e-Medhabruti is the Odisha government’s merit scholarship scheme for school, college and professional students. Awards are paid by the Higher Education Department, and students apply through the state scholarship portal. The amount and income limit differ by category and year, so this guide shows what the official guidelines say and where newer sources differ. Last checked October 2026.
What is e-Medhabruti?
The word “medhabruti” means merit scholarship. The scheme is run by the Higher Education Department, Government of Odisha, and the application system was automated for the 2014-15 and 2015-16 cycles, according to the company that built it. One page puts the number of beneficiaries at about 24,544 students a year. Applications are online and verified by the student’s institution.
Categories and amounts (official guidelines)
The 2017-18 guidelines published on the Department of Higher Education website list four categories:
| Category | Seats | Amount per year | Duration | Marks needed |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Junior Merit (+2) | 10,000 | Rs 3,000 | 2 years | 60% in Class 10 |
| Senior Merit (+3) | 3,000 | Rs 5,000 | 3 years | 60% in Class 12 (BA, BSc, BCom) |
| Post Graduate | 1,500 | Rs 10,000 | 2 years | 60% in +3 (MA, MSc, MCom) |
| Technical and Professional | 10,000 | Rs 10,000 | Course length, max 5 years | 60% in Class 12 or equivalent |
Amounts are paid for ten months a year. Parents’ annual income must not exceed Rs 6 lakh in these guidelines, and a 50:50 ratio of boys and girls is followed for +2, +3 and PG.
What newer websites say
Third-party pages for 2025-26 and 2026-27 describe the UG Merit scholarship differently: Odisha domicile, family income up to Rs 8 lakh, minimum 55% to 60% in Class 12, and Rs 10,000 per year for up to three years, or Rs 30,000 in total. These pages disagree among themselves on the marks figure and the amounts for other categories. The official guidelines we could open are from 2017-18, so we cannot confirm whether the rules changed. Read the current notice on the Odisha scholarship portal.
Quick facts
| Item | Details |
|---|---|
| Run by | Higher Education Department, Government of Odisha |
| Apply on | scholarship.odisha.gov.in (as named by recent sources) |
| Who | Odisha students with good marks and limited family income |
| Income limit | Rs 6 lakh (2017-18 guidelines); Rs 8 lakh (recent third-party pages) |
| Renewal | Automatic each year if enrolment is confirmed by the institution |
| Application fee | None; institutions cannot charge a processing fee |
Eligibility
- Resident of Odisha, with a residence certificate from a Tahasildar or higher.
- Required marks in the previous exam, usually 60% (a few recent pages say 55%).
- Family income within the limit for that year.
- Studying continuously in the next academic year without a break.
- Not holding another scholarship, unless you give it up.
Not covered under the 2017-18 guidelines: diploma courses, distance or correspondence learning, M.Phil/PhD, and B.Ed/M.Ed. CBSE and ICSE grades are converted to percentages by a fixed table. Multiple registrations lead to rejection.
How to apply
- Open the official Odisha scholarship portal by typing the address yourself.
- Register with your Aadhaar, mobile number and email, and verify the OTP.
- Open the schemes section and choose e-Medhabruti.
- Fill in personal, academic and bank details and upload documents.
- Submit, print the form and give it with documents to your head of institution, who validates it online. Validation is mandatory.
- Track the status on the portal.
Under the older guidelines, students of colleges on the SAMS system submit documents to the Principal, who uploads the data. Students studying outside Odisha send a countersigned hard copy by registered post to the Under Secretary (Scholarship), Higher Education Department, Bhubaneswar.
Documents
- Aadhaar card and Aadhaar-seeded bank account details
- Odisha residence or domicile certificate
- Family income certificate from a Tahasildar or higher officer
- Marksheets of the last qualifying exam
- College ID card or admission proof
- Passport photo and signature
Selection process
There is no entrance test or interview described in the guidelines we read.
Selection is by descending order of merit based on the qualifying exam percentage, in category-wise, district-wise and block-wise lists for the quota. If marks tie, the student from the lower-income family is chosen.
Practical tips
Start with your income and residence certificates, because the Tahasildar office can take time. Make sure your name and date of birth are the same on the Aadhaar, the marksheet and the bank account, since a mismatch is a common reason applications get stuck at the validation stage. Remember that the institution has to validate your form, so meet your principal or scholarship clerk early, not on the last day. Students whose college is on the SAMS system should ask the college office whether they need to fill any extra form.
Also keep your bank account active. The money goes by direct credit to a savings account, and a closed or Aadhaar-unlinked account can block payment. Finally, check your status regularly on the portal so you can fix any objection before the window closes.
Renewal
In short, you apply once as a fresh candidate and the scheme carries you forward without a new application each year.
The award renews every year until the course ends, provided the principal confirms continued enrolment online. Good conduct is required, and an award can be stopped on a report of unsatisfactory progress.
Last date
Dates change each year. Third-party pages showed 9 October 2025, 12 March 2026 and 26 October 2026 for different cycles, and one marked the UG page as closed. We could not confirm a current official date, so check the portal now rather than relying on any blog.
Avoid fake sites
Apply only on the official Government of Odisha scholarship portal. No institution may charge you for processing the application, and no agent can guarantee selection. Do not pay or share your OTP.
What we could not verify
- A current-year official notice. The only official document we read is from 2017-18.
- The present income limit, minimum marks and amounts per category.
- The official deadline for this cycle.
Conclusion
e-Medhabruti is a genuine Odisha government scheme that rewards merit with yearly support and automatic renewal. Because the rules have been reported differently across years, read the latest notice on the official portal before applying.
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)
Who runs e-Medhabruti?
The Higher Education Department, Government of Odisha.
What is the income limit?
The 2017-18 guidelines say Rs 6 lakh; some recent pages say Rs 8 lakh. Check the current notice.
How much does e-Medhabruti pay?
Under the 2017-18 guidelines it is Rs 3,000 to Rs 10,000 a year depending on category. Recent pages mention Rs 10,000 a year for UG Merit.
Is renewal automatic?
Yes, if your institution confirms your enrolment each year and you keep up conduct and progress.
Is there any application fee?
No. Institutions cannot charge for processing your application.
