Introducing Masai Scholarships

Discover the inspiring story behind Masai Scholarships and how they recognise top-performing students, offering financial aid of up to INR 1.5 Crore.

Masai provides valuable students with exemptions from fees totalling Rs. 1.5 Crore for academic purposes. Students enrolled in Masai ONE programs are eligible.

A door-to-door salesman turned developer; a panipuri stall owner who completely turned his life around to become a developer; an Uber driver who transformed his life to become a software engineer -  these are just a few of the many stories of grit, determination, and courage we’ve seen at Masai. And these are also a testament to the kind of skills that students pick up along the way at Masai to build a new, better world for themselves.

Building on this foundation of recognising skills, Masai has announced the launch of our first set of scholarships for deserving students.

The genesis of the scholarships

The idea to introduce scholarships was the brainchild of Masai CEO Prateek Shukla, and the journey to make that dream a reality took the better part of 18 months. The idea was simple: recognise the efforts of those students who consistently featured in the top echelon of their respective batches at Masai.

These scholarships were intended to give students a perspective on the stage of life they are in and how the learnings they gather from this stage of life will help them shape their future, as well as society.

Once the groundwork had been laid, the challenge of identifying the perfect role models who would truly embody the idea behind these scholarships presented itself in front of them. These scholarships will provide up to INR 1.5 Cr in financial aid to deserving students each year.

This modification occurred two weeks after it was disclosed that India Quotient and Unitus Ventures contributed $4.77 million to Masai School's Pre-Series B fundraising round.

In order to identify the correct set of role models it was necessary for them to understand the characteristics of those individuals who were to receive these scholarships -  potential thought leaders who would never shy away from competition, while displaying a work ethic and moral compass that helped them attain excellence in their craft so far.

Finally, they zeroed in on the following individuals:

Mithali Raj

The highest run-scorer in women’s international cricket; the only Indian cricket captain (men or women) to lead the Indian side to two 50-over world cups; the first woman cricketer to surpass the 6000 and 7000 runs mark - just some of the stats that speak to the excellence that Mithali Raj embodies.

Former Indian cricketer Mithali Dorai Raj led the country's women's national cricket team from 2004 to 2022. In women's international cricket, she has scored the most runs, and ESPN (Entertainment and Sports Programming Network) named her one of the best female cricketers ever. Raj surpassed Charlotte Edwards' previous mark of 10,273 runs in July 2021 to take the title of an athlete with the most runs in women's international cricket.

Coming from a middle-class household just like the majority of our students, Mithali Raj perfectly exemplifies the way the modern Indian woman can break through the shackles of tradition and go after everything she aspires for.

Bhaichung Bhutia

Born in Sikkim, Bhaichung had a keen interest in football from a very young age. His parents, who were farmers, had other ideas. However, they eventually let him do his own thing once he received a scholarship from the Sports Authority of India (SAI) to follow his dreams of playing football.

The youngest player to score a goal for India at the age of 19, Bhaichung later went on to lead India to the 2005 SAFF Championship. He even went agonisingly close to making the cut in top-division English Premier League football. Bhaichung has left a legacy that inspires younger generations to not just dream big, but also to believe in themselves whatever their situation in life.

That last sentence is something many of our students who come from underprivileged backgrounds have been able to do brilliantly.

What makes the partnership even more meaningful is the fact that Bhaichung has forayed into education, too, with the Bhaichung Bhutia Football Schools, bringing the beautiful game of football to children all over the country.

Masai Scholarships

Masai announced two scholarships in partnership with Mithali Raj and Bhaichung Bhutia - and both closely embody what both Indian sporting legends stand for.

• The Mithali Raj Scholarship for Women in Tech - for women graduates who display an excellent track record academically and inhibit the potential to go on and do bigger things in tech.
• Bhaichung Bhutia Scholarship for Extra-curricular Excellence -for graduates with a strong background in sports, performing arts, or social work in their communities.

Masai is making Rs. 1.5 crore available in academic and community-based fee waivers for deserving Masai students.

Eligibility criteria: This scholarship is available to all students enrolled in the Masai ONE and MasaiX programmes who have completed unit 6 (the first 30 weeks of the curriculum).

The number of awards that will be handed out: One student each per batch per course will receive The Mithali Raj Scholarship for women in tech and The Bhaichung Bhutia Scholarship for extra-curricular excellence.

Deciding factors: To arrive at a list of students who would receive the scholarship the key average weighted scores from Unit 1 to Unit 6 along with a set of documents (different from the ones required for admission)would be taken into consideration. Students would be required to submit these documents at the time of admission itself.

For the Mithali Raj Scholarship for women in tech, applicants must submit one or more of the following documents:

• A letter of recommendation from their school Principal
• A letter of recommendation from the Head of the Department of their undergraduate program.
• A letter of recommendation from the Head of the Department of their post-graduate program.

For the Bhaichung Bhutia Scholarship for extra-curricular excellence, applicants must submit the following documents:

• A letter of recommendation from their school Principal and/or a letter of recommendation from the Head of the Department of their undergraduate program, and/or a letter of recommendation from the Head of the Department of their post-graduate program.
• Official recognition of extra-curricular participation via certificates, contracts, official communications, newspaper excerpts, and other relevant documentation.

It is worthwhile mentioning that once a student gets a scholarship they would need to maintain the following performance standards in order to completely secure their scholarship.

• Maintain a minimum attendance of 90% and
• Must submit 90% of their assignments
• Ensure an average weighted score of 7 or above
• Not receive an Async in any course
• Not indulge in malicious activities such as Plagiarism
• Not be found breaching the Masai code of conduct

How can students apply for these scholarships?

Interested students can apply for the scholarships in 3 simple steps-

Step 1: During the admission process, students would be required to upload the required documents as mentioned above in order to become eligible for the scholarship.

Step 2: Sit for MSAT and secure admission at Masai on the basis of marks scored.

Step 3: Basis the scores from Unit 1 to Unit 6, the students would receive the scholarships.

Know more about Masai scholarships here.

Conclusion

The company, currently operating as India's top Pay-After-Placement college, will be able to expand its signature "zero-to-one" skilling course in Software Development and Data Analytics in addition to launching two new course categories as the outcome of the most recent funding addition and scholarships. In order to fulfil the demand for IT experts in roles such as Senior Software Developer and Global Capability Centers, the firm is introducing MasaiX, their first up-skilling course.

These scholarships will help and motivate the founders to integrate more beneficial courses and provide students with a better future.

FAQs

What is the scholar programme that the Masai school launches for the students?

According to the company, Masai School will introduce MasaiX, an enhancing course for software developers, and a "Scholar Program" to supplement college graduates with essential digital skills. Prepleaf, a corporate affiliate that Masai School bought in December 2021 to create the largest employable tech workforce in the nation, will carry out the scholar program.

How much funding was raised by the Masai school?

Masai successfully secured a $10 million (Rs. 81 crores) Series B fundraising round, managed by Omidyar Network India and included current shareholders Alteria Capital, India Quotient, and Unitus Ventures.

What is the Mithali Raj Scholarship and the Bhaichung Bhutia Scholarship designated for?

Both the Mithali Raj Scholarship and the Bhaichung Bhutia Scholarship are designated for ‘women in technology’ and ‘Extra-curricular excellence’, respectively.