EEP Coaching Aid 2026-27: up to ₹30,000 for Kerala OBC exam coaching, apply by 20 November

By AiCoN | Published 27 October 2026 | Sources checked 27 October 2026

The Kerala Backward Classes Development Department's Employability Enhancement Programme (EEP) 2026-27 is open on the e-grantz portal, with a fresh notification dated 22 October 2026. It gives financial aid towards coaching fees, plus a monthly maintenance allowance, to OBC students and jobseekers preparing for Medical/Engineering entrance, Civil Service, Banking Service, GATE/MAT or UGC-NET/JRF exams. The catch that matters most: your coaching must be at an institution on the department's empanelled list. Applications are online only, and the last date is 20 November 2026.

At a glance

• What: EEP 2026-27 coaching financial aid from the Kerala Backward Classes Development Department, on the e-grantz 3.0 portal (notification BCDIR/414/2026-A2, dated 22 October 2026)
• Who: students and jobseekers from OBC, OEC, OBC (H) and SEBC communities on the Kerala state list
• Exams covered: Medical/Engineering entrance, Civil Service, Banking Service, GATE/MAT, UGC-NET/JRF
• Aid: tuition fee support up to ₹10,000-₹20,000 depending on the exam, plus a maintenance allowance of ₹1,000 a month for 6 to 10 months; total up to ₹30,000 for Medical/Engineering entrance
• Key condition: coaching only at department-empanelled institutions; regular batches of at least 3 days a week and 6 months or more
• Last date: 20 November 2026, online application only at egrantz.kerala.gov.in

How much aid, for which exam

From the rate table in the official notification, read on 27 October 2026. The maintenance allowance of ₹1,000 a month (paid for 6 to 10 months from your admission date) comes on top of the tuition support:

• Medical/Engineering entrance: tuition up to ₹20,000; total up to ₹30,000
• Civil Service: tuition up to ₹15,000; total up to ₹25,000
• Banking Service: tuition up to ₹10,000; total up to ₹20,000
• GATE/MAT, UGC-NET/JRF: tuition up to ₹15,000; total up to ₹25,000

Who can apply

• You must belong to an OBC, OEC, OBC (H) or SEBC community on the Kerala state list (Annexure 2 of the notification).
• Your coaching must be at an institution empanelled by the department for this scheme. The empanelled list (Annexure 1) appears as a drop-down inside the e-grantz application.
• Family annual income must be within: ₹2 lakh for Medical/Engineering entrance and Banking Service; ₹4.5 lakh for Civil Service; ₹2.5 lakh for GATE/MAT and UGC-NET/JRF.
• Only regular batches count: at least 3 days of coaching a week, in a course of 6 months or more. Online, Sunday, holiday, evening and short-term batches are not eligible.
• For Medical/Engineering entrance coaching you must have completed 17 years of age, and you cannot be currently studying in a higher secondary course; the notification requires at least 90% marks in the higher secondary exam in 2023-24, 2024-25 or 2025-26 (80% is enough for the special consideration category).
• One person gets the benefit for one course in one year; no repeat for the same coaching.
• Each exam's own basic educational qualification and age limit apply.

Who is not eligible

• Anyone getting free coaching or financial aid for the same purpose from the Minority Welfare Department, the Kerala State Development Corporation for Christian Converts from Scheduled Castes and the Recommended Communities, other government departments or agencies, or the Central Ministry of Social Justice and Empowerment.
• Civil Service aspirants already receiving a benefit or scholarship from the Kerala Civil Service Academy during the coaching period.
• Candidates in online, Sunday, holiday, evening or short-term (under 6 months) batches.

How selection works

The notification is clear that funds are limited and not every applicant will get the aid. Selection is by marks in the qualifying exam; if marks tie, the lower family income wins. Two paperwork points decide whether you are even considered: upload your consolidated mark list (a certificate alone will not do; applications without the consolidated mark list are rejected outright), and if your mark list shows CGPA or grades, attach the page with the conversion-to-percentage formula. Students and jobseekers who applied in earlier years but did not receive the benefit can apply again if eligible.

How to apply

Checked on the e-grantz portal and the official notification on 27 October 2026:

1. Open egrantz.kerala.gov.in. Check the address bar: the official portal is on the kerala.gov.in domain.
2. Read the EEP 2026-27 notification linked on the notice board, and confirm your coaching institution is on the empanelled list shown in the application's drop-down.
3. Register on the portal if you do not have an e-grantz login (One Time Registration is on the home page).
4. Fill the online application on or before 20 November 2026. Use your own email and mobile number, and your own live bank account; accounts in a parent's or anyone else's name are not accepted.
5. Upload the documents the notification lists: caste or community certificate, income certificate issued through e-District within the last year (enter its number and security code), consolidated mark list of the qualifying exam, and the first page of your bank passbook. Candidates applying under special consideration (differently-abled, or who lost parents) attach the relevant certificates.
6. Print the submitted application and keep the annexure documents ready. The notification requires the printout and annexures to be submitted to the Backward Classes Development Department; it does not state a separate last date or postal address for the hard copy. The department's regional office phone numbers are in the notification.

Keep these limits in mind

• The empanelled-institution rule is the biggest filter: if your coaching centre is not on the department's list, the application will not work.
• Aid amounts are "up to" figures. The tuition part is capped per exam, and the maintenance allowance runs 6 to 10 months from your admission date.
• Funds are limited, so this is a selection, not an entitlement: qualifying-exam marks decide, with income as the tie-breaker.
• The scheme is financial aid for coaching you join; it is not a free seat in a government-run coaching programme.

Frequently asked questions

Is this free coaching? No. It is financial aid towards coaching fees plus a maintenance allowance for coaching you attend at an empanelled institution.

Can I apply for an online coaching batch? No. The notification excludes online, Sunday, holiday, evening and short-term batches; only regular batches of at least 3 days a week in courses of 6 months or more qualify.

Which exams are covered? Medical/Engineering entrance, Civil Service, Banking Service, GATE/MAT and UGC-NET/JRF, each with its own aid cap and income limit.

Where do I check if my coaching centre qualifies? The empanelled institution list is Annexure 1 of the notification and appears as a drop-down inside the e-grantz application.

Source: the e-grantz 3.0 portal notice board and the official EEP 2026-27 notification (BCDIR/414/2026-A2, dated 22 October 2026) published on it, whose annexures list the empanelled institutions and the eligible communities. Checked on the live pages on 27 October 2026. This is an AiCoN explainer, not a Kerala government publication.