As part of its initiative to award 50,000 scholarships over the next 10 years, the Reliance Foundation has opened applications for over 5,100 undergraduate and postgraduate students. Out of this, 5000 merit-cum-means scholarships of up to ₹2 lakh will be awarded to UG students. First-year students of any full-time undergraduate course are eligible to apply.

Additionally, Reliance Foundation will identify and support 100 postgraduate students in select fields of engineering, technology, energy and life sciences with scholarships of up to ₹6 lakh. The scholarship aims to empower postgraduate students to pursue advanced studies and research in areas that are critical to national development and global progress, reads a statement from the foundation.

The statement also adds that Reliance Foundation scholars are not only beneficiaries of the financial support, but also of interactions and mentorship of experts, industry exposure, leadership and skill-building events, and opportunities to engage with communities for societal development. 

Education—be it learning in early childhood to quality higher education—has been the cornerstone of the Reliance Foundation’s mission. In December 2022—on the 90th birth anniversary of Reliance’s founder-chairman Dhirubhai Ambani—Nita Ambani, founder and chairperson of the Reliance Foundation, announced that Reliance will award 50,000 additional scholarships over the next decade, making it one of the largest private scholarship initiatives in India. 

Nita Ambani had made the announcement during Reliance Industries’ 46th annual general meeting. “Women and children have always been at the heart of all the work we do. In about a decade, India will have the largest number of women in the world. Empowering them is no longer just a responsibility; it is a necessity for our country to reach the heights that we aspire to and deserve. At Reliance Foundation, we are committed to encouraging, enabling and empowering women in every corner of our country. Because I firmly believe that what women cannot do, cannot be done,” she said in her address.

Reliance has been awarding scholarships to meritorious students for over 29 years. It carries forth the legacy of Dhirubhai Ambani’s vision that the best way to ensure the nation’s progress is to invest in its youth. To date, Reliance has awarded more than 28,000 scholarships. Reliance Foundation envisions connecting with 250 million children across India to provide quality education and employment opportunities.