not a Ministry of Social Justice site.
- Top Class EducationRoutes through the National Scholarship Portal (NSP), the same shared portal many other Ministry of Social Justice scholarships use.
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🌟 Great to Know
7. Two Unrelated Schemes Share the Name SHREYAS
- The TrapA completely different scheme also uses the name SHREYAS. Many exam-prep sites confuse the two.
- The Other SHREYAS“Scheme for Higher Education Youth in Apprenticeship and Skills” is an apprenticeship programme. It was launched on 27 February 2019.
- Different MinistriesThat apprenticeship scheme comes from the Ministry of Education, jointly with the Ministries of Skill Development and Labour. It has nothing to do with SC scholarships.
- Don’t Cite That DateThe 27 February 2019 launch date belongs to the apprenticeship scheme, not the scholarship scheme this article covers.
- A Third Variant TooA separate “SHREYAS (OBC and Others)” scheme also exists, covering just a National Fellowship for OBC students and an interest subsidy on overseas education loans. It uses a different income ceiling: Creamy Layer criteria for OBC, ₹5 lakh a year for EBC applicants.
8. SHREYAS vs Post-Matric Scholarship vs PM-YASASVI
- Vs Post-MatricThe Post-Matric Scholarship is broader and need-based, covering ordinary colleges. SHREYAS’s Top Class Education is narrower, restricted to about 266 premier institutions, with fuller financial support.
- Vs PM-YASASVIPM-YASASVI is a separate scheme, for OBC, EBC, and Denotified/Nomadic Tribe students. Its income ceiling is much lower, at ₹2.5 lakh a year.
- PM-YASASVI’s ScopePM-YASASVI absorbed the older Pre-Matric, Post-Matric, and Top-Class-School/College schemes, but only for OBC, EBC, and DNT students, not for SC students.
- The Real DistinctionSHREYAS’s four components are SC-focused, except Free Coaching, which also covers OBC. Don’t assume “SC and OBC” scholarship coverage is identical across every component.
📰 Current Affairs
9. Cumulative Progress: Rs 3,509.39 Crore, 1.18 Lakh Beneficiaries
- 15 Sep 2026Union Minister Dr Virendra Kumar reported cumulative SHREYAS spending of about ₹3,509.39 crore across its four components, from 2014-15 to 2025-26, benefiting 1,18,248 students. (Source: PIB)
- Free CoachingFree Coaching alone spent about ₹145.10 crore over that period, reaching 23,208 beneficiaries. In 2025-26, it spent ₹9.87 crore, covering 854 beneficiaries. (Source: PIB)
- Top Class EducationTop Class Education spent about ₹703.44 crore over the same period, reaching 35,237 beneficiaries. 2025-26 was its highest year yet: ₹117.19 crore, covering 4,742 beneficiaries. (Source: PIB)
- National Overseas ScholarshipNOS spent about ₹461.57 crore over the period, sending 764 students abroad. Yearly slots used rose from 20 in 2014-15 to a peak of 114 in 2023-24, then eased to 67 in 2025-26, well under its 125-slot annual ceiling. (Source: PIB)
- BudgetThe SHREYAS-for-SCs allocation for 2025-26 was ₹472.00 crore, per the Union Budget’s Notes on Demands for Grants.
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D4524 — As reported by the Ministry of Social Justice and Empowerment in September 2026, what was SHREYAS's cumulative expenditure across its four components, from 2014-15 to 2025-26?D4523 — Under SHREYAS's Free Coaching Scheme, what is the minimum required weekly coaching duration?D4522 — SHREYAS's National Overseas Scholarship offers 125 slots a year. How are these slots split by category?D4521 — Which of SHREYAS's four components funds a Scheduled Caste student's Master's or PhD study at a foreign university ranked in the QS World University Rankings' top 500?🎲 Take a Indian Governance Quiz
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