Free coaching: government programmes and schemes¶
Coaching does not have to cost lakhs. The Government of India, public institutions and several states run free coaching programmes. Some are open to everyone; others pay a coaching fee and a stipend for eligible students.
Evidence status: 🟡 secondary. Every link points to the programme's official website. The links and figures were located by web search on 2026-09-27 and cross-checked across several sources. Eligibility, amounts and dates change every year: the scheme's current guidelines on its official site always win.
Open to every student¶
| Programme | Run by | What it gives | Exams |
|---|---|---|---|
| SATHEE | Ministry of Education with IIT Kanpur | Free online coaching: video lectures, practice, mock tests, notes in many Indian languages | JEE, NEET, CUET, SSC, CLAT, ICAR, RRB |
| IIT-PAL | IIT Delhi for the Ministry of Education | Class 11–12 physics, chemistry, maths and biology lectures by IIT faculty | JEE, NEET |
| SWAYAM Prabha | Ministry of Education | Free 24×7 educational TV channels on DD FreeDish, also online | School to degree level; IIT-PAL for JEE |
| NTA Abhyas | National Testing Agency | Free mock tests in the real NTA interface | JEE Main, NEET |
For eligible students: fees and stipend paid¶
| Scheme | Run by | Who can apply | What it pays |
|---|---|---|---|
| Free Coaching Scheme for SC and OBC students (scheme page) | Ministry of Social Justice and Empowerment | SC and OBC students with family income up to ₹8 lakh a year, and PM CARES Children Scheme beneficiaries | The coaching fee at an empanelled institute (reported up to ₹1.2 lakh), plus a monthly stipend (reported ₹4,000, up to nine months) |
| Free coaching for De-notified, Nomadic and Semi-Nomadic Tribes | Development and Welfare Board for DNTs | DNT students (see the scheme's guidelines) | Coaching support, per the guidelines |
| Jamia Residential Coaching Academy (apply at admission.jmi.ac.in) | Jamia Millia Islamia, a central university | Minority, SC, ST and women graduates eligible for the Civil Services Examination, through an entrance test | Free civil services coaching with a hostel, for about 100 selected students a year |
| Jai Bhim Mukhyamantri Pratibha Vikas Yojana | Government of Delhi | SC, ST, OBC and EWS students of Delhi, as the scheme defines | Coaching fees for civil services, SSC, railway, bank, engineering, medical and other exams, plus a stipend |
| Mukhyamantri Anuprati Coaching Yojana (Social Justice and Empowerment Department, Rajasthan) | Government of Rajasthan | Rajasthan-domiciled SC, ST, OBC, MBC, EWS and minority students with family income up to ₹8 lakh a year, selected on merit | Free coaching at an empanelled institute for UPSC, RPSC, SSC, banking, railway, REET, police, engineering, medical, CLAT, CA/CS/CMA and other exams; accommodation assistance up to ₹40,000 a year for students studying away from home |
Find your own state's scheme¶
Most states run their own free coaching for civil services, police, teacher and state PSC exams. Search myScheme, the government's scheme finder, for "coaching" and filter by your state. Scholarships for your degree are on the National Scholarship Portal.
Never pay an agent to "get you into" a free scheme: every scheme above takes applications only on its official portal.