रिलायंस फाउंडेशन स्नातकोत्तर छात्रवृत्ति 2026-27: ₹6 लाख तक, आवेदन 5 अक्टूबर तक

Reliance Foundation runs a postgraduate scholarship alongside its much larger undergraduate one, and the two are easy to confuse. They are not the same scholarship. This one selects up to 100 students, where the undergraduate programme takes up to 5,000, and it pays up to ₹6 lakh where the undergraduate one pays up to ₹2 lakh. If you are in a UG degree, the undergraduate page is the one you want.

The 2026-27 applications are open.

The two rules that decide most applications

First, the year. You have to be in the first year of your postgraduate degree. The Foundation's own answer is blunt: students have to be in their first year of their degree to apply for the scholarship. Second year and above is not eligible, and there is no second chance later in the programme.

Second, the subject. This is not an all-streams scholarship. Eligible degrees sit inside select future-ready courses in Engineering, Technology, Energy and Life Sciences — the Foundation names Computer Sciences, Artificial Intelligence, Mathematics and Computing, Electrical and Electronics Engineering, Mechanical Engineering, Chemical Engineering, Renewable and New Energy, Material Science and Engineering, and Life Sciences. An MA, MCom or MSc outside those areas does not qualify.

If your programme is not on the published list but you believe it falls under one of those subject areas, the Foundation asks you to email RF.PGScholarships@reliancefoundation.org with your course details and it will confirm whether you are eligible. There is also an eligibility questionnaire on the scholarship website, and you must pass it to be able to apply — the Foundation states there are no exceptions to passing it.

Who can apply

- Resident Indian citizen
- Currently enrolled in a regular, full-time postgraduate degree in India, in one of the eligible subject areas above
- Either a GATE 2026 score between 550 and 1,000, or an undergraduate CGPA of 7.5 or above
- In the first year of the degree

If your undergraduate institution awarded percentages instead of CGPA, the Foundation's conversion is CGPA = percentage ÷ 9.5. Applicants who never sat GATE are explicitly welcome — the FAQ says their application will be evaluated on undergraduate academic performance in place of the GATE score.

Students from all institutes in India are eligible, subject to the criteria. There is no shortlist of approved colleges.

There is no income limit

Worth saying on its own line, because almost nothing else in this catalogue works this way. The Foundation states there is no family income barrier for the scholarship and that all students who meet the eligibility criteria are encouraged to apply. If you have been ruled out of scheme after scheme by a ₹2.5 lakh or ₹8 lakh ceiling, that is not a factor here.

Who is not eligible

- Students pursuing integrated MTech and PhD programmes
- Online, distance learning or part-time postgraduate degrees
- Students in the second year or above
- Students pursuing a postgraduate degree outside India
- OCI and Non-resident Indian (NRI) students, even if enrolled in an eligible programme with eligible scores — the programme is open only to Indian citizens currently residing in India
- Anyone applying more than once; you cannot apply for the scholarship twice

If you previously held a Reliance Foundation Undergraduate Scholarship, you can apply for this one. That is stated explicitly.

What you get

The total amount available over the duration of the degree programme is up to ₹6 lakh. It is not handed over at once:

- 80% is granted in advance at the start of each academic year, for tuition and direct academic expenses
- 20% is granted on request, to support professional development — indirect academic and personal development expenses, including conference-related costs

Scholars also get expert interactions, industry exposure and volunteering engagements.

You may hold other awards alongside it. The programme policy permits academic stipends from other sources, such as a GATE scholarship, up to a maximum of ₹15,000 per month during the scholarship period. You will be asked to submit an institute-authorised written confirmation of every scholarship you are receiving.

The application is long — plan for it

The form typically takes two to three hours to complete, and it needs more than your own time:

- Two reference letters. The Foundation recommends giving your referees at least two weeks. Referees have until 11:59pm IST on Monday 12 October 2026 — one week after your own deadline — to submit online
- Two short essays
- A compulsory aptitude test. Your application is only complete once you have submitted the form AND completed the aptitude test in the date and time slot assigned by the system

You can save your progress and return later, so it does not have to be done in one sitting. Use a personal email ID rather than your institute address — the Foundation warns that institute firewalls can block the authentication and application emails.

The dates to write down

- Application deadline — 11:59pm IST on Monday 5 October 2026. Asked directly whether extensions are possible, the Foundation's answer is that it will not grant any exceptions to the scholarship application deadline
- Reference letters — 11:59pm IST on Monday 12 October 2026

Two reference letters at two weeks' notice means the practical date to start is mid-September, not the first week of October.

How to apply

Start at scholarships.reliancefoundation.org and complete the registration form. Once you submit it you will receive an email with a link to the application portal, and you log in with your registered mobile number and a one-time password. If the invitation email does not arrive, check your spam folder and then try again with a different email ID before contacting the programme.

There is no fee to apply, and nobody needs to be paid to fill this form for you.

Dates checked on 16 August 2026. Deadlines in India move without notice, so confirm on the official portal linked above before you apply.