The Ministry of Social Justice and Empowerment under the Government of India offers national level scholarships every year for persons with disabilities. The application for availing this benefit can be done online through the official site of NHFDC. Those with at least 40% disability as certified under the definitions of Persons with Disabilities Act of 1995 are considered for scholarship. About 500 scholarships are offered to the disabled candidates by the ministry annually. This is equally distributed among deserving males and females with both getting around 250 scholarships.

Eligibility Criteria

Candidates are supposed to satisfy the eligibility criteria for availing this scholarship. The different eligibility criteria notified by the government of India is as follows.

• The candidate must have at least 40% disability as certified under the definitions of Persons with Disabilities Act of 1995.
• The scholarship is offered to disable candidates for pursuing post secondary/ post matric technical education as well as professional courses including Master of Philosophy and Ph.D. For candidates with cerebral palsy, multiple disabilities and the sort an 8^th standard pass is adequate.
• The scholarship assistance is offered for a student to pursue one course only.
• Along with financial assistance for fees and other facilities, candidates pursuing professional courses with serious impairments will be granted the assistance for buying specialised computers as well.
• Renewal of the scholarship will be awarded in the coming years for those candidates who have passed their semester or yearly exams of their course with a minimum of 45% mark for professional courses and 40% for other courses.
• The scholarship is not intended for technical courses with duration of less than one year.
• The candidate is not eligible for multiple scholarships at a time. In case the candidate is awarded another scholarship, this should be informed to the authorities. The candidate will have to select among the scholarships that he/she wishes to continue.
• The monthly family income of the candidate should not exceed Rs 15000. This includes all the monetary sources of the family available. The family income is considered as the income of the parent or guardian of the candidate.

Benefits under National Scholarships for Persons with Disabilities

About 500 scholarships are offered to the disabled candidates by the ministry annually. This is equally distributed among deserving males and females with both getting around 250 scholarships. The amount of the scholarship depends on the course pursued and the residential facilities. The applications for the scholarship are to be sent to the address of NHFDC along with certificates proving the disability.