Coaching Scholarships in India: ANTHE, FTRE, ASAT & How to Use Them

Classroom coaching for JEE and NEET typically costs ₹1 lakh to ₹4.5 lakh a year, and GST at 18% is added on top. What many families don't realise is that almost every large coaching chain runs its own scholarship test, and a good score can cut the tuition fee substantially — sometimes entirely.

This guide explains how the best-known scholarship tests work, how to get the most out of them, and the risks to watch for. Test names, dates and scholarship slabs change every year, so always confirm the current details on the institute's official website before registering.

How coaching scholarships work

A coaching "scholarship" is almost always a discount on tuition fees, decided by your score in the institute's own admission test. A few things are common across institutes:

• Scholarships are usually awarded in slabs — for example 10%, 25%, 50%, 90% or 100% — based on your score or rank in the test.
• They typically apply to the tuition component only, not to registration fees, study material, hostel or GST. Ask exactly which parts of the fee the discount applies to.
• Many institutes also give a separate discount based on academic record — Class 10 board marks, Olympiad performance, or a previous JEE/NEET score for students repeating a year.
• Tests are usually free or charge a small registration fee, and many are available online.

Scholarship tests are also admission tests. Your score often decides which batch you are placed in, and in some institutes the stronger batches get more experienced faculty. That makes the test worth taking seriously even if the discount is small.

The best-known scholarship tests

ANTHE — Aakash

ANTHE (Aakash National Talent Hunt Exam) is Aakash's flagship scholarship exam for students of Classes 7 to 12, preparing for NEET, JEE and foundation courses. It is usually held in October and November, in both online and offline modes. Top scorers can receive up to 100% scholarship on tuition, and the highest rankers have in past years also received cash awards.

Aakash also runs an instant admission-cum-scholarship test (iACST) that can be taken online through most of the year, useful if you missed ANTHE or decide on coaching later.

ASAT and TALLENTEX — ALLEN

ALLEN offers an admission-cum-scholarship test, commonly known as ASAT, for its classroom programmes, available online and at its centres at several points in the year. Scholarship slabs depend on your test score, and ALLEN also gives discounts based on board marks and other academic achievements.

For younger students (roughly Classes 5 to 10), ALLEN runs TALLENTEX, a national talent-search exam with scholarships and awards.

FTRE — FIITJEE

FTRE (FIITJEE Talent Reward Exam) has long been FIITJEE's main scholarship-cum-admission test for school students, held several times a year, with the rank also deciding batch placement.

An important caution: in early 2025, a number of FIITJEE centres in north and central India shut down abruptly, and many families who had paid fees in advance struggled to get refunds. If you are considering FIITJEE, check the current status of the specific centre near you, speak to current students there, and avoid paying a full year or more upfront. The same caution applies to any institute, but it is especially important here.

Other institutes

Many other national and regional institutes — including Physics Wallah's offline centres, Resonance and others — run their own admission-cum-scholarship tests, and most local institutes offer discounts on the basis of board marks or a short entrance test. Ask every institute you are considering; if a scholarship exists, it is rarely advertised as loudly as the full fee.

A note on NTSE

Many older articles still recommend the National Talent Search Examination (NTSE). It was a government scholarship, not a coaching one, and it has been discontinued since 2021. Do not plan around it.

How to get the most out of scholarship tests

1. Take more than one test

Scholarship tests are cheap or free, and they double as practice under exam conditions. More importantly, a written scholarship offer from one institute is useful information when you talk to another. Many families take two or three tests in the same season.

2. Take them at the right time

The biggest tests (such as ANTHE) happen in October–November, for courses starting the following spring. If you are deciding on Class 11 coaching, plan to take these tests while in Class 10. Families who start looking only after board results often find that the best slabs are gone.

3. Bring your marksheets

Carry your latest board or school marksheets, and any Olympiad or competition certificates, when you visit. Many institutes have an academic-record scholarship that works alongside the test, and counsellors will not always mention it unless you ask.

4. Ask about other discounts

Sibling discounts, early-registration discounts, discounts for children of defence personnel or staff, and category-based concessions exist at many institutes. Ask whether they can be combined with a scholarship, and get the final figure in writing.

5. Understand the conditions

Some scholarships continue only if the student maintains a certain performance in internal tests. Ask:

• Is the scholarship for the whole course, or reviewed every term?
• What happens if my child's test scores drop?
• Does the scholarship transfer if we change branch or city?

6. Calculate the real cost

Work out the final amount you will actually pay: tuition after scholarship, plus registration, material, test series, GST, and hostel or transport. A 50% scholarship on tuition may be much less than 50% of the total bill. If you are using a loan or instalments, our education loan EMI calculator helps you see the monthly impact.

The caution that matters most

A large scholarship at the wrong institute is worse than the full fee at the right one. A 90% discount is not a bargain if the batch has 200 students, the teachers keep changing, or the centre is not financially stable.

Use scholarships to choose between institutes you already trust, not to pick an institute you haven't checked. Before accepting any offer:

• attend a class with the teacher who will teach your batch,
• confirm the batch size,
• read the refund policy — the Ministry of Education's 2024 guidelines for coaching centres say a student who leaves mid-course should get a pro-rata refund within 10 days,
• pay in instalments where possible rather than the full course upfront.

Our checklist on what to check before choosing a coaching center covers each of these in detail.

Compare institutes in your city

InstiWise lists coaching institutes with their courses, location, fees where published, and reviews, so you can shortlist before taking scholarship tests. For example, see JEE coaching in Delhi, NEET coaching in Lucknow, JEE coaching in Patna, NEET coaching in Jaipur, and coaching in Chandigarh. For the exams themselves, read our guides to JEE Advanced and NEET UG.

Frequently asked questions

Can a coaching scholarship cover the full fee? Top scorers in some tests receive 100% of tuition, but other charges — registration, material, GST — usually still apply.

Is it worth taking a scholarship test if I have already chosen an institute? Yes. Even a modest discount adds up over a two-year course, and the test often decides your batch.

Do scholarships apply to online courses? Often yes, but the slabs may differ from classroom programmes. Ask for the specific course.

Are scholarship tests harder than JEE or NEET? Usually not. They are generally set at the level of the class you are in, with some questions to separate top students. Revising your current school syllabus is the best preparation.