The Vedicology Foundation Merit Scholarship
This is our flagship scholarship — for a girl in Tamil Nadu or Kerala who has earned strong marks despite everything life has put in her way. If that is you, here is exactly what it covers, what marks you need, and how it keeps going year after year.
Our programmes
Eight pathways for every need
The Vedicology Foundation Merit Scholarship helps you pay for college. We cover half to three-quarters of your tuition fees, your hostel fees too if you live away from home to study, and your examination fees. We pay it straight to your college, so the money never passes through your hands. It is renewed every semester and stays with you for your whole course, not just one year. And if a term goes badly once you are on it, your support is not cut off straight away: there is a grace period and a chance to recover. It is open to girls across Tamil Nadu and Kerala who have lost the support of a parent. What you need to apply is set out below, in plain numbers.
We support girls and women aged 18 and above. We do not fund minors.
What the Merit Scholarship covers
Tuition fees — 50% to 75%
We fund between half and three-quarters of your tuition. Our Scholarship Committee decides the exact share for you individually, after looking closely at your family’s real situation — because no two families are the same.
Hostel fees — 50% to 75%
If you need to live in a hostel to attend your course, we support the same share of your hostel fees, again set for your own circumstances.
Examination fees — 50% to 75%
We support the same share of your examination fees, again set for your own circumstances.
We fund part of your fees rather than all of them on purpose. A small contribution from you builds a sense of ownership and keeps you invested in your own journey. The one exception is a girl leaving a children’s home with no family at all — she has no one to share the cost, so her education is funded in full under a different programme. If that is your situation, see the note further down this page.
The Merit Scholarship pays fees. It does not include books or devices. If you study at a government institution, look at our Study Material & Device Support.
What marks do you need to apply?
| Your situation | Undergraduate | Postgraduate | Measured on |
|---|---|---|---|
| Full orphan — both parents have passed away | 75%+ | 75%+ | Class 12 (UG) · average across all graduation semesters (PG) |
| Every other situation we support | 85%+ | 80%+ | Class 12 (UG) · average across all graduation semesters (PG) |
We set a lower bar for full orphans because a 75% earned without either parent is a great achievement.
This 75% bar is for a full orphan who still has family around her — grandparents, an aunt or uncle, relatives who form a home. If you instead grew up in a children’s home with no family at all, rather than with grandparents or relatives, your support is not the Merit Scholarship; it is the Care Leaver Scholarship, with a gentler 60% bar and your whole education funded.
Read about the Care Leaver Scholarship.
The marks above are for the Merit Scholarship specifically. Every programme’s bar sits in one place if you want to compare. See the full marks table.
Who can apply
The Merit Scholarship is open to girls in any of the situations we support — a full orphan; a girl whose father has passed away; a girl whose father left, or is alive but unable to provide; a girl who has lost the support of both parents; or a girl whose mother cannot earn because of serious illness or disability. If you are not sure whether your situation fits, the simplest thing is to ask.
How long it lasts, and how it is renewed
The Merit Scholarship runs for the full length of your course — your whole degree, undergraduate or postgraduate. It is not a one-year grant; it is reviewed and renewed each semester, based on how you are doing.
The marks you need to continue are never higher than the marks you needed to apply — often they are lower — and they come with real protection if a term goes wrong.
| Your situation | Marks to continue, each semester |
|---|---|
| Full orphan | 70%+ |
| Every other situation we support | 80%+ |
Your first semester is a grace period.
We watch how you are doing but we do not pause your support, whatever your marks are. Settling into college — often far from home, often without a parent to turn to — is the hardest part, and we give you that time. The continuation marks begin from your second semester.
If a later semester slips, you get a recovery semester.
Your support continues for one more semester while you work your marks back up. If they recover, everything carries on as normal, with no penalty. If they do not, support pauses — and then resumes automatically the moment your marks meet the threshold again in any later semester. You never have to reapply.
If your college examines once a year, the same 70%/80% thresholds apply, checked once a year on your annual result instead of each semester. There is no recovery year: if an annual result falls below the line, support pauses for the next academic year and resumes automatically when your next annual result meets it.
If you are studying CA or CMA, these work on passing levels rather than percentages, so we follow your progress through the levels and your attempt history rather than a marks figure.
If illness or a family emergency causes a drop, you can ask for a one-semester exemption by sending a medical certificate or other documentation within 30 days of your results. Each student can use one such exemption over the life of the scholarship.
How the money reaches you
It does not reach you — it reaches your college. We pay your institution directly, so every rupee goes exactly where it is meant to: your fees. You never handle the money, and you are never asked to collect it and pass it on. This is how we work for every scholarship we run.
Already in college and at risk of dropping out over fees?
The Merit Scholarship is for applying as you start, or for a girl whose marks already meet the bar. If you are already enrolled and can no longer afford your fees, there is a different support built for exactly that — the Education Continuity Grant. It covers 50% to 75% of your tuition for one year, paid directly to your college. It lasts one year and cannot be renewed as a Grant — but if you reach the Merit Scholarship marks during your Grant year, you can convert to the renewable Merit Scholarship from the following year.
Read about the Education Continuity GrantFrequently asked questions
What does the Merit Scholarship actually pay for?+
Why only part of my fees and not all of them?+
What marks do I need to apply?+
What happens if my marks drop after I am selected?+
My marks are a little below the bar. Should I still apply?+
I am doing CA or CMA. How does continuation work for me?+
Does it cost anything to apply or to ask?+
Important
Vedicology Foundation never charges any application fee, processing fee, registration fee, or documentation fee. Applying is free, at every stage. If anyone asks you for money in our name, please report it to us.