New Delhi: BITS Pilani has expanded its full tuition fee scholarship initiative, doubling the number of eligible BITSAT candidates from 500 to 1,000, beginning with the BITSAT 2027 admission cycle. The expansion advances its long-term objective of making admissions tuition-free for all students.
Under the expanded scheme, candidates securing a rank among the top 1,000 in BITSAT 2027, whose annual family income is up to Rs 20 lakh, will be eligible for a 100% tuition fee scholarship for the entire four-year undergraduate programme. Eligible students from families with an annual income of up to Rs 20 lakh will receive this 100% tuition fee waiver for all four years, subject to maintaining a minimum CGPA of 7.5 at their respective campuses.
The scholarship will be directly integrated into the admission offer, eliminating the need for eligible students to submit a separate application after securing admission. This expansion builds on the institute's existing tuition-blind admissions initiative, which previously covered only the top 500 BITSAT rankers.
The institute noted that the previous phase of the initiative resulted in increased enrolment among high-ranking candidates. In 2026, the number of eligible students from the top 500 rankers who joined BITS Pilani increased by 50%, while the BITSAT score required to secure a position in that group rose from 314 to 324. BITS Pilani also reported a 50% overall increase in students joining from the top 1,000 rankers, which included candidates ranked between 501 and 1,000 who were outside the previous scholarship parameters. Prof. V. Ramgopal Rao, Group Vice Chancellor of BITS Pilani, noted that the move builds on the institution's long-standing commitment to scholarship-led support.
During the 2025-26 academic year, BITS Pilani disbursed approximately Rs 190 crore through various scholarships, fee waivers, and fellowships spanning First Degree, Higher Degree, and PhD programmes. Of that total, Rs 101 crore was directed to undergraduate students through merit, merit-cum-need, and international student scholarships, enabling one in every four students across the campuses to receive financial assistance. The institute intends to progressively scale up scholarship coverage moving forward with the ultimate aim of removing tuition barriers entirely.
Established in 1964, BITS Pilani operates multiple campuses across Pilani, Goa, Hyderabad, and Dubai, offering academic programmes across engineering, sciences, pharmacy, management, and other disciplines.