StudyDesk Scholarships
About the programme
NavGurukul was started in 2016 to make aspirational careers reachable for students from marginalised communities, and its residential programme is its flagship: a nationwide network of campuses where learners live, study and run the campus community together. The Pune campus is one of the programme’s locations, alongside Dantewada, Raipur, Himachal, Jashpur, Kishanganj, Dharamshala, Udaipur and Sarjapur. The organisation reports more than 1,500 students placed, with salaries in the ₹2.4 lakh to ₹8.5 lakh a year range, and more than 120 hiring partners.
The programme’s education approach has three stated parts: it is residential and cost-free, lasting one to two years including accommodation, meals and all learning materials; it is peer-driven and self-paced, with students supporting each other in a community-led environment; and it is holistic, combining technical education with life skills, leadership and agency. Campuses are self-governed spaces managed by the students themselves through elected bodies, including cooking, health and hygiene, sports and field visits alongside study. The flagship School of Programming course at Pune and the other campuses is an 18-month, student-led, self-paced course covering front-end development (web and mobile development in JavaScript, React.js and Android), back-end development (Python, Node.js and JavaScript), soft skills (English speaking, teamwork, emotional intelligence and leadership) and hands-on clone projects for products such as WhatsApp and Facebook.
Benefits
- Full funding for the residential programme: accommodation, meals and all learning materials are included for one to two years, so the cost of living while learning is not charged to the student.
- An 18-month programming course (for the School of Programming track) with front-end and back-end development, soft skills and hands-on projects.
- 100% assistance for securing a job in roles such as entry-level software developer, front-end developer, back-end developer, Python developer, JavaScript developer and testing and QA engineer.
- A self-paced, peer-driven learning community with student council participation, co-curricular activities, sports and field visits, rather than a lecture-only timetable.
- No tuition fee to pay upfront: the programme is described as fully funded and cost-free for the learner.
Who can apply
- You are above 16 years of age and from an underprivileged or low-income community, and you cannot afford expensive college education.
- No prior education is needed: the official page states that its students have been school and college dropouts, Class 10 or Class 12 pass students, and degree holders such as BSc or BTech graduates who could not get jobs.
- Your family income is below ₹15,000 a month in urban areas or ₹10,000 a month in rural areas, as stated on the official School of Programming page.
- Some level of English is good to have, and you have heard about programming or have an interest in making a career in the field.
- You can live residentially at the Pune campus for the programme’s duration and take part in its self-governed community life. This is a full-time, on-campus commitment, not a remote or part-time course.
One older description of the residential programme says it is open to students who have finished Class 10 and are 17 years of age. That does not match the current official page, which gives above 16 with no prior education needed. This article follows the current official page; if you are 16 or have not finished Class 10, confirm your eligibility with NavGurukul before travelling.
Documents required
No document checklist for the Pune residential programme is published on the official residential-programmes page checked, so none is invented here. The admission process is test- and interview-based rather than document-based, and the page directs applicants to enrol through its own process. Keep an identity proof, proof of your family-income situation and your previous education records (if any) ready, and follow whatever the application form asks for, since that form governs the application.
How to apply
- Read the official NavGurukul residential-programmes page in full, including the Pune campus listing, the 1 to 2 year residential commitment and the self-governed campus life, and decide honestly whether living on campus fits your life.
- Start the enrolment process through the official NavGurukul page (the page’s “Want to Enroll” route) and choose the Pune campus.
- Take the screening test: it assesses fundamental skills up to Class 8 level in mathematics, logical reasoning and English. The test is 30 marks in total (mathematics 20, English 10), and the passing criteria are 14 marks in mathematics and 6 marks in English. It is offered online or offline, and students from any stream can take it.
- If you qualify, attend the academic interview, which evaluates Class 8 level mathematics and English in the same way as the screening test, and then the culture-fit round, which assesses cultural alignment, needs, emotional aspects and commitment to community. Candidates who do not pass the culture-fit round may be marked “In Preparation” and allowed a re-interview in 7 to 15 days.
- If you pass, you receive an offer letter confirming selection for the residential course, sent by email.
FAQs
No. It is a fully funded residential career programme: you live on campus, learn for one to two years, and receive placement assistance. It does not pay university tuition for a degree.
Nothing is charged to the learner for the programme itself: accommodation, meals and learning materials are included, and the programme is described as fully funded and cost-free.
No, on the current official page: no prior education is needed, and students have included dropouts as well as degree holders. Older listings mention Class 10 and age 17 — confirm with NavGurukul if that affects you.
No single deadline is published on the official residential-programmes page. Applications are taken on a rolling basis, so check the official page for the next Pune cohort.
The programme gives 100% assistance for entry-level software roles such as software developer, front-end and back-end developer, Python and JavaScript developer and testing/QA engineer, with placed alumni salaries reported at ₹2.4 lakh to ₹8.5 lakh a year.
NavGurukul reports that seven of its eight campuses are girls-only, but the official page checked does not state that Pune specifically is girls-only, so no claim is made here — confirm the Pune campus’s current intake with NavGurukul.
Verified 30 Oct 2026 against the official NavGurukul residential-programmes page (navgurukul.org/residentialprograms: fully funded residential programmes in tech, business and finance; 1 to 2 years including accommodation, meals and materials; peer-driven and self-paced; 1,500+ placed at ₹2.4–8.5 lakh a year; 120+ hiring partners; School of Programming 18-month course with front-end, back-end, soft skills and clone projects; Pune among the programme locations; above 16, no prior education needed, urban ₹15,000/rural ₹10,000 family-income figures, some English good to have; screening test 30 marks with 14/6 pass marks, academic interview, culture-fit round with 7–15 day re-interview, offer letter by email) and the official School of Business page for the same admission process. No deadline is published on the official page and none is stated.
