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A total of 16,693 scholarships will be awarded at the primary level (Class 4) and 16,588 scholarships at the upper-primary level (Class 7).
Students of CBSE, ICSE and other recognized boards can also participate subject to certain conditions. (Representative/file photo)
Maharashtra Government has approved changes in the state scholarship examination structure. According to PTI report, pre-upper primary and pre-secondary examinations will now be conducted for classes 4 and 7. A total of 16,693 scholarships will be awarded at the primary level (Class 4) and 16,588 scholarships at the upper-primary level (Class 7).
The revised structure will be implemented from the 2025-26 academic year. The official press release said that during this change, the final scholarship exams for Class 5 and Class 8 will be held in February 2026, while the new Class 4 and Class 7 exams will be held in April or May 2026.
Starting from the 2026-27 academic year, examinations for classes 4 and 7 will be conducted regularly. The government has revised the scholarship amount to Rs 5,000 per annum for Class 4 students and Rs 7,500 per annum for Class 7 students.
Launched in 1954-55, the scholarship scheme by the Government of Maharashtra aims to support meritorious and economically disadvantaged students in both rural and urban areas. A change made in 2015 moved the examinations to classes 5 and 8, but the number of students participating has declined significantly since then. Therefore, the government has decided to return to the previous class level to boost participation and academic performance.
Under the revised rules, students from government, aided, unaided, permanently unaided and self-financed schools are eligible for the exam. Students of CBSE, ICSE and other recognized boards can also participate subject to certain conditions.
The maximum age limit for Class 4 examination is 10 years (14 years for students with disabilities) and 13 years for Class 7 examination (17 years for students with disabilities) as on 1 June of the examination year.
The examination fee is Rs 200 for general category students and Rs 125 for Scheduled Caste, Scheduled Tribe, Nomadic Tribe, Denotified Tribe and Disabled students. Each participating school will also have to pay an annual registration fee of Rs 200 to the examination council.
The Government clarified that the Primary Scholarship Examination (Class 4) will continue to be conducted jointly with the entrance examinations for Government, Tribal and Denotified and Nomadic Tribe Vidyaniketan, with each scholarship being awarded for a period of three years.
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October 18, 2025, 6:10 pm IST
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