SFPI Vidyadhan scholarship to benefit 1 lakh Indian students for higher education

The Shibulal Family Philanthropic Initiatives (SFPI) awards the Vidydhan scholarship to students in need from Class 11 up to graduation. It aims to reach one lakh students in all 28 states and union territories in the upcoming four years to increase the Gross Enrolment Ratio (GER) to 50% by 2035.

The SFPI scholarship awards Rs 10,000 to Rs 75,000 to each student per year. It also provides residential training, career guidance, and employability skills to these students. The programme supports up to three family members through financial and educational assistance and career guidance.

The SFPI scholarship for students has a transparent and “Each One Teach One” model that allows for external sponsorship. Individual and corporate sponsors can directly fund students’ education with the entire amount going to the beneficiary, and no administrative costs to the sponsors.

SFPI Vidyadhan scholarship recipients

A study from Indian Institute of Management (IIM) Kozhikode found that graduates from SFPI Vidyadhan scholarship earned thrice their scholarship amount in their first employment year itself. The study also said that within two years, 100% of the families have broken out of poverty. Around 60% of the graduates have become the primary earner in their families, 82% have experienced upward career trajectory, and 87% say that societal respect for their family has increased.

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The Vidyadhan scholarship programme has impacted 17,000 families in 22 states and union territories so far, with 63,000 scholarships being awarded. For the academic year 2024-25, a total of 4,900 students were onboarded. By the end of 2025-26, there are expected to be 13,000 students associated with the scholarship - 3,410 of those being new students.

SFPI Scholarship: Inclusivity

Vidyadhan scholarship India has supported 5% specially-abled students, 90% rural students, and 60% female students. According to an official statement, over 4,000 alumni are employed in top companies like Volvo, Shell, Accenture , HDFC, ICICI, TCS, Wipro, Cognizant, E&Y, PWC, Dell, and Infosys.

“At SFPI, we believe education is the greatest equaliser with the power to transform both individuals and the nation sustainably. Our goal is to scale our efforts by providing scholarships and mentorship to guide students toward meaningful careers,” said Kumari Shibulal the founder and chairperson of SFPI.