Scheme terms and application windows change every year. Always confirm on the official portal before applying. Every entry on this page carries the date we last checked it.
What the status labels mean
Active
Listed as open on the official portal, with dates published for this academic year.
Not yet opened
On the portal's list for this year, but not yet accepting applications. This is the portal's own wording.
Not currently listed
We looked at the official list and it is not there. That is an observation, not a policy statement — it may return.
Discontinued
A government or institutional source says in words we can quote that it has ended.
We could not confirm
We could not confirm this from an official source. We are telling you rather than guessing.
Ministry of Minority Affairs schemes
These are the schemes community groups circulate every year. Read the status on each one before you plan around it.
Not currently listedVerified 2026-08-15
Pre-Matric Scholarship for Minorities
Ministry of Minority Affairs
Scholarship for minority students in school. Narrowed to Classes IX–X in 2022-23.
Who can apply
Open to the six notified minority communities, which includes Jains.
Not listed on the National Scholarship Portal for AY 2026-27 — not as open, not as closed, not even as "not yet opened". We checked the live scheme list on 15 August 2026. Almost every community website still says "Classes 1 to 10"; that has been wrong since 2022-23, because the Right to Education Act already covers Classes I–VIII.
Scholarship for minority students from Class XI to Ph.D., covering tuition and a maintenance allowance.
Who can apply
Open to the six notified minority communities, which includes Jains.
Not listed on the National Scholarship Portal for AY 2026-27, checked 15 August 2026. The eligibility above is from the official scheme guidelines and is shown so you know what the scheme was — not as an invitation to apply today.
Eligibility
Class XI to Ph.D., with at least 50% in the previous final examination
Family income from all sources not above ₹2,00,000 a year
Maximum two students per family across all Ministry of Minority Affairs schemes
Courses under one year and certificate courses are not covered
Merit-cum-Means Scholarship for Professional and Technical Courses
Ministry of Minority Affairs
Scholarship for minority students in professional and technical courses. Narrowed in 2022-23 to a defined list of top institutions.
Who can apply
Open to the six notified minority communities, which includes Jains.
Not listed on the National Scholarship Portal for AY 2026-27, checked 15 August 2026. It was also already absent from the Ministry's own December 2024 listing of available minority scholarships, which named only Pre-Matric and Post-Matric.
Research fellowship for M.Phil and Ph.D. students from minority communities.
Who can apply
Open to the six notified minority communities, which includes Jains.
Discontinued from 2022-23. The Government said so in as many words in a Lok Sabha reply: "it has been decided to discontinue the MANF Scheme from 2022-23 onward." Existing fellows continue to the end of their tenure. If you are a research student, UGC-NET JRF and CSIR-UGC NET JRF are the routes that replaced it, and both are open to every community.
Interest subsidy on education loans for minority students studying abroad.
Who can apply
Open to the six notified minority communities, which includes Jains.
Discontinued from 2022-23, with no plan to revive it. The Government's stated reasons were that the subsidy benefit was limited, that it overlapped with schemes run by other ministries, and that NMDFC already lends for overseas study at low interest to minority students. Banks were notified through the Indian Banks' Association. Students who were already beneficiaries on 31 March 2022 continue through their moratorium.
Begum Hazrat Mahal National Scholarship for Minority Girls
Maulana Azad Education Foundation (MAEF)
Scholarship for meritorious girls from minority communities, Classes IX–XII.
Who can apply
Was open to girls from the six notified minority communities, which includes Jains.
We could not confirm whether this is running. The Maulana Azad Education Foundation website loads, but its "What's New" section says there is no content available, its schemes page returns nothing, and the page itself is stamped "last updated 12-06-2024". That is strong circumstantial evidence, not an official statement of closure — so we are telling you plainly that we do not know. Do not pay anyone who offers to apply on your behalf.
None of these are minority-targeted, and that is exactly why they matter: a Jain student qualifies on the same footing as anyone else, and unlike the schemes above they are demonstrably running. Dates are the ones published on the portal when we checked — not predictions.
ActiveVerified 2026-08-15
National Means-cum-Merit Scholarship (NMMSS)
Department of School Education & Literacy
For a Class VIII student in a government, government-aided or local body school. Selected by a state examination.
Who can apply
Not a minority scheme. A Jain student applies on the same footing as anyone else.
The private-school exclusion rules out many Jain families. Read it before you spend time on the application.
