The Birla Institute of Technology and Science (BITS) Pilani will offer full tuition fee scholarships to eligible students securing a rank among the top 1,000 candidates in its entrance examination, BITSAT, from the 2027 admission cycle. The move doubles the number of students covered under the institute’s existing merit-based scholarship initiative, which was introduced for the top 500 rankers in 2026.
The scholarship will cover 100% of tuition fees for all four years of undergraduate study. Students whose annual family income does not exceed ₹20 lakh will be eligible, provided they maintain a minimum cumulative grade point average (CGPA) of 7.5 at their respective campuses.
The announcement was made by BITS Pilani Group Vice-Chancellor V Ramgopal Rao.
Scholarship to Be Included in Admission Offer
Eligible students will not have to submit a separate application after joining the institute. The scholarship will be automatically included in their admission offer, giving candidates clarity about the financial support available when they secure admission.
The scheme will apply to students admitted through BITSAT, the computer-based entrance examination for the institute’s integrated first-degree programmes. These include Bachelor of Engineering (BE), Master of Science (MSc) and Bachelor of Pharmacy (BPharm) courses.
The waiver covers tuition fees and does not mean that all other admission, hostel or related charges will be waived.
Top-Ranker Admissions Rise by 50%
The expansion follows an increase in admissions among high-ranking BITSAT candidates after the introduction of the earlier scholarship scheme.
According to Rao, the number of eligible students from the top 500 BITSAT rankers who joined BITS Pilani increased by 50% in 2026. The BITSAT score required to secure a place in this group also rose from 314 to 324.
The institute also recorded higher admissions among candidates ranked between 501 and 1,000, who were not covered under the earlier initiative. Overall, the number of students joining from the top 1,000 rank bracket increased by 50%.
BITS Pilani Disburses ₹190 Crore in Financial Assistance
During the 2025–26 academic year, BITS Pilani disbursed approximately ₹190 crore through scholarships, fee waivers and fellowships across its undergraduate, higher-degree and PhD programmes.
Of this amount, ₹101 crore was allocated to First Degree students through merit-based, merit-cum-need and international student scholarship programmes. The institute said around one in every four students across its campuses received some form of financial assistance.
The expanded scholarship scheme will begin with the BITSAT 2027 admission cycle, with eligibility linked to entrance rank, family income and academic performance.
