One-time grant for college fees: a one-year bridge to stay enrolled

You have already done the hard part — you got into college, and you started. Now the fees have become more than your family can afford, and continuing feels out of reach. Before leaving feels like the only option, this is worth reading. This grant exists for exactly this moment — to keep a girl in Tamil Nadu or Kerala enrolled, steady her for one year, and give her a real chance to keep going.

Who this one-time grant for college fees is for

To qualify for the Education Continuity Grant, a girl should:

• ●Be 18 or older, in Tamil Nadu or Kerala.
• ●Be currently enrolled in her undergraduate or postgraduate course.
• ●Be at real risk of leaving because of fees.
• ●Have 75% or above in Class 12 if applying for an undergraduate course, or 70% or above in graduation if applying for a postgraduate course.
• ●Not already hold a full government scholarship that covers her tuition.

This grant is for fees that have become unaffordable for any reason other than the death or critical illness of an earning parent — that situation is covered by Emergency Assistance instead. Either way, it is built to catch a girl before she falls out of the system.

What it covers, and why one year is honest, not open-ended

For one full academic year, the Education Continuity Grant covers:

• ●50% to 75% of the tuition fee — the Scholarship Committee decides the exact percentage for each student.
• ●Examination fees and hostel fees are not covered.

Payments go directly to the college or university, never as cash to the student or her family. This is one-time support for one year, not renewable as a Grant, and it's stated plainly on purpose. A clear promise is kinder than a vague one. It is designed to give real breathing room for one hard year, not to stretch into an open-ended commitment nobody can actually guarantee.

The pathway to a renewable scholarship

One year does not have to be the end of the story:

1. 1This year, the Grant covers 50% to 75% of tuition, so the immediate pressure is off.
2. 2The student aims for the Merit Scholarship marks threshold during the year — 75% for full orphans; 85% (UG) or 80% (PG) for all other categories.
3. 3If she reaches it, she can convert to the renewable Merit Scholarship from the very next year — renewable support that continues as long as she meets the semester renewal marks.

If the threshold isn't reached, the Grant concludes after its one year, as promised — it is not renewed as a Grant. Either way, staying in touch matters — reaching this far already says something real.

Which one fits: this Grant or Emergency Assistance?

• ●Your earning parent has died or been diagnosed with a critical illness in the last 180 days, and you have 70% (UG) or 60% (PG) → apply for Emergency Assistance.
• ●Fees have become unaffordable for another reason and you have 75% (UG) or 70% (PG) → apply for the Education Continuity Grant.

Either way, reaching the Merit Scholarship marks lets you convert to the Merit Scholarship. Emergency Assistance is a one-time payment, given once per student.

How this differs from a private scholarship for UG students

A private scholarship for UG students usually starts at the beginning of a course, or the beginning of a year — it's something you apply for before things go wrong. This grant is different. It's built for a student already mid-course, already enrolled, whose fees have become impossible partway through. It doesn't ask you to start over. It's a bridge for exactly where you already are.

Distance education fee support India: are distance learners included?

Yes. Vedicology Foundation supports students at UGC-recognised distance-education institutions. This grant applies to them the same way it does to full-time students. Distance learners often face the same fee pressure. Just with less visibility than full-time students get.

Frequently asked questions