The Azim Premji Foundation has opened applications for the Azim Premji Scholarship 2026-27, with the latest cohort expanding its coverage to two more regions. Students entering the first year of an undergraduate degree or diploma programme can apply for financial support of Rs 30,000 a year under the scholarship. For the 2026-27 cohort, Andhra Pradesh and Delhi (NCT) have been added to the list of eligible states and Union Territories. The scholarship is aimed at supporting students from disadvantaged backgrounds in pursuing college education. The Foundation provides Rs 30,000 every year for the full duration of the student's first undergraduate degree or diploma course, which can run for two to five years. This means a student could receive up to Rs 1.5 lakh over the duration of the programme. The scholarship is not awarded on the basis of merit, caste, income or religion, according to the Foundation. Azim Premji Scholarship 2026: Important dates The Round 1 application window for the 2026 cohort opened on August 10 and will remain available until August 31, 2026. The Foundation has also announced that the second round of applications will be held from January 10 to January 31, 2027. Scholarship renewal for students from the 2024 and 2025 cohorts for the 2026-27 academic year is scheduled to open in September 2026. Eligible students can apply online through the official Azim Premji Foundation scholarship application portal. There is no application fee. Applicants will need to provide documents including their Aadhaar card, bank account details, Class 10 and Class 12 marksheets, photograph and proof of admission to their undergraduate course. Azim Premji Scholarship 2026: Who is eligible to apply? The scholarship is exclusively for girl students. To apply for the 2026-27 cohort, a student must have passed both Class 10 and Class 12 as a regular student from a government school or college in one of the eligible states or Union Territories, as listed on the website. The student must also have taken admission in the first year of a recognised undergraduate degree or diploma programme for the 2026-27 academic session. The course must be a regular programme of two to five years' duration and can be offered by a government institution or a credible and bona fide private college or university anywhere in India. It must be the student's first undergraduate degree or diploma after Class 12. Students already pursuing the second, third, fourth or fifth year of an undergraduate programme cannot apply as new applicants. Students enrolled in distance-learning programmes are also not eligible. The Foundation has clarified that there is no age limit for applying, provided all other eligibility conditions are met. List of eligible states/UTs: The 2026-27 scholarship is available to students who completed their Class 10 and Class 12 education in Andhra Pradesh, Arunachal Pradesh, Assam, Bihar, Chhattisgarh, Delhi (NCT), Jharkhand, Karnataka, Madhya Pradesh, Manipur, Meghalaya, Mizoram, Nagaland, Odisha, Puducherry, Rajasthan, Sikkim, Telangana, Tripura, Uttar Pradesh and Uttarakhand. The undergraduate institution itself can be located anywhere in India. Students admitted to any programme at Azim Premji University for the 2026-27 academic year or earlier are not eligible. Those who are or have previously been recipients of Wipro scholarships, including the Santoor Scholarship, are also excluded from the programme. Azim Premji Scholarship 2026: Benefits and disbursal Selected students will receive Rs 30,000 annually until they complete their undergraduate degree or diploma, subject to the scholarship's renewal requirements. For a two-year course, the total support can amount to Rs 60,000, while students enrolled in a five-year programme can receive up to Rs 1.5 lakh. The Foundation says students can use the scholarship towards tuition fees or other out-of-pocket expenses related to completing their education. The financial support is intended to reduce the cost-related barriers that can prevent girls from continuing their higher education. The scholarship amount is transferred directly to the student's bank account. Students continuing into subsequent years are required to complete the renewal process to receive the scholarship for the remaining duration of their course.