Eligibility
Family income not above ₹3,50,000 a year
At least 55% in Class VII to sit the selection test, held every November
NOT eligible: students in Kendriya Vidyalayas, Jawahar Navodaya Vidyalayas, private schools, or residential schools run by the Centre or a State
What it pays
₹12,000 a year (₹1,000 a month) from Class IX through Class XII — up to four years. 1,00,000 fresh scholarships every year.
When to apply
The AY 2026-27 dates published on NSP: opened 01-06-2026, student applications until 31-08-2026.
PM-USP Central Sector Scheme of Scholarship (CSSS)
Department of Higher Education
Merit scholarship for college and university students, awarded on Class XII board results.
Who can apply
Not a minority scheme. A Jain student applies on the same footing as anyone else.
Eligibility
Above the 80th percentile of successful candidates in your stream in your Class XII board
Family income up to ₹4,50,000 a year
A regular degree course — not correspondence, not distance, not a diploma
Not receiving any other merit scholarship, state scholarship, fee waiver or reimbursement
What it pays
₹12,000 a year for the first three years of graduation and ₹20,000 a year at post-graduate level. 50% of awards are earmarked for girls.
When to apply
On NSP for AY 2026-27 as renewal, open 01-06-2026 with renewals until 30-09-2026. The fresh-application window for this year was not published when we checked — watch the portal.
For a girl entering the first year of a technical degree or diploma at an AICTE-approved institution.
Who can apply
Not a minority scheme. A Jain student applies on the same footing as anyone else.
Eligibility
Family income from all sources not more than ₹8,00,000 a year
Maximum two girl children per family
Selected purely on Class XII percentage; the gap between the qualifying exam and admission must be two years or less
What it pays
₹50,000 a year for up to four years (three for lateral entry). 5,000 scholarships a year at degree level. Taking any other scholarship means refunding the full amount to AICTE.
When to apply
The AY 2026-27 dates published on NSP: opened 01-06-2026, applications until 31-10-2026.
AICTE Saksham — Scholarship for Specially-Abled Students
All India Council for Technical Education
For a student with a disability of 40% or more entering a technical degree or diploma.
Who can apply
Not a minority scheme. A Jain student applies on the same footing as anyone else.
Eligibility
Disability of not less than 40%
Family income not more than ₹8,00,000 a year
What it pays
₹50,000 a year for up to four years. Unlike Pragati there is no cap and no state quota — the guidelines say every eligible specially-abled student will get the scholarship.
When to apply
The AY 2026-27 dates published on NSP: opened 01-06-2026, applications until 31-10-2026.
For technical students who are orphans, or whose parent died of Covid-19, or who are wards of armed forces or central paramilitary personnel killed or disabled in action.
Who can apply
Not a minority scheme. A Jain student applies on the same footing as anyone else.
When to apply
The AY 2026-27 dates published on NSP: opened 01-06-2026, applications until 31-10-2026.
Pre-Matric, Post-Matric and Top Class Scholarships for Students with Disabilities
Department of Empowerment of Persons with Disabilities
School and college scholarships for students with disabilities, at every level.
Who can apply
Not a minority scheme. A Jain student applies on the same footing as anyone else.
When to apply
The AY 2026-27 dates published on NSP: pre-matric and post-matric opened 25-07-2026; top class opened 01-06-2026. Closing 31-08-2026 and 31-10-2026 respectively.
Not a minority scheme. A Jain student applies on the same footing as anyone else.
The National Scholarship Portal shows this as "NOT YET OPENED" for AY 2026-27. It is on the list, so it exists for this year — it has simply not opened. Check the portal rather than waiting to be told.
PM YASASVI — Top Class Education (School and College)
Department of Social Justice & Empowerment (Backward Classes)
Scholarship for OBC, EBC and DNT students.
Who can apply
OBC, EBC and DNT students only. Minority status does not qualify you.
Listed here only because aggregator sites routinely file it under schemes for Jain students. Being a notified minority gives you no eligibility for this. A Jain student qualifies only if they independently hold OBC, EBC or DNT status.
National Minorities Development & Finance Corporation
Low-interest education loans for minority students, including for study abroad. This is the route the Government itself pointed to when it discontinued Padho Pardes.
Who can apply
Open to the six notified minority communities, which includes Jains.
The corporation is real and its website is live, but we could not read the loan amount, the interest rate or the income ceiling from an official page — so we are not printing figures that circulate on other sites. NMDFC lends through State Channelising Agencies, so the practical first step is your state's minority finance corporation.
We do not print future deadlines as promises. Scheme windows get extended, moved and occasionally missed. Every date on this page is what the official portal showed on the date beside it, and the portal is the thing to check.
