The Ministry of Overseas Indian Affairs, Government of India introduced a Scholarship Program for Diaspora Children (SDPC) in 2006 to assist Persons of Indian Origin (PIOs) and Non-Resident Indians (NRIs) in pursuing Under Graduate courses in Higher and Technical fields in India. Under this Program, 67 PIO/NRI students were granted scholarship during the academic year 2006-07 while 81 students were granted scholarship in the next academic year.

The following are the highlights of the SPDC-2008:

1. 100 scholarships are being offered for Undergraduate courses in disciples including Engineering/Architecture/Technology, Humanities/Liberal Arts, Commerce, Management – BBA/BBM, Journalism, Hotel Management, Agriculture/Animal Husbandry, Sciences, Law etc.

2. The program is open only to PIOs/NRIs from the specified 40 countries (including USA) having a larger concentration of Indian Diaspora.
3. 50% of the scholarships would be reserved for PIOs. However, in the event of non-availability of suitable PIO candidates, the unfilled slots could be assigned to NRI candidates.

4.NRI candidates would be eligible for the grant of scholarship only if their total family income does not exceed an amount equivalent to US $ one thousand and five hundred (US $ 1,500).

5.Children of NRIs should have pursued at least three years of education, inclusive of 11th and 12th or equivalent (not beyond), in a foreign country during the last six years, and have passed the qualifying examination abroad.

6.The last date for receipt of duly filled in prescribed application form by Ed.CIL is 4th April 2008.

7.Candidates would be selected on the basis of a common entrance test to be conducted by Ed.CIL on 18th May 2008 at your Mission/Post. Exact timings would be intimated by Ed.CIL. The candidates d would also have to fulfill the entire criterion prescribed for the purpose.

8.The amount of scholarship admissible would be 75% of Institutional Economic Cost (IEC) or US $ 3,600, whichever is less. IEC includes tuition fee, hostel fee and other institutional charges.