SC-ST Students Struggle with IIT Funding: Financial Hurdles Beyond JEE Success | Hyderabad News – Times of India

HYDERABAD: On August 1, when gates of IIT-Tirupati open, Bonila Aryan Roshan will be in queue of students heading to the chemical engineering department. Yet, Roshan is far from being ecstatic.
“I’m not sure if I’ll be able to complete my four years of engineering,” he says. Roshan, from SC community, belongs to Telangana’s Siddipet district where his mother works as a daily wager for Rs 200 a day.The family has managed to raise Rs 50,000 to foot Roshan’s IIT bills. “It will see me through my first semester… not sure how I will pay for my education after that,” said the 18-year-old who secured a 2406 rank (SC category) in JEE 2024. He lost his father at a young age.
Roshan’s story is the reality of several students from Telangana’s marginalised communities. IITs waive tuition fee of Rs 1 lakh for SC/ST candidates. But they are expected to bear other costs such as accommodation, mess, and registration. That comes to anywhere between Rs 1 lakh and Rs 1.5 lakh annually. The cash-strapped students end up selling whatever little assets they have, or they are left at the mercy of philanthropists.
Over the past few weeks, TOI wrote about three such students – Badavath Madhulatha (IIT Patna), Vasam Sushmitha (IIT Gandhinagar) and Kuncham Shiva (IIT Mumbai). All were on the verge of giving up their IIT dream. When their stories went public, Telangana government, politicians, corporates and individuals came forward to support their education.
Roshan hopes for a messiah too, as does Bhukya Dyandeep of Mulugu dist. The tribal boy has secured a seat at IIIT Ranchi after counselling. But he is struggling to raise Rs 1.56 lakh for fee.
Vinodh Kumar, a well-wisher with the handle @vinodhkuma45637 posted on X: “They are from a very poor family. His father died 13 years ago, and his mother is working in a private school as an attendant. They are waiting for help.”
Vishnu (name changed), son of small-time farmers from Khammam, shares the tumultuous time his family had to endure after he got a seat at IIT Kharagpur three years ago. “From selling our cattle to borrowing money, we exhausted all options to arrange Rs 1.3 lakh per year. It was in my third year that I managed to find a sponsor and study without the fear of having to drop out,” said the final-year B Tech student.