NIFT Hyderabad Scholarships: start with SARTHAK
For a regular NIFT Hyderabad undergraduate or postgraduate student, SARTHAK is the institute’s main income-based tuition assistance scheme. The published policy sets different tuition percentages for UG and PG students, excludes NRI and NRI-sponsored admissions, and makes awards subject to application checks and campus approval. It is financial assistance, not an automatic fee waiver or a confirmed award for every eligible applicant. (SARTHAK policy, NIFT Financial Aid)
The policy document is effective from 2023-24 and remains linked on NIFT’s current financial-aid page. Its income bands are useful for planning, but check for a revised policy and the next Hyderabad campus application notice before relying on them for a 2027-28 application. (NIFT Financial Aid)
SARTHAK tuition assistance by annual household income
The policy uses annual household income and limits SARTHAK support to a percentage of tuition fee. It does not say that the same percentage covers hostel, food, travel, materials or every other cost of attendance.
The difference matters when comparing programmes: at household income up to ₹2L, the policy’s top UG band is 100% of tuition, while its PG band is 75%. These are policy percentages, not guaranteed rupee amounts. Calculate a possible tuition reduction only after confirming the applicable fee schedule, income category, current policy and approved assistance. NIFT’s scheme page says the campus decides awards and that assistance is not an entitlement. (SARTHAK policy, NIFT Financial Aid)
Eligibility depends on programme status and prior results
SARTHAK covers regular undergraduate and postgraduate students who meet the prescribed income and other conditions. NRI and NRI-sponsored students are excluded. The policy allows eligible first-year students to apply regardless of entrance rank or marks. For continuation, students in the second, third or fourth UG year and second PG year must have a minimum average 6.00 SGPA across the last two consecutive semesters, with no carry-forward. The policy also lists previous failure, unpaid dues, disciplinary violations and receipt of other education assistance as restrictions. Some exceptional or medically approved carry-forward cases may be considered under the policy’s process; confirm the decision with the campus. (SARTHAK policy)
The application is not just an income-category selection. NIFT says the CMS form draws parental-income information from the student profile, requires supporting documents and an undertaking, and must be completed and successfully submitted for consideration. Original documents are checked physically. If family income changes during study, the policy directs the student to approach the campus CAC with evidence so the CMS profile can be corrected before applying. A campus committee scrutinises applications, and the policy does not promise an award. (SARTHAK policy)
Documents and application steps
For a future application, use the current scheme notice and its prescribed formats. The SARTHAK policy lists an income-and-asset certificate from an accepted public authority, income-tax returns for the previous three years, proof of residence, PAN details for the applicant and parents or guardian, Class X and XII school-leaving certificates, a current-semester tuition receipt if paid, a parent’s undertaking and certified bank statements covering the previous 12 months. The campus may request originals at verification, so keep the uploaded files and physical documents consistent. (SARTHAK policy)
The policy says the CMS application is accessible to students whose parental or total family income was declared at admission as up to ₹8L a year. Complete every mandatory field and document before final submission; the policy says an incomplete or unsuccessfully uploaded form is not considered and that a submitted form cannot be edited. If profile information is wrong or income has changed, contact the Hyderabad campus CAC or Student Development Activity Coordinator promptly rather than submitting a guessed value. Keep the scheme’s original-document verification and campus scrutiny in mind when planning time. (SARTHAK policy, NIFT Hyderabad campus)
The policy separately says reserved-category students should apply on the National Scholarship Portal or state scholarship portal and provide proof to the campus. It also says students receiving other education assistance or reimbursement are not eligible for SARTHAK and may have to return SARTHAK funds if another award is later received. Because the interaction depends on the award and the current rules, confirm with the campus before accepting or combining assistance. (SARTHAK policy)
Other support is not the same as a tuition scholarship
NIFT’s current Financial Aid page also lists UDAAN for approved overseas exchange or study-abroad programmes, a Student Laptop Assistance Scheme, National Scholarship Portal schemes and PM Vidyalaxmi education loans. These have separate policies, eligibility and application processes. In particular, PM Vidyalaxmi is described as an education-loan route, not a SARTHAK tuition grant; UDAAN is for approved international academic opportunities, not a general campus-fee discount. Check each programme’s current policy rather than adding these amounts to a SARTHAK estimate. (NIFT Financial Aid)
2026-27 dates are historical, not the 2027-28 schedule
NIFT Hyderabad’s official announcement invited first-year students to apply for SARTHAK 2026-27 from 1 September through 30 September 2026. A separate NIFT head-office timeline for second-, third- and fourth-year students listed applications from 20 April to 17 July 2026 and a final-recipient notification date of 8 September 2026; some intermediate scrutiny and appeal dates could vary by campus. Those windows have passed. They are useful only as the previous cycle’s record and must not be used as 2027-28 deadlines. (NIFT Hyderabad SARTHAK notice, NIFT 2026-27 timeline for continuing students)
No 2027-28 SARTHAK application date is established by these sources. Check NIFT Hyderabad’s campus announcements and the current Financial Aid page when the next cycle is posted, then confirm your student category, eligible income band, documents and CMS access with the campus before budgeting on assistance. (NIFT Hyderabad campus, NIFT Financial Aid)