ICAI Scholarship 2026 — Revised Amounts, Eligibility & SSP Portal Apply

For years, CA Foundation students received no scholarship support at all from ICAI — only Intermediate and Final-level students were covered, and applications went through a slow offline postal process to ICAI Bhawan, New Delhi.

That changed significantly from January 1, 2026. ICAI revised its scholarship scheme by extending eligibility to Foundation students, increasing scholarship amounts, raising the income limit and shifting applications to the online SSP portal.

ICAI Scholarship is administered by the Institute of Chartered Accountants of India, providing monthly financial support to CA students at Foundation, Intermediate, and Final levels (including during Articleship), based on merit or financial need.

Apply via the Self Service Portal (SSP) at eservices.icai.org. Under the 2026 revised scheme, Foundation students get ₹1,500/month for 4 months (newly introduced), need-based Intermediate and Final students get ₹2,500/month, and the income eligibility limit for need-based categories has been raised to below ₹5 lakh (up from ₹3 lakh). There’s no fixed deadline — applications are accepted year-round and processed in batches.

2026 Revised Scheme — What Changed

Effective January 1, 2026, ICAI implemented a major revision to its scholarship scheme.

According to ICAI, scholarships are awarded to tens of thousands of students each year. As part of the 2026 revision, the Institute also announced a substantial increase in the scholarship corpus to around ₹500 crore.

Merit-Based Scholarships Pay More Than the General Rate

This is the detail a lot of summaries of the 2026 revision leave out, and it matters if a top rank holder assumes they’ll get the same ₹2,500/month as everyone else.

For Intermediate exam rank holders who register for the Final course and commence Articleship, the merit-based scholarship pays considerably more than the general need-based rate:

This runs for 24 months or the remaining period of Articleship, whichever is shorter. If you placed within the top 50 in your Intermediate results and are now in Articleship, it’s worth explicitly applying under this merit category rather than the general need-based one, since the difference in monthly amount is substantial.

Two Types of Scholarships

Scholarships are not provided after passing CA Final — coverage ends at the Final/Articleship stage.

Eligibility

The duration of scholarship support depends on the applicable category under the revised scheme. Applicants should refer to the SSP portal or the latest ICAI scholarship guidelines for the duration applicable to their case.

How to Apply — Step by Step

1. Log in to the Self Service Portal (SSP) at eservices.icai.org.
2. Navigate to “Student Functions” and select the Scholarship Application Form.
3. Choose the scholarship type — need-based or merit-based (and rank category, if merit-based).
4. Fill in personal and course details.
5. Upload the required documents (see below).
6. Submit the application.

Applications are accepted online only — the earlier offline postal process to ICAI Bhawan no longer applies. There’s no single fixed last date; the application window stays open year-round, and applications are processed online in batches. Processing time varies depending on the scholarship category and verification requirements, and applicants can track the status through the SSP portal.

Documents Required

Payment

After approval, scholarship payments are credited directly to the student’s registered bank account through Direct Benefit Transfer (DBT). The actual credit timeline may vary depending on the processing cycle and verification status. Keeping bank details updated and accurate on the SSP portal matters — incorrect account details are a common reason for payment delay.

FAQ

What is the ICAI Scholarship 2026 amount for Foundation students? ₹1,500 per month for 4 months — newly introduced from January 1, 2026.

What is the income limit for need-based ICAI scholarship? Parents’/guardian’s annual income must be below ₹5 lakh (raised from the earlier ₹3 lakh limit).

How much do Intermediate Rank 1-10 holders receive? ₹5,000 per month during Articleship, with no income proof required — considerably more than the general need-based rate.

Is there a fixed last date for ICAI scholarship application? Applications are accepted online through the SSP portal. ICAI has not prescribed a single annual closing date under the revised scheme, and applications are processed in batches.

Where do I apply for ICAI scholarship in 2026? Online only, through the Self Service Portal (SSP) at eservices.icai.org — the older offline postal process is no longer the current method.

The 2026 revision significantly expanded ICAI’s scholarship scheme by extending eligibility to Foundation students, increasing financial assistance, and moving the application process online through the SSP portal. Students should review the eligibility conditions carefully before applying, especially the distinction between need-based and merit-based scholarships — the merit-based rates in particular are worth checking closely if you ranked in the top 50 for Intermediate. For related student resources, the ICAI Online Registration guide and National Scholarship Portal guide cover other application processes students commonly need.