Buddy4Study Set to Facilitate 1,00,000 Students with INR 400 Crore in Scholarships for 2025-26

BusinessWire India

New Delhi [India], August 20: For Archana K., a Class 9 student from Kadapa, Andhra Pradesh, the ambition to become a doctor burns brightly despite her family's financial constraints. Her father, a small internet cafe owner, pours his limited resources into her education. When finances tightened, the OMRON Healthcare Scholarship, an initiative of OMRON Healthcare India facilitated by Buddy4Study, provided the support needed to keep her dream alive.

As India's pioneering technology-enabled scholarship management platform, Buddy4Study is set to replicate this impact on a significant scale with INR 400 crore in scholarships for 1,00,000 students in the 2025-26 financial year. With its holistic portfolio of education funding solutions--scholarships, education loans, special loan subsidies, and university admissions--Buddy4Study is redefining access to education across India.

In FY 24-25, the platform enabled the disbursement of scholarships worth INR 230 crore to over 60,000 students.

Since its inception in 2011, Buddy4Study has empowered over 1.37 lakh unique scholars, 56% of whom are girls, through INR 630 crore in scholarships. With over 200 partners and donors, including global names like HDFC Bank, L'Oreal India, Colgate-Palmolive (India), GlaxoSmithKline Pharmaceuticals, Kotak Education Foundation, Bharti Airtel Foundation, and Infosys Foundation, Buddy4Study has become a beacon of trust, making the scholarship funds easily accessible to deserving students.

So far, more than 73,500 college students have been supported with scholarships, while over 59,000 school students received scholarships, with an average scholarship amount of INR 30,409.

Buddy4Study's scholarship portfolio is as rich as the diversity of India. For example, the platform has women-focused scholarship programs like the Kotak Kanya Scholarship, Rolls-Royce Wings4Her Scholarship, and L'Oreal India For Young Women In Science Scholarships that empower female scholars.

The platform also hosts numerous scholarships to support transgender and PWD students, including the TATA AIA Paras Scholarship Program and the Legrand Empowering Scholarship. Additionally, it offers region-specific scholarships, such as the Virchow Scholarship for students from Telangana and Andhra Pradesh and the Saksham Scholarship for Drivers' Children for students from Andhra Pradesh, Tamil Nadu, Telangana, and Karnataka.

Furthermore, discipline-focused scholarship programs in higher education, like the Bharti Airtel Scholarship and the Raman Kant Munjal Scholarships, support students pursuing specific disciplines.

In collaboration with the Government of India's Ministry of Social Justice and Empowerment, Buddy4Study is identifying deserving students for its Free Coaching for DNT Students under the SEED initiative. In FY 2024-25, about 500 students from De-notified, Nomadic, and Semi-Nomadic Tribes were provided financial assistance for free coaching in competitive exams like NEET and JEE. This year, the SEED initiative aims to support around 4,000 students from the NT/DNT/SNT communities.

Technology is at the core of Buddy4Study's mission. The platform's AI-powered BuddyBot efficiently handles thousands of queries, while seamless integrations with DigiLocker and automated fund transfers guarantee smooth, fraud-free disbursals. The platform has also launched a college-specific financial support mechanism to help students as per their financial needs.

Buddy4Study has also facilitated INR 2.90 crore in education loans in collaboration with leading banks like Punjab National Bank (PNB), ICICI Bank, Axis Bank, and NBFCs like Kuhoo Finance to bridge funding gaps for students pursuing higher education.

"Education is not just a ladder; it is a light that illuminates futures," says Ashutosh Burnwal, founder and CEO of Buddy4Study. "Our mission is to empower 10 lakh students by 2030, ensuring no one drops out due to financial constraints. With comprehensive educational funding options, we are taking bold strides toward this mission, transforming lives one scholar at a time."

Buddy4Study's impact aligns with global goals like SDG 4 (Quality Education), addressing India's challenge where only 2-3% of deserving students have access to scholarships.

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