APJ Abdul Kalam Scholarship 2026-27: Application Form, Eligibility, Last Date

The APJ Abdul Kalam Scholarship 2026-27 offers financial assistance to minority-community students pursuing polytechnic diploma education in Kerala. For a student learning mechanical engineering, electrical technology, computer engineering or another diploma trade, expenses do not stop at the admission fee. Transport, workshop materials, textbooks and practical work all add to the cost of completing a technical course. The Kerala government’s scholarship provides selected students with ₹6,000, offering targeted support during the later years of a three-year diploma.

The programme is administered by Kerala’s Directorate of Minority Welfare and is officially listed on its scholarship portal as the APJ Abdul Kalaam Scholarship (APJAK). It is intended for permanent residents of Kerala belonging to notified minority religious communities who are studying in eligible government, government-aided or government-recognised self-financing polytechnics in the state. The 2026-27 notification covers second- and third-year diploma students, gives priority to Below Poverty Line (BPL) applicants and reserves 30% of awards for eligible girls. Importantly, the ₹6,000 benefit can be received only once, not automatically every academic year.

For 2026-27, the department opened online applications on October 14, 2026, and set November 25, 2026 as the last date for students to apply. Applicants must also submit a printed application with documents to the head of their institution by November 28. This is a specific Kerala minority-welfare scholarship, not a single nationwide scholarship open to all school and college students under Dr A.P.J. Abdul Kalam’s name. The details below explain the exact eligibility, income preference, application form, registration, verification and deadlines.

APJ Abdul Kalam Scholarship 2026-27 Overview

The official notice dated October 12, 2026, identifies the course, applicant category and payment conditions. Students should check these details before registering, especially if they are in the first year of their diploma or studying outside Kerala.

APJ Abdul Kalam Scholarship 2026-27 Last Date

The 2026-27 notification sets separate deadlines for student registration, handing in hard copies, institutional verification and forwarding approved applications. Meeting the online deadline does not remove the requirement to submit papers to the institution.

Students should treat November 25 as the application deadline. The later dates are reserved for document submission and institution-level work. Applicants at self-financing polytechnics should also make sure their institution understands the December 5 forwarding requirement. If the directorate publishes a revised notice, the current portal announcement takes precedence.

Who Is Eligible for APJ Abdul Kalam Scholarship 2026-27?

The programme is more narrowly targeted than many general minority scholarships. The following conditions come from Kerala’s official 2026-27 notification.

• State residence: The student must be a permanent resident of Kerala and must be studying in Kerala.
• Minority community: Applicants must belong to an eligible minority religious community: Muslim, Christian (all denominations), Sikh, Buddhist, Jain or Parsi.
• Course and year: Only students in the second or third year of a regular three-year polytechnic diploma course are covered by this notice. First-year diploma students are not included.
• Institution type: Government polytechnics and government-aided polytechnics are covered. Students at government-recognised self-financing polytechnics may apply if admitted in a merit seat.
• Income preference: BPL students receive priority. If BPL applicants are unavailable, eligible APL minority students whose annual family income is up to ₹8 lakh can be considered.
• One-time assistance: A student may receive the APJAK scholarship only once; being in an eligible year does not create a second payment entitlement.
• Bank account: The applicant must hold an account in their own name at a scheduled commercial bank.
• Selection: The department considers family income and academic marks, with selection also reflecting the population proportions of minority communities.

The notification earmarks 30% of scholarships for female applicants. If sufficient eligible girls are not available, the unfilled portion may be considered for eligible boys. This is a reservation within the scholarship selection process, not a separate higher award for female students.

APJ Abdul Kalam Scholarship Amount and Selection Priority

Selected students receive ₹6,000 as a one-time scholarship. The notification does not describe the benefit as a recurring ₹6,000 payment every year or promise automatic reimbursement of the student’s full diploma fees. Applicants should not confuse it with Kerala’s separate ITI fee-reimbursement programme or other minority-welfare grants.

Selection is not based on community membership alone. The department evaluates annual family income and academic marks, while distributing scholarships proportionately among minority communities. Students should therefore submit genuine income and academic records even if they belong to the preferred BPL category.

Documents Required for APJ Abdul Kalam Scholarship 2026-27

The directorate requires documents to be uploaded with the online application and supporting copies to be submitted to the institution. Keep the original certificates available for inspection if the college requests them.

• Printed copy of the completed online registration or scholarship application.
• Recent passport-size photograph and scanned signature for uploading.
• SSLC mark list and, where applicable, Plus Two or VHSE mark-list copy.
• Polytechnic admission allotment memo, particularly important for confirming the merit-seat admission at self-financing institutions.
• First page of the student’s own bank passbook showing account holder’s name, account number, branch, branch address and IFSC code.
• Aadhaar card copy.
• Nativity certificate confirming Kerala residence.
• Community or minority certificate identifying the eligible religious community.
• Income certificate from the Village Office.
• Ration-card copy, relevant to verifying household details and BPL status.

Make sure that names, the diploma institution, bank-account details and certificate information match the online application. The notice places responsibility on institutions to verify bank branch and account information accurately, as mistakes can result in rejection.

