Four scholarship schemes help a Scheduled Caste student from coaching to a PhD abroad. One umbrella name covers all four: SHREYAS.
This lesson explains each part in turn. It shows who can apply, what each part pays for, and where to apply. It ends with the latest numbers.
- Full form: Scholarships for Higher Education for Young Achievers Scheme.
- Four parts: Free Coaching, Top Class Education, National Overseas Scholarship and National Fellowship.
- Who: mainly SC students. Only Free Coaching also covers OBC students.
- Income limit: most parts use a family income ceiling of ₹8 lakh a year.
- Latest total: about ₹3,509.39 crore spent and 1,18,248 students helped, 2014-15 to 2025-26.
Start With the Four Parts of SHREYAS
What is SHREYAS, and which four parts does it have?
SHREYAS stands for Scholarships for Higher Education for Young Achievers Scheme. The Department of Social Justice and Empowerment runs it.
It joins four separate sub-schemes under one name. They are Free Coaching, Top Class Education, the National Overseas Scholarship and the National Fellowship for SC students.
Together they fund a student’s whole path. That path runs from exam coaching to a fully funded PhD abroad.
Most parts use the same family income ceiling of ₹8 lakh a year. Small details differ from part to part.
Sources: Education Post: SHREYAS spending report (17 Sep 2026); Ministry of Social Justice: Guidelines for the Free Coaching Scheme for SCs, OBCs and others.
How does the Free Coaching part work?
Free Coaching pays for good coaching for SC and OBC students who prepare for competitive exams. It is the only part that covers OBC students too.
It offers 3,500 slots a year. The slots are split 70:30 between SC and OBC students. Thirty percent of the slots in each group are kept for women.
Coaching must be in person for at least 16 hours a week. Online-only classes do not count.
It covers UPSC and State PSC exams, SSC and RRB exams, banking, IIT-JEE, NEET, CAT, CLAT, NDA, CDS, and tests like GRE and TOEFL.
Each exam has a fee cap. For UPSC Civil Services, the cap is ₹75,000 for a course of up to 12 months. Chosen students also get a stipend of ₹4,000 a month, for up to 12 months. It is paid by Direct Benefit Transfer.
Family income must be ₹8 lakh a year or less.
Which institutions does Top Class Education cover?
Top Class Education covers the institutions that the Ministry of Social Justice has notified. The Ministry publishes the list.
Students helped so far study at IITs, NITs, IIITs, National Law Universities, the National Institute of Design and IIMs.
The scheme funds SC students who have already won a seat there. The study must be beyond Class 12.
The family income limit is ₹8 lakh a year, the same as in the other parts. Students should keep their income certificate ready before they apply.
The support is full. It pays tuition fees and non-refundable charges. It also meets living costs, books and a computer, and not just a fee refund.
Sources: Ministry of Social Justice: Guidelines for Top Class Education for SC students; Morung Express: How Top Class Education schemes shape future leaders.
Check 1
Only Free Coaching covers OBC students as well as SC students.
Check 2
Free Coaching can be fully online.
Go Abroad or Into Research
Who can get the National Overseas Scholarship?
The National Overseas Scholarship (NOS) helps SC students study for a Master’s or PhD at a top foreign university.
An applicant needs at least 60% marks in the last exam. The applicant must be 35 years old or less on 1 April of the selection year.
Applicants must have a family income of ₹8 lakh a year or less. The foreign university must be in the QS top 500.
The scheme has 125 slots a year. Of these, 115 are for SC students, 6 for Denotified and Nomadic Tribes, and 4 for landless labourers and traditional artisans.
Thirty percent of the slots are kept for women. The money goes through Indian Missions abroad. The student does not receive it directly in India.
The scheme pays the tuition fee, a maintenance allowance and air fare.
Sources: Ministry of Social Justice: Guidelines for the National Overseas Scholarship (2026-27); Ministry of Social Justice: National Overseas Scholarship guidelines (2024-25).
What does the National Fellowship give?
The National Fellowship funds SC students who do an M.Phil or PhD at an Indian university recognised by the UGC.
