About the theme
The Jamsetjee Nusserwanjee Tata Endowment for The Higher Education Of Indians (Established in 1892)
More than 5,600 Indian students have been awarded the JN Tata Endowment’s loan scholarship since 1892, when it was established by Jamsetjee Nusserwanjee, the promoter of the Tata group. The Endowment supports only overseas studies – Masters, Ph.D. and Postdoctoral fellowships, in any educational stream. Based only on merit, it seeks to reward “the best and most gifted so as to make them of the greatest service to the country”. The loan, a maximum of Rs10 lakh, is repayable within seven years and is collected in five equal instalments from the end of the third year.
Many of the JN Tata scholars are not only carrying out path-breaking research and teaching at reputed institutions, but are also leading national and international banking, commercial and financial institutions, multinational corporations; providing quality health care and legal services; and entering sunrise industries such as IT, biotechnology, and computing, including areas such as machine learning, artificial intelligence, robotics and so on. KR Narayanan, former President of India, the renowned astrophysicist Jayant Narlikar, and Xerxes Desai, the founder of Titan, were all JN Tata scholars.
JNTE has an enviable pedigree. The first awardee was a woman – Dr Freany K Cama, who went to Edinburgh and Dublin to study gynaecology and midwifery. Among the more outstanding individuals who have emerged from the ranks of JN Tata Scholars have been Dr Raghvendra Rao, distinguished physician; Sir Ardeshir Dalal, ICS, Member of the Viceroy’s Executive Council, Sir Nowrosji Wadia, Judge of the Bombay High Court; Dr MD Gilder, Health Minister of Bombay State; Dr Jivraj Mehta who became Chief Minister of Gujarat; Mr B Narsinga Rau ICS, of the International Court at the Hague; Dr VKRV Rao, former Union Minister of Education; Mr VT Dehejia, former Chairman, State Bank of India; Mr S Bhoothalingam, ICS, Secretary, Ministry of Steel; Mr V Vishwanathan, ICS, Governor of Kerala; and Mr KR Narayanan, President of India.
The next generation included Dr Raja Ramanna, Director, Bhabha Atomic Research Centre; Dr Jayant V Narlikar, the astrophysicist of Hoyle-Narlikar fame; Dr A Sambasiva Rao, who led the Government of India’s development work in electronics; Dr Minoo N Dastur, the metallurgist and India’s leading consultant for the steel industry; Dr Dinanath Rangnekar, Editor, The Economic Times; Dr Bal D Tilak, Director, National Chemical Laboratory; Dr Jamshed J Irani, former Director, Tata Sons Limited; Dr Dinshaw Jehangir Patel of the Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Centre, New York; Mr Srikant Madhav Datar, Senior Associate Dean and Director of Research of the Harvard Business School; Mr TR Doongaji, former Managing Director, Tata Services Limited; Dr Farok Contractor, Head, International School of Business, Rutgers University; renowned architect Mr Rahul Mehrotra; Dr GG Kalthod, former Principal of VJTI, Mumbai; Mr Yezdi H Malegam who headed S B Billimoria & Co; Lord Karan Bilimoria, Member of the British House of Lords; Dr Vikram Deshpande, professor, Faculty of Engineering at the University of Cambridge; Mr Rajeev Dubey, President, Member of the Group Management Board, Mahindra & Mahindra Ltd., and Mr Jairam Ramesh, former Minister for Rural Development, Government of India, among others.
The scholarship 2025-26 is now open and aspiring students can apply for the JN Tata Endowment Fall 2025 Spring 2026 programme. The application forms would be available from January 7, 2025 till March 7, 2025.
Click here to visit the website to know more about the JN Tata Endowment Scholarship 2025-26.
Means grant
Based on the students' needs, this scheme offers partial assistance to college (till graduation) and school-going (STD VIII onwards) students pursuing studies in Maharashtra.
Eligibility criteria:
- The student is eligible to apply only for the current academic year i.e., for the AY 2024-25.
- Students studying at school/colleges located in Maharashtra may apply.
- Students must secure at least “PASS” class in their previous examination.
