Lack of funds stopping you from pursuing higher education? The government can come to rescue

In a bid to support meritorious and deserving Indian students to pursue their higher education without having to worry about funds, the government today announced the PM-Vidyalaxmi scheme. Here's all you need to know about it:

The scheme will cover students who secure admission to one of the top 860 higher educational institutions in the country. In effect, this is set to benefit over 22 lakh students annually. You can apply for this loan via a soon-to-be launched consolidated PM-Vidyalaxmi portal.

The loan application will be entirely digital and will not require collateral or assets to be pledged in place of a loan or even a guarantor. For loans up to Rs 7.5 lakh, the government will provide a 75% credit guarantee.

If your family's annual income is up to Rs 8 lakh, you are eligible for receiving loans up to Rs 10 lakh at an interest rate of up to 3% lower rates. This support will be offered to around 1 lakh students every year, and those who opt for technical or professional courses from government-run institutions will be given preference for the same.

The government has already set aside Rs 3,600 crore for the same, to be utilized between 2024 and 2031, benefiting 7 lakh students in this period. All eligible students whose family's annual income falls below the Rs 4.5 lakh threshold will receive a full subsidy on interest payable.

As for which higher education institutions (HEIs) will qualify, it will depend on recent NIRF (National Institutional Ranking Framework) rankings. This will include:

• All centrally governed institutions
• Public and private institutions that have made it to NIRF's top 100 rankings in the overall, category, and domain-specific categories
• All state government HEIs that are ranked between 101 and 200 in NIRF rankings will also be eligible.

Rising cost of education

Data from NSSO (National Sample Survey Office) highlights that the average expenditure on education in India has doubled in the last decade. Per the All India Survey on Higher Education 2020-21, the tuition fees for engineering courses in most private institutions have already risen by 50% over the past 10 years. Education inflation currently stands high, at about 11–12%.

The demand for educational loans is also inching up steadily. Per RBI data, as of September 20, 2024, the total quantum of outstanding education loans stood at Rs 62,389 crore, up 2.8% from Rs 60,715 crore in September 2023. India's largest lender, the State Bank of India, leads the education loan bandwagon, with disbursals worth Rs 10,860 crore in FY24.