AICTE Yashasvi and Saraswati scholarships 2026-27 open: up to ₹50,000 a year for core engineering, ₹25,000 for girls in BBA, BCA and BMS

The All India Council for Technical Education (AICTE) has opened the 2026-27 portals for two of its own scholarships: Yashasvi, for students in core engineering branches, and Saraswati (spelt Sarswati on AICTE's portal), for girls in BBA, BCA and BMS. The Yashasvi notification and the Saraswati notification, both issued on 21 October 2026, say the portals opened on 15 October 2026 for fresh applicants admitted in 2026-27 and for renewal students in their second and third year. Both are separate from the National Scholarship Portal.

The timeline (same for both)

Step	Date
Portal open for students, fresh and renewal	15 October 2026
Last date for the institute to verify (level 1)	31 January 2027
Last date for the State Nodal Officer to verify (level 2)	15 February 2027
Portal reopens for students to fix discrepancies, followed by both checks	Until 28 February 2027
Portal closes	28 February 2027

AICTE has not printed a separate last date for students. Your college has to verify your form by 31 January, so apply well before that.

Yashasvi: core engineering, degree and diploma

• Who: first-year degree or diploma students in an AICTE-approved institution, or second-year lateral entry students, in Civil, Chemical, Electrical, Electronics and Communication, Mechanical or Agriculture Engineering, or Textile Technology. Family income must be ₹8 lakh a year or less.
• Amount: ₹50,000 a year for degree students, for up to four years (three for lateral entry), and ₹30,000 a year for diploma students, for up to three years (two for lateral entry). Paid by DBT.
• How many: 5,200 a year, 2,593 for degree and 2,607 for diploma, split by state. Gujarat's share in the scheme guidelines is 149 degree and 139 diploma awards.
• Merit: Class 12 marks for degree students, Class 10 marks for diploma students, and the six-semester diploma average for lateral entry. Ties are broken on Class 10 marks for degree students, and then in favour of the older candidate.
• Switching to a non-core branch later means refunding the whole amount.

Saraswati: girls in BBA, BCA and BMS

• Who: girls admitted to the first year of BBA, BCA or BMS in an AICTE-approved institution, at most two girls per family, with family income of ₹8 lakh a year or less.
• Amount: ₹25,000 a year for up to three years, for college fees, a computer, books and similar costs. No bills are needed.
• How many: 3,110 a year. Gujarat's share in the scheme guidelines is 183: 71 for BBA and BMS, and 112 for BCA.
• Merit: Class 12 marks, with ties broken on Class 10 marks and then age. Aadhaar is compulsory.

Rules that trip students up

• The gap between passing the qualifying exam and joining the course must be no more than two years.
• You cannot hold another scholarship, stipend or salary at the same time. If you do, AICTE stops the award and asks for the whole amount back.
• Failing to be promoted to the next year ends the scholarship. Renewal needs a promotion certificate on college letterhead, signed by the head of the institution.
• Grade-based mark sheets are converted at CGPA x 9.5.
• After the merit list is published, you have one month to raise a query about it.

Register on yashasvi.aicte.gov.in or sarswati.aicte.gov.in, then confirm the email link (check spam). The state numbers above are from the guidelines AICTE links on those portals, and could be revised for 2026-27. Central scholarships on the National Scholarship Portal, most of which close for students on 31 October 2026, are in our NSP 2026-27 guide.

CareerBox News Desk, reporting on the All India Council for Technical Education: its notifications for the AICTE Yashasvi and Sarswati scholarship schemes for 2026-27, and the scheme guidelines linked from the two portals. Official portal: aicte.gov.in. Dates and eligibility change; confirm them on the official portal before you act.