BusinessWire India
New Delhi [India], September 17: Buddy4Study, India's largest education funding platform, has announced the expansion of its Student Financial Aid Offices (SFAOs) across educational institutions nationwide.
Having supported over 1.37 lakh unique scholars through Rs. 630 crore in scholarships, Buddy4Study aims to establish 1,000 Student Financial Aid Offices (SFAOs) by March 2026 across universities, colleges, and training institutions. SFAOs help academic institutions to create a centralised, single-window access point for students to explore and secure scholarships, education loans, government schemes, philanthropic aid, and alumni support.
Through these institution-based aid offices, students will have direct, on-campus access to verified government and private scholarship opportunities which Buddy4Study is hosting with its 200+ trusted partners, including HDFC Bank, L'Oreal India, Colgate-Palmolive (India), GlaxoSmithKline Pharmaceuticals, Kotak Education Foundation, Bharti Airtel Foundation, and Infosys Foundation. Additionally, the students can access fee waivers and collateral-free education loans of up to Rs. 20 lakh via Buddy4Study's partner banks and NBFCs. Each aid office will be managed by a faculty member or a staff member provided by the institution, who will be trained as a Financial Aid Counsellor by Buddy4Study, thus ensuring that students receive timely alerts and guidance on eligibility, timelines, and application processes for various education funding opportunities.
Set to empower 1,00,000 students with Rs. 400 crore in scholarships during 2025-26, Buddy4Study is strengthening India's educational funding ecosystem by partnering with premier institutions--such as National Institute of Technology, Delhi, Lovely Professional University, and Institute of Management Technology, Ghaziabad, Sri Siddhartha School of Engineering, Karnataka--along with several colleges under the University of Delhi, to establish Student Financial Aid Offices in their campuses. Beyond academic institutions, reputed NGOs such as the Gopalakrishnan Foundation for the Deaf, Milaan Foundation and Dalmia Bharat Foundation are also leveraging this model to extend financial support to their student communities.
"Gopalakrishnan Foundation for the Deaf has been working at the grassroots level, making all education, workplace learning, skill-building and entrepreneurship accessible to millions of Indian deaf community learners in sign language. Having worked so closely with our learners for more than 2 decades now, we have been aware of the widening education funding gap within the Indian deaf community, and we have been wanting to address this somehow. Now, with this partnership with Buddy4Study, we have launched our Student Financial Aid Office dedicated to the Indian deaf learners community. We will now be able to actively assist our learners with relevant scholarships, government loan schemes, fee waivers and educational loans, and help our learners pursue their educational aspirations without any barriers," said Nita Gopalakrishnan, Managing Trustee of Gopalakrishnan Foundation for the Deaf.
Empowering Students, Advancing Institutions
The impact of an SFAO reaches far beyond individual students. Early pilots reveal that centralised financial support not only transforms student journeys but also enhances institutional compliance, reputation, brand value, and outreach. By embracing this model, institutions would instantly boost their compliance with requirements for outreach and inclusive financial practices under various national educational frameworks, such as NAAC (5.1 Student Support under Criterion V), NIRF (ESCS sub-parameter under Outreach & Inclusivity parameter), NEP 2020 (Para 12.10 Financial support for students), AICTE (norms 7.44 and 7.49 under Chapter-VII Norms and Requirements) and RUSA (guidance for Quality Improvement under Components 4, 8 & 10). Thus, SFAO will enable academic institutions to actively build equity, improve rankings, and foster a culture of care and inclusivity. SFAO will also help institutions set up alumni endowment funds and mentoring networks with alumni support.
A Pathway to Educational Equity
At the core of Buddy4Study's vision for educational equity, each Student Financial Aid Office becomes a transformational hub -- enabling access to not just financial funding, but also fostering "intellectual funding" through alumni and industry mentorship. More than financial relief, it builds an enduring ecosystem where institutions lead the way in inclusion and progress.
"With these Student Financial Aid Offices, we are moving closer to our Mission 2030--to empower 10 lakh deserving students. It's not only about solving financial barriers for students but also helping institutions to reduce chances of drop out caused by financial problems faced by students," said Ashutosh Burnwal, Founder and CEO, Buddy4Study.
Scaling for Nationwide Impact
Buddy4Study's proven expertise in education funding and extensive network underpin this ambitious expansion. With the rollout of 1,000 Student Financial Aid Offices, Buddy4Study is taking this impact directly to campuses across India. By March 2026, these offices will be fully operational across diverse geographies, with each institution's designated staff trained as Financial Aid Counsellors serving as institutional anchors to guide students in accessing funding opportunities.
Buddy4Study calls on institutions to join this initiative by setting up FAOs that enhance student access to education funding and strengthen institutional profiles. Together, we can build a future where no dream is lost for lack of funds and education remains truly inclusive.
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