The Rise Scholarship provides equal access to learning, growth, participation, and progress for women with disabilities pursuing higher education.
In its second edition, 20 women with disabilities have been awarded scholarships of Rs. 1,25,000 each. The selected scholars represent a wide range of academic levels, from undergraduate programmes to postgraduate studies and even PhDs. The cohort includes women with disabilities from 5 impairment groups. With over 50 applications, final winners were chosen through a competitive process.
The final Rise Scholars 2026 are:
- Aarti Sanjay Baviskar, a 19-year-old student with low vision from Jalgaon, Maharashtra, is pursuing her B.Com at Ness Wadia College of Commerce, Pune, Maharashtra.
- Ammu S, a 24-year-old Deaf student from Alappuzha, Kerala, is pursuing her MFA (Master of Fine Arts) at RLV College of Music and Fine Arts, Tripunithura, Kochi.
- Anjali Nagnath Tamlure, a 19-year-old student with low vision from Nanded, Maharashtra, is pursuing her B.A. at Sir Parashurambhau College, Pune, Maharashtra.
- Barnali Mandi, a 22-year-old student with low vision from Paschim Medinipur, West Bengal, is pursuing her B.A. in History at Rabindra Bharati University, Kolkata, West Bengal.
- Darshna Nilesh Harad, a 22-year-old student with blindness from Thane, Maharashtra, is pursuing her B.A. in Marathi at K.G. Joshi College of Arts & N.G. Bedekar College of Commerce, Thane, Maharashtra.
- Gangasagar Anandrao Khandare, a 24-year-old student with blindness from Nanded, Maharashtra, is pursuing her M.A. in Sociology at KTHM College, Nashik, Maharashtra.
- Jaya Balasaheb Gudade, a 28-year-old student with blindness from Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar, Maharashtra, is pursuing her M.A. in Marathi at KJ Somaiya College, Mumbai, Maharashtra.
- Neha Prajapati, a 21-year-old Deaf student from Mumbai, Maharashtra, is pursuing her Second Year Junior College (SYJC) in Commerce at TEACH, Mumbai, Maharashtra.
- Pooja Panda, a 27-year-old student with blindness from Thane, Maharashtra, is pursuing her M.A. in Hindi at K.G. Joshi College of Arts & N.G. Bedekar College of Commerce, Thane, Maharashtra.
- Ritika Batra, a 24-year-old student with a locomotor disability from New Delhi, is pursuing her M.Ed. in Intellectual Disabilities at NIEPID, Hyderabad, Telangana.
- Samraggi Brahma, a 21-year-old student with cerebral palsy from Kolkata, West Bengal, is pursuing her B.A. Sociology Honours through an online programme at Sikkim Manipal University, Gangtok, Sikkim.
- Shamal Sunil Bhoi, a 26-year-old student with blindness from Pune, Maharashtra, is pursuing her M.Com at Marathwada Mitra Mandal’s College of Commerce, Pune, Maharashtra.
- Shenazbi Ismail Shaikh, a 27-year-old student with blindness from Mumbai, Maharashtra, is currently pursuing her Master of Arts in Communication and Journalism (MACJ) at K.G. Joshi College of Arts & N.G. Bedekar College of Commerce, Thane, Maharashtra.
- Shivani Vijay Pancheshwar, a 22-year-old student with low vision from Nagpur, Maharashtra, is pursuing her MSW at Matru Seva Sangh Institute of Social Work, Nagpur, Maharashtra.
- Shruti Pal, a 34-year-old student with cerebral palsy from Madhya Pradesh, is pursuing her PhD at the International Institute for Population Sciences, Mumbai, Maharashtra.
- Sushma Kedarnath Pal, a 23-year-old student with blindness from Thane, Maharashtra, is pursuing her M.A. in Marathi at K.G. Joshi College of Arts & N.G. Bedekar College of Commerce, Thane, Maharashtra.
- Tamanna Rathod, a 19-year-old student with blindness from Mumbai, Maharashtra, is pursuing her BSW at the College of Social Work, Nirmala Niketan, Mumbai, Maharashtra.
- Tanmayi M P, an 18-year-old student with low vision from Davangere, Karnataka, is pursuing her B.A. (History, Tourism, Journalism) at Jyoti Nivas College Autonomous, Bengaluru, Karnataka.
- Vijayalakshmi, a 24-year-old student with blindness from Telangana, is pursuing her M.A. in English at Veeranari Chakali Ilamma Women's University, Hyderabad, Telangana.
- Vishakha Pramod Kumar Singh, a 23-year-old student with low vision from Mumbai, Maharashtra, is pursuing her D.Ed. at RDSPS, Nagpur, Maharashtra.
Rise Scholarships 2026 is supported by IQVIA.