The questions families actually ask
Straight answers, including the uncomfortable ones about money and timing.
When, and how much
When do applications open?
We intend to open applications in 2027, once the Executive Committee is seated and the fund holds real money. We will not announce a date we cannot keep. Register your interest and you will be contacted before any public announcement.
How much will each award be?
We have not set an amount, because we will not promise a figure we cannot fund. The intention is to cover meaningful costs — tuition, books, exam fees — rather than to hand out token amounts to many students.
Does the scholarship cost anything to apply for?
No. There is no application fee, no processing fee and no membership charge. If anyone ever asks you to pay to apply to Pal Samaj, it is not us — please report it to the committee.
Will the money come to me or to the school?
Wherever it can be arranged, we pay the school, college or bookseller directly. This protects everyone: the student, the family, and the trust of the donors who funded it.
Who qualifies
Do we have to be members to apply?
Yes — a parent or guardian must be a registered PalSamaj.org member. Membership is free, takes about two minutes, and will always be free. It exists so we can verify that applicants are from our samaj.
We live abroad. Can our child still apply?
Yes. Pal families in the USA, UK, Canada, the Gulf, Australia and elsewhere are equally part of this samaj. Need is assessed relative to your circumstances, not converted to rupees and compared.
Is this only for engineering and medicine?
No. Nursing, teaching, law, commerce, agriculture, skilled trades and recognised vocational courses all count. A diploma that leads to steady work is worth as much to us as a degree that does not.
Our child’s marks are average. Is it worth applying?
Yes. Need comes first, and we weigh consistent effort more heavily than one brilliant result. The student we most want to help is the one for whom this money decides whether they continue at all.
Why are girls prioritised?
Because when a family with limited means has to choose, it is still too often the daughter who stops studying. Where funds are limited we correct for that deliberately. It is a stated policy, not a quiet preference.
How your information is handled
Who reads our statement of need?
Only the education committee members reviewing applications. It is not circulated to the wider committee, not shown to donors, and never published.
Will our family be named publicly if we receive support?
Only with your explicit permission. Recipients who consent are listed with their name, town and course. Financial details are never published, with or without consent.
What happens to our documents afterwards?
Application documents are retained only as long as needed to administer the award and account for the funds, then deleted. You can ask us to remove them sooner.
Can we apply more than once?
Yes. Support is considered year by year. An award in one year neither guarantees nor disqualifies you from the next.
Still have a question?
Ask it. If it is a good question, it ends up on this page for the next family.