The Growing Crisis of Scholarship Delays in Maharashtra's Higher Education

Maharashtra, home to some of India's premier universities and colleges like the University of Mumbai, Savitribai Phule Pune University, and numerous engineering and arts institutions, is grappling with a severe backlog in scholarship processing. This issue has left thousands of students from economically disadvantaged backgrounds waiting for crucial financial aid that supports their pursuit of higher education. The problem, centered around the Maharashtra Direct Benefit Transfer (MahaDBT) portal, highlights systemic challenges in delivering timely support to college and university students pursuing undergraduate and postgraduate degrees.

The MahaDBT portal serves as the centralized platform for 14 key scholarship schemes aimed at higher education students, including tuition fee waivers, hostel allowances, and merit-based aids. These schemes are vital for students from Scheduled Castes (SC), Scheduled Tribes (ST), Other Backward Classes (OBC), minorities, and open merit categories, enabling access to quality education in public and private colleges across the state.

Scale of the Backlog: Numbers That Tell a Stark Story

Over the academic years from 2021-22 to 2025-26, a staggering 9.76 lakh applications flooded the MahaDBT system. Of these, only 7.8 lakh students received their scholarships, totaling Rs 708.41 crore in disbursements. This leaves a massive gap, with 1.42 lakh applications stuck in limbo for up to five years.

As recent as March 9, 2026, 52,794 applications remained unresolved: 38,628 pending at the institution verification stage and 14,166 at the department level. Earlier data from February 27, 2026, pegged the figure at 93,326 pending, with 81,753 from the current 2025-26 academic year alone and 11,573 from prior years. For context, in 2025-26, out of 2.07 lakh applications, only 54,836 have been processed so far.

These numbers underscore a persistent bottleneck, particularly affecting students in professional courses like engineering, pharmacy, medicine, and arts at institutions affiliated with state universities.

Key Scholarship Schemes at the Heart of the Issue

The delays impact flagship programs such as the Rajashri Chhatrapati Shahu Maharaj Tuition Fee Scholarship, which reimburses full tuition for SC/ST/VJNT/OBC/EBC students in junior colleges, undergraduate, and postgraduate programs; the Dr. Punjabrao Deshmukh Vasatigruh Nirvah Bhatta Yojna for hostel maintenance; Eklavya Scholarship for top performers from reserved categories; and others like the State Government Open Merit Scholarship and Minority Scholarship.

These schemes, administered through the MahaDBT portal, aim to promote equity in higher education by covering tuition fees up to Rs 50,000 or more, hostel expenses, and exam fees. However, the verification process—involving student upload, college certification, and departmental scrutiny—has become a chokepoint.

Root Causes Behind the Verification Bottlenecks

The Higher and Technical Education Department attributes delays primarily to student-side errors: incomplete or incorrect document uploads (e.g., income certificates, caste validity, mark sheets), failure to submit physical hard copies to colleges, and mismatched Aadhaar-bank details. Colleges verify eligibility based on attendance, fees paid, and documents, but backlogs accumulate when institutions delay forwarding due to high volumes or administrative overload.

At the departmental level, further scrutiny for fraud prevention adds layers. Despite being fully online since 2019, the system lacks automated checks for common errors, leading to manual interventions. Seasonal surges during application windows (June-October) overwhelm the infrastructure, with no proportional increase in staff.

• Inaccurate or missing Aadhaar-linked bank passbooks.
• Non-submission of hard-copy applications to college offices.
• Delays in caste/income certificate renewals from tehsildars.
• High volume: Thousands of colleges (over 5,000 aided/unaided) feeding data.

Profound Impacts on Students and Higher Education Access

The ripple effects are devastating for higher education aspirants. Many students, especially from rural Maharashtra districts like Nagpur, Pune, and Mumbai suburbs, rely on these scholarships for 50-100% of their fees. Delays force them to borrow from moneylenders at exorbitant rates (20-40% interest), take up part-time jobs distracting from studies, or worst, drop out.

A second-year BPharm student shared how unpaid tuition led to academic penalties, while peers faced eviction from hostels. Activists like Amar Ekad of Care of Public Safety Association warn of disrupted academic planning, increased mental stress, and widened inequality gaps in universities where private fees exceed Rs 1-2 lakh annually.

In broader terms, this backlog hampers Maharashtra's Gross Enrolment Ratio (GER) in higher education, currently at 32.9% (national average 28.4%), as meritorious reserved category students miss semesters or switch to cheaper, lower-quality options.

Stakeholder Perspectives: From Frustration to Calls for Reform

Shiv Sena MLC Manisha Kayande raised alarms in the Legislative Council, fearing dropouts due to financial strain. Minister Chandrakant Patil countered that no dropout complaints were received and blamed students, while noting six circulars issued since July 2025 and online meetings to expedite.

Student unions at universities like SRTMU Nanded and SPPU report hundreds affected, demanding fixed timelines. Education experts point to understaffed verification teams (one officer handling 5,000+ apps) and suggest AI-driven pre-screening.

Government's Response and Recent Actions

Following December 2025 assembly queries and RTI revelations, the department acted on 49,057 of 1.42 lakh pendings by February 2026. Instructions to divisional joint directors spurred progress, reducing totals from 1.42 lakh to ~93k then 52k. Yet, no penalties on errant colleges despite demands, as audits cleared institutions.

The Maharashtra Budget 2026 allocated funds but cut some schemes (e.g., Tuition Fee Scholarship by 82%), signaling fiscal pressures amid rising applications.

Proposed Solutions and Best Practices

To resolve, experts advocate:

• Automated document validation using OCR and AI on MahaDBT.
• Mandatory student training webinars on uploads.
• Increased staffing and Aadhaar-PFMS integration like National Scholarship Portal (NSP).
• Fixed 60-day verification SLAs with penalties for delays.
• Block-chain for tamper-proof records.

Neighboring states like Karnataka use pre-verified e-certificates, reducing delays by 70%. Maharashtra could adopt similar, integrating with NSP for seamless central-state schemes.National Scholarship Portal offers lessons in real-time tracking.

Case Studies: Real Stories from Affected Students

In Nagpur's RTMNU colleges, SC students pursuing BTech waited 18 months for Rs 30,000 tuition aid, accruing Rs 10,000 interest on loans. A pharmacy student at a Mumbai aided college faced semester bar for unpaid fees, resolved only after MLA intervention.

These anecdotes reflect a pattern: 70% pendings from reserved categories, per RTIs, exacerbating social mobility barriers in competitive fields like IT and medicine.

Future Outlook: Towards Timely Aid in Indian Higher Education

With NEP 2020 emphasizing equity, resolving this backlog is crucial for India's Viksit Bharat vision. Projections show 15% application rise by 2030; without reforms, GER stagnation looms. Positive signs: MahaDBT upgrades planned for 2026-27 with AI pilots.

Students can mitigate by double-checking docs via MahaDBT status tracker and escalating via helpline (1800-120-8040). Colleges must prioritize verifications to sustain enrollment.

Ultimately, streamlining will boost retention, research output from aided universities, and workforce skills, benefiting Maharashtra's economy.

Photo by Zoshua Colah on Unsplash

Actionable Insights for Students and Institutions

• Upload all docs (Aadhaar, bank passbook, FYJC marks, domicile) before deadline.
• Submit hard copy to college principal within 7 days.
• Track weekly; resubmit if 'pending docs'.
• Colleges: Dedicate staff, conduct camps.
• Govt: Quarterly audits, dashboards.

By addressing these, Maharashtra can set a model for scholarship efficiency in Indian higher education.