Patna: The Bihar government has introduced tighter regulations to its flagship Student Credit Card Scheme, making additional documentation mandatory for students seeking education loans, in a move officials say is aimed at preventing misuse and improving transparency.
Under the revised framework, applicants will now be required to submit a handwritten self-declaration confirming that the assistance is an education loan and must be repaid either by the student or a co-applicant according to the scheme’s terms. The step is intended to eliminate confusion and ensure beneficiaries do not treat the financial support as a scholarship or grant.
Fresh instructions issued by the scheme’s nodal officer, Vinayak Mishra, have directed district magistrates across the state to enforce the new requirements with immediate effect. Students must also provide an admission receipt containing clear details such as their admission number, course, academic session, name and parent’s name.
In addition, a university registration slip has been made compulsory. The document must be produced during verification at District Registration-cum-Counselling Centres or before the signing of the loan agreement, making it a key part of the approval process.
Officials said the changes follow a review of an unusually high number of applications for the 2025–26 academic session. Preliminary findings suggested that some institutions or their representatives were encouraging students to apply under the scheme by presenting it as financial aid rather than a repayable loan. Authorities have also not ruled out the involvement of intermediaries in facilitating such applications.
To address these concerns, district-level committees have been tasked with scrutinising applications more closely. The government says the stricter documentation rules will help ensure that only genuine students seeking financial support for higher education benefit from the programme.
The latest measures mark a shift towards tighter oversight of the education loan system, as the state attempts to protect the scheme’s credibility while continuing to support students from economically weaker backgrounds.