How to Apply for APJ Abdul Kalam Scholarship 2026-27

The application is submitted on Kerala’s dedicated Minority Welfare scholarship website. This is not the National Scholarship Portal’s OTR application route. The official notification describes the following steps.

1. Visit the government scholarship portal: Open mwdscholarship.kerala.gov.in and select the Student Registration or one-time registration option.
2. Create your account: Enter the student’s full name, Aadhaar number, email, mobile number, date of birth and required password details. Complete registration using the student’s own information.
3. Log in as a student: Use the registered email address and password to open the account dashboard. If already registered on this Minority Welfare portal, use the existing account rather than creating a duplicate.
4. Complete the student profile: Enter personal information, bank-account particulars and the polytechnic institution’s details. Check the institution field before saving.
5. Add educational qualifications: Use the Add Qualification section to record the earlier examination or course details needed for the application.
6. Choose the scheme: Select Apply For Scholarship and choose APJ Abdul Kalaam Scholarship for the 2026-27 session.
7. Upload the required records: Attach the photo, signature, SSLC certificate, income certificate, bank passbook and allotment memo, together with any additional documents requested on the live form.
8. Review and submit: Confirm the course year, minority category, income status, bank number, IFSC and documents. Final submission may prevent further editing.
9. Print the completed application: Download the submitted application and give the printout and supporting document copies to the head of your polytechnic by November 28, 2026.
10. Track the application: Use Submitted Applications in the student dashboard to review the status and follow up with the institution if verification is pending.

APJ Abdul Kalam Scholarship Registration and Login

The current Student Registration page asks for the full name, Aadhaar number, email address, mobile number, date of birth and a password. The password rules displayed on the portal require at least eight characters, including an uppercase letter, lowercase letter, number and one of the supported special characters. Keep the email and password secure because the Student Login page uses these credentials.

Students who previously registered for another scheme through the same Kerala Minority Welfare portal should sign in using that account. After logging in, the department instructs new users to complete the student profile and add qualifications, while previous users must update their qualifications if they have completed another course. Institution details are updated under the profile’s institution-details step before selecting the scholarship. The Student Login screen also provides a Forgot Password option.

What Happens After Submitting the Scholarship Form?

Online submission alone does not complete the process. By November 28, applicants must provide the printed application and supporting documents to their institution. The head of institution or an authorised officer checks the uploaded information against the records and completes online verification and approval by November 30.

Institutions are specifically directed to verify the applicant’s bank details, including account number, IFSC, bank and branch. Once approved, government and aided institutions retain the verified applications and supporting documents as instructed. Self-financing polytechnics must additionally ensure that their approved applications reach the Directorate of Minority Welfare by December 5, 2026. Selection and payment follow departmental processing; submitting or verifying a form is not itself confirmation that the ₹6,000 has been sanctioned.

Applicants can check their scholarship progress through Submitted Applications after signing in or through the public Application Status option, which offers Aadhaar-number and application-number search fields. If a form is still awaiting institution action, the college scholarship office is the appropriate first contact.

Common Mistakes That Can Delay an APJAK Scholarship

• Applying while studying in the first year of a diploma rather than the eligible second or third year.
• Assuming any private college qualifies, without checking government recognition and merit-seat admission.
• Treating ₹8 lakh as an automatic qualification for all APL applicants instead of understanding the BPL-first selection rule.
• Seeking the scholarship a second time after already receiving its one-time payment.
• Using a parent’s bank account when the notice requires an account in the student’s own name.
• Submitting online without giving the printed application and documents to the institution by November 28.
• Uploading an unclear allotment memo or incorrect income, minority or nativity certificate.
• Waiting until the department’s December 5 forwarding date to file a student application.

APJ Abdul Kalam Scholarship FAQs

Q. Can a first-year polytechnic diploma student apply in 2026-27?

No. The 2026-27 notification specifies second- and third-year students of three-year polytechnic diploma programmes. A student in the first year should not apply under this particular notice simply because the institution is eligible.

Q. Are students of self-financing polytechnics allowed to apply?

Yes, when the polytechnic is government recognised and the student has been admitted through a merit seat. The allotment memo is important for demonstrating the admission route, and these institutions also have a separate deadline for forwarding approved papers to the Directorate.

Q. Can a student who received ₹6,000 in the second year claim it again in the third year?

No. The official notification states that the APJ Abdul Kalam Scholarship is awarded only once. An existing beneficiary should not treat the 2026-27 call for second- and third-year students as a yearly renewal entitlement.

Q. Does a BPL ration card guarantee that a student will receive the scholarship?

No. BPL applicants are given priority, but selection still depends on verification, the applicant’s marks, family income and the community-wise distribution of available awards. The ration card must also be supported by the other required records.

Q. Who should students contact if the college has not verified their form?

Contact the head of institution or its scholarship office immediately, as institutional approval is due by November 30, 2026. The Directorate of Minority Welfare can also be contacted on 0471-2300523, 0471-2300524 or 0471-2302090 for scholarship-related guidance.