IIT Madras Invites SC, ST, and SCA Students to Apply for Sponsored BS Degrees

The Tamil Nadu Adi Dravidar Housing and Development Corporation (TAHDCO) and the social welfare organisation Tamil Nadu Volunteers have invited students from Scheduled Castes, Scheduled Tribes, and Scheduled Caste Arunthathiyar (SC/ST/SCA) communities to enroll in Bachelor of Science (BS) programmes at IIT Madras in Chennai. Under this collaborative initiative, TAHDCO and IIT Madras will bear the education expenses of the enrolled students.

The admissions for the four-year BS programmes originally opened on May 11, with the registration deadline set for June 3, 2026. However, TAHDCO officials noted that the application window may remain open throughout the week. Students can apply online through the Tamil Nadu Volunteers website.

The initiative offers four distinct online BS programmes: Data Science and Applications, Electronic Systems, Management and Data Science, and Aeronautics and Space Technology. To secure admission, applicants must clear a qualifier exam for their chosen course.

According to Kandasamy, the Managing Director of TAHDCO, the programme is intended to benefit students who are financially and socially underprivileged. To ensure accessibility, all learning materials, including videos, PDFs, and other course content, will be sent directly to the applicants' email addresses.

To assist applicants through the admission process, Tamil Nadu Volunteers is deploying approximately 400 volunteers. These volunteers will provide guidance, mentorship, and technical support from the initial application stage through to the preparation for the qualifier exams.

Hari Krishnan from Tamil Nadu Volunteers highlighted that many SC/ST/SCA applicants reside in remote districts where they face logistical constraints and lack reliable internet facilities. The volunteer network is structured specifically to help these students overcome such barriers and successfully access the programmes.