Jaipur: The state govt’s announcement of the Swami Vivekananda Scholarship for Academic Excellence has faced significant backlash from education experts and student groups, who describe the timing as “deliberately delayed” and “exclusionary.“Modified on Thursday, the scholarship aims to support 150 students pursuing higher education in the top 50 foreign universities. The figure was reduced from 350 students from the top 150 universities. However, it comes after foreign institutions have already closed their admission processes. Consequently, the scholarship will primarily aid those who secured admission and paid their own fees.Commissioner, College Education, OP Bairwa, however, defended the scheme, saying the timelines have been consistent since its inception. “The deadline of all phases is almost the same as it was started in 2021. Those who were willing to study took the admission,” said Bairwa.At the same time, sources in the department confirmed that the notification was ready since May but was held up at the level of higher education minister Prem Chand Bairwa.Critics argue that this situation disproportionately benefits wealthier students who can afford initial costs, while middle and low-income aspirants, who awaited the scheme since Feb, missed their opportunities and lost their spots due to the govt’s indecision.“This is nothing but a backdoor entry for well-to-do students. The list is dominated by US universities and requires a huge upfront investment, which even an EWS category student would struggle to arrange. The timeline suggests it is only for those who already took admission abroad. If they already have the wherewithal to study abroad, whom is this policy really helping?” said Madhusudan Gupta, an education consultant with SI-UK.Out of the top 50 universities, 23 are in the US, where sessions commenced between May and August. Institutions such as MIT, Harvard, Stanford, Princeton, University of California (Berkeley), and Yale have already begun their academic year. In Australia, New Zealand, and France too, admissions closed months earlier, while the UK’s academic session begins in early September.Even in the UK, the top 50 universities include Oxford, Cambridge, London School of Economics, University of London, or Imperial College of London, which require months of long preparation for admission for sessions starting in the first week of September. “These universities are so popular across the globe that they receive a high flow of applications and by July and August all seats are filled, leaving no waiting list,” said students who tracked the scheme since Feb–March, which is when the global admission season typically begins.The delay has left students stranded. Khushi Valecha, a student from Ajmer, secured admission to University College London (ranked 22) in April 2025. But when her offer expired in July, she was forced to settle for an option at the University of Bristol (ranked 78), which is now outside the state’s top-50 criteria. “I begged to extend my UCL admission, but when that lapsed, I held on to Bristol hoping the scholarship would support me. Now, with the sudden change in guidelines, my career is ruined,” said Valecha.Shalini Choudhary, who chose the University of Leeds for affordability, expressed similar frustration. “Now, with the govt suddenly restricting recognition only to top 50 universities, students like me are being unfairly penalised. Such announcements should have been made earlier when we still had the chance to make informed choices about our future.”