(students passed with ATKT / grace marks / condoned are not eligible to apply). - Students must clear their previous academic year in first attempt.
- A maximum of two children from the same family may apply.
- Students must have their original annual fee payment receipt in hand when applying.
If your request meets the above-mentioned criteria, you may apply to the Tata Trusts at igpedu@tatatrusts.org along with clear scanned copies of the following documents:
- A duly signed application (a specimen is attached for your ready reference, please click here)
- Authentic marksheets with authorised stamp and signature for the academic year 2023-2024. If a single year comprises two semesters, please submit marksheets for both semesters.
- Family Income Proof for the current assessment year.
Documents are listed in order of priority, preference to "a", in the absence of "a," you may submit "b" and so on.
a) Complete set of Income Tax Return for the assessment year 2024-25.
- Please download the Income Tax Return from the official website and submit all pages.
- In the absence of the same, kindly submit a signed declaration to that effect (a specimen is attached for your ready reference, please click here)
b) Complete set of Form 16 for the assessment year 2024-25.
- In case, if employer is not issuing or not willing to issue Form 16, submit an employer letter on company’s original letterhead stating the same (a specimen is attached for your ready reference, please click here).
c) Employer letter on company’s original letterhead stating the breakup of the annual gross/net income pertaining to current assessment year (please use the specimen attached in point (b))
d) If parents are retired and receiving pension, kindly submit a bank letter stating the annual pension amount for the assessment year 2024-25.
e) If parents are retired and receiving income from any other source – a clear handwritten or typewritten statement stating the annual income of the family. Also submit documentary proof relevant to the same (a specimen is attached for your ready reference, please click here).
- Original fee receipt(s) for the academic year 2024-2025.
- Identity proof of the student– Aadhaar Card/PAN Card.
Lady Meherbai D Tata Education Trust Scholarship
This is a merit-based, overseas Masters scholarship programme for women graduates engaged in social work, social welfare including child welfare, education, and education for children with special needs, to mention a few. Established in 1933, the scholarship has been following a rigorous selection procedure, with the trustees taking keen interest in the selection process. Each year, up to 10 women benefit from this scholarship.
This scholarship program stands closed for the academic year 2024-2025.
Civil Aviation
This is a grant for candidates who are keen on pursuing the Commercial Pilot’s License course, or for those who would like to pursue type rating after obtaining their license to fly a certain type of aircraft. This grant is offered to students pursuing the course in India or overseas, and is subject to their performance during the interview.
Professional Enhancement Grant
This is a grant for working professionals who wish to enhance their professional skills through training, workshops (except presentations and conferences), and observership programmes abroad.
Interested candidates may forward their request to igpedu@tatatrusts.org, along with their resumes and the Invitation Letter from the organiser/s.
Spectrum Grants
This covers funding for sports, and caregivers of children with special needs. The supported sports are Athletics, Gymnastics, Weightlifting, Wrestling, Swimming, Badminton, Pistol, Rifle, Archery, Chess, and Para Sports.
Interested candidates may forward their request to igpedu@tatatrusts.org.
Lady Tata Memorial Trust
Established in 1932 by Sir Dorabji Tata in memory of his wife Lady Meherbai, this Trust spends four-fifths of its income on facilitating research in blood disorders and leukemic diseases, and the balance one-fifth on research into the alleviation of human suffering from diseases in India and internationally. The Lady Tata Memorial Trust also supports institutional scientific research, offers a ‘Young Researcher Award’ to budding scientists, and conducts a Teachers’ Training Programme.
In 2021-22, 15 students from different universities/institutes in India were awarded Junior Research Fellowships for their projects. Under Institutional Research Grants, the focus for the year 2021-22 was on leukaemia, and biology and the treatment of cancer. Six proposals were approved to receive the grant.
Scholarships aggregating to GBP185,000 (~INR 1.84 crore) were sanctioned during 2021-22, for 5 research projects under International Awards (research in leukaemia and diseases of the blood).
Two online teachers’ training programmes were conducted during 2021-22, on ‘Bioinformatics’ and the ‘Science and Technology of Emerging Materials for Healthcare’ under the Teachers’ Training Programme.