An applicant must first clear UGC-NET JRF. Science students may clear the joint UGC-CSIR test instead.
The scheme has 2,000 new fellowships each year. Of these, 1,500 are for Humanities and Social Sciences and 500 are for Sciences.
NSFDC has implemented this fellowship since 1 October 2022. The Ministry formulates and funds it. Fellows get the same monthly rate as other JRF holders.
Sources: Ministry of Social Justice: Guidelines for the National Fellowship for SC students; Ministry of Social Justice: National Fellowship notice and guidelines.
Where do students apply for each part?
There is no single portal. SHREYAS is an umbrella name, and each part has its own channel.
Free Coaching uses coaching.dosje.gov.in. The Overseas Scholarship uses nosmsje.gov.in.
The National Fellowship is handled by NSFDC, which has its own pages for it. Top Class Education goes through the National Scholarship Portal.
Many exam sites wrongly say there is one SHREYAS portal. Do not repeat that mistake.
Check 3
The Overseas Scholarship requires a university in the QS top 500.
Check 4
The UGC runs the National Fellowship.
Avoid the Look-Alike Traps
Why do two different schemes share the name SHREYAS?
A different scheme also uses the name SHREYAS. Its full name is Scheme for Higher Education Youth in Apprenticeship and Skills.
It is an apprenticeship programme of the Ministry of Education. It gives graduates on-the-job training and a stipend.
That scheme has nothing to do with the scholarship scheme in this lesson.
A third scheme, SHREYAS (OBC and Others), also exists. It has a National Fellowship for OBC students and an interest subsidy on overseas education loans. Its income test uses the Creamy Layer rule.
Sources: Vikaspedia: Scheme for Higher Education Youth in Apprenticeship and Skills.
How is SHREYAS different from Post-Matric and PM-YASASVI?
The Post-Matric Scholarship is wider and based on need. It covers ordinary colleges. Top Class Education is narrower and covers only notified top institutions, with fuller support.
PM-YASASVI is a separate scheme for OBC, EBC and Denotified Tribe students. It has its own income test and its own rules.
PM-YASASVI took in the older Pre-Matric, Post-Matric and Top Class school and college schemes. It did this only for OBC, EBC and Denotified Tribe students, and not for SC students.
So do not assume that SC and OBC coverage is the same in every part. Only Free Coaching serves both groups.
Check 5
The apprenticeship SHREYAS is the same scheme as the SC scholarship SHREYAS.
Check 6
PM-YASASVI is not a scholarship scheme for SC students.
See What SHREYAS Has Delivered So Far
How much has SHREYAS spent, and how many students has it helped?
In September 2026, Union Minister Dr Virendra Kumar gave the latest totals. SHREYAS has spent about ₹3,509.39 crore from 2014-15 to 2025-26.
In that time it helped 1,18,248 students across its four parts.
Free Coaching spent about ₹145.10 crore and reached 23,208 students. In 2025-26 it spent ₹9.87 crore on 854 students.
Top Class Education spent about ₹703.44 crore and reached 35,237 students. In 2025-26 it spent ₹117.19 crore on 4,742 students, which was its highest year.
The Overseas Scholarship spent about ₹461.57 crore and sent 764 students abroad. Yearly slots used rose from 20 in 2014-15 to a peak of 114 in 2023-24. They fell to 67 in 2025-26, well under the 125-slot ceiling.
In 2024-25, Free Coaching spent ₹17.68 crore on 2,136 students. The Overseas Scholarship sent 80 students abroad that year. Its 2025-26 spending was ₹54.89 crore.
Check 7
Top Class Education had more beneficiaries than Free Coaching.
Exam Traps
SHREYAS = Scholarships for Higher Education for Young Achievers Scheme. Four parts, one name.
Only Free Coaching covers OBC students. Its slots are 3,500 a year, split 70:30.
NOS: at least 60% marks, 35 or younger, QS top 500, 125 slots a year.
Fellowship: 2,000 a year (1,500 Humanities and Social Sciences, 500 Sciences) via UGC-NET JRF.
The apprenticeship SHREYAS is a different scheme from the SC scholarship.
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