Making university affordable

SDG 1.2Making university affordable

UPES treats affordability as part of admissions, alongside merit. Fee waivers at entry, a fully funded pathway for the most disadvantaged, emergency help for families in crisis, and help with government schemes mean that low household income alone need not stop a capable student from studying at UPES.

Some of this support is free and some is subsidised. Protsaahan scholars study, live in campus hostels and receive laptops and uniforms free of cost, every student can see a doctor and receive medicines free at the campus infirmaries, and fee waivers and concessions subsidise the cost of study for thousands more.

Help to get in

• Jyoti freeships. A 100% waiver of semester fees for meritorious students from families earning up to ₹8 lakh a year, with 51 places each year. Students pay only a refundable ₹20,000 security deposit, and the freeship is renewed for students who keep an SGPA or CGPA of at least 6.0. Source: UPES scholarships, Purpose: UPES social initiatives.

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• Uttarakhand domicile scholarship. A quarter of seats are reserved for residents of Uttarakhand, many from rural or low-income families, each with a 25% tuition scholarship every semester. Source: UPES scholarships.

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• Merit and Shakti scholarships. Entrance-exam scholarships of 20% to 100% of tuition went to the top 10% of candidates in 2022–23, with more than half of about 2,000 awarded to women. Since 2020, Shakti scholarships have supported more than 6,000 women students. Source: UPES merit scholarships, over half for women (Careers360), UPES Shakti scholarship for women (The Quint).

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• Project Abhilasha. Brings talented students from marginalised parts of Uttarakhand to campus for a month-long residential coaching camp for engineering entrance exams. Source: Project Abhilasha.

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• Project Naman. For the families of soldiers who died in service, UPES fully funds the school education of one martyr's child every year and gives education scholarships to the children of five martyrs from Uttarakhand each year. Source: Purpose: UPES social initiatives, UPES social impact, Project Naman.

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A full ride for the most disadvantaged

• Project Protsaahan. Since 2018, at least two meritorious students a year from the Purkal Youth Development Society have studied at UPES free of cost. Tuition, hostel, uniforms, a laptop and the security deposit are covered, with a stipend during internships. Twenty-two students have benefited so far. Source: Project Protsaahan, UPES Project Protsaahan supports underprivileged students (CSRMandate), UPES scholarship programmes for SDG 1 (PDF).

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Help to stay and finish

• We Care scholarship. During COVID-19, students who lost a parent to the virus received a 100% scholarship on the all-inclusive fee, and children of frontline workers received 20% off tuition. Source: UPES We Care scholarships (uLektz News).

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• When a family loses its earner. A student who loses an earning parent after admission receives a tuition relaxation of ₹50,000 a semester. Source: UPES scholarships, UPES scholarship programmes for SDG 1 (PDF).
• International students. Undergraduate international students receive scholarships of 15% to 30% of fees based on their Class 12 results, and MBA students with at least 75% in graduation receive 15%. Source: UPES scholarships.

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• Government scholarships. Eligible students from Uttarakhand can also apply for state schemes such as the post-matric scholarship for Scheduled Caste students. Source: Uttarakhand scholarship for Scheduled Caste students (Government of Uttarakhand).
• Remedial classes. Students who score below 40% in a mid-term examination get extra classes in that subject, which especially helps those from schools with fewer resources. Source: UPES Student Support, Capability enhancement and development schemes.

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• A mentor for every 25 students. First-year students are helped to settle into university, later years learn about careers, and final-year students are mentored by alumni and industry professionals. Source: UPES mentoring programme (UPES blog), UPES Student Support.

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• Health care and counselling. Consultations and medicines are free at the campus infirmaries, each with a 24×7 ambulance, medical insurance cover is available, and a full-time counsellor offers group and one-to-one sessions. Source: UPES Health Facilities Report (PDF), UPES Student Support.

  

  

• Ready for work. Career Services' EDGE programme offers personality profiling, competency mapping and aptitude tests, Employability Boot Camps bring in industry experts and alumni, a three-day Personality Enhancement Programme is run with Dale Carnegie, and Placement Selection Improvement gives interview practice with feedback. Source: Capability enhancement and development schemes.

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• Well-being and an equal footing. Yoga and meditation classes support physical and mental well-being, and a smart-casual dress code reduces visible differences in wealth between students. Source: Capability enhancement and development schemes, UPES Student Support.