StudyDesk Scholarships
About the scholarship
BookMyShow, India’s large ticketing platform, runs its social-impact work through the BookMyShow Foundation. In February 2025 the foundation relaunched that work as BookAChange — the successor to BookASmile, which began in 2014 — and with it announced a music scholarship programme pledging 500 scholarships. The aim is stated plainly: to help talented people from marginalised backgrounds, including students and street artists, get formal music education they could not otherwise afford.
The programme covers a wide spread of music study, not just performance: instrumental and vocal training, audio production, sound engineering, songwriting, and the business of music are all named as eligible fields. What matters is that the course is offered by a recognised and accredited institute in India. A course outside India, or at an unaccredited provider, is outside the scheme.
Benefits
- 90% of the tuition fee, paid by BookAChange directly to the academy or university on the institution’s own payment schedule.
- The remaining 10%: you pay it to the institute at the start of the course, and BookAChange reimburses it to you on successful completion of the course. In effect, a student who completes the course has 100% of tuition covered, but the 10% is only refunded at the end, not upfront.
- Support for the full duration of the music programme or course up to one year. If the course runs longer than a year, support can be extended for the remaining duration on the student’s progress, provided a fresh scholarship application is made for the consecutive year of the same course.
- Boarding and lodging are not part of the standard award; additional support for them can be made only as a special request, subject to consideration.
- Musical instruments and other equipment are not covered: the scholarship is limited to course tuition fees.
- There is no application fee.
Who can apply
- You demonstrate musical talent and excellence in the field you are seeking a scholarship in.
- You come from an economically disadvantaged background.
- Your course is a music programme at a recognised and accredited institute in India.
- You may apply without a confirmed admission, but if you are selected you must then submit an official admission or acceptance letter from the accredited institute immediately; without it, the foundation will not disburse the scholarship, and failure to provide the documents in time leads to withdrawal or rejection.
- You can apply for only one BookAChange scholarship programme at a time, and you may reapply in a future cycle if an earlier application is rejected.
- Income limit — read this carefully: the provider’s own FAQ states that total or combined annual family household income must be below ₹8,00,000, while the Buddy4Study scholarship listing states ₹12,00,000. The two figures cannot both be the current rule. This article does not pick one silently: if your family income falls between ₹8 lakh and ₹12 lakh, confirm the current limit with BookAChange before you rely on eligibility.
Documents required
The scholarship guidelines require, among other items, a letter from the academy or university on its letterhead, duly stamped and signed by the designated authority, stating the course fee structure and payment details with the corresponding payment timelines. That letter is also what the final award depends on: the scholarship is only confirmed once the institute’s documents are submitted. Keep ready the usual identity, income and admission evidence as well, and check the current guidelines document on bookachange.org for the full checklist before submitting, since the guidelines are the governing document and the foundation reserves the right to modify or cancel the programme, criteria or selection process at any time.
How to apply
- Read the BookAChange Music Scholarship Guidelines and FAQs on bookachange.org, and settle the income-limit question above if it affects you.
- Apply online through the official BookAChange website. You do not need a confirmed admission to apply.
- If selected, you will be notified by email. Confirm your acceptance within 15 days of receiving the scholarship confirmation email — failure to respond in that window means the scholarship lapses.
- Submit the institute’s stamped and signed fee-structure letter and your admission or acceptance letter promptly, and sign the BookAChange Music Scholarship Memorandum of Understanding (MOU).
- After the MOU is signed, BookAChange releases payment directly to the academy or university. You pay your 10% share at the start of the course and claim it back on successful completion.
FAQs
In effect, for a student who completes the course: 90% is paid direct to the institute during the course, and the 10% you paid upfront is reimbursed on successful completion. If you do not complete the course, the 10% reimbursement does not apply.
No fixed deadline is published. Both the Buddy4Study listing and the programme guides state the scholarship is open throughout the year, and the Buddy4Study page lists the deadline date as “Always Open”.
This is disputed between sources: the provider FAQ says below ₹8,00,000 a year, while the Buddy4Study listing says ₹12,00,000 a year. Confirm the current limit with BookAChange before applying if your income falls between the two figures.
No, as standard. It covers tuition fees only. Instruments and equipment are excluded, and boarding or lodging support requires a special request subject to consideration.
Yes. You may apply without a confirmed admission, but a selected candidate must then submit an official admission or acceptance letter from an accredited Indian institute immediately, or the award is withdrawn.
Verified 30 Oct 2026 against the BookAChange official FAQ (bookachange.org: tuition-only coverage, accredited Indian institutes, full-duration support up to 1 year with fresh application for longer courses, no fee, 15-day acceptance window, one programme at a time, income below ₹8,00,000 in the FAQ) and the Buddy4Study scholarship listing (90% plus 10% reimbursement, “Always Open” deadline, ₹12,00,000 income figure) and launch coverage (DT Next, Mid-Day, February 2025: 500 scholarships pledged, BookASmile successor). The ₹8 lakh / ₹12 lakh income discrepancy is carried openly in the article rather than resolved by guesswork.
