UPES launches ‘1,000 Women-1,000 Dreams’ scholarship programme for online MBA

New Delhi, March 5. UPES, a multidisciplinary university based in Dehradun, on March 5 announced the launch of a women-only scholarship initiative titled ‘1,000 Women – 1,000 Dreams’ to mark International Women’s Day 2026. The programme will provide 1,000 full tuition fee waivers for the university’s online MBA to eligible women across India.

The initiative targets three specific groups where improved access to higher education is expected to significantly enhance career growth and leadership opportunities.

Under the scheme, 300 scholarships have been reserved for women from armed forces backgrounds, including serving women personnel from the Indian Army, Indian Navy and Indian Air Force – with 100 scholarships allocated to each service. The category also includes spouses and daughters of serving or retired defence personnel.

Two hundred and fifty more scholarships have been earmarked for women working in technology companies or founding startups in India. The university said this category aims to support women in a sector where they remain underrepresented globally.

The remaining 450 scholarships will be open to women across India without restrictions on professional background or sector. Eligible women candidates, including female employees of UPES, can apply if they wish to pursue the flexible online MBA programme.

Announcing the initiative, UPES Vice Chancellor Sunil Rai said the programme seeks to eliminate financial barriers that often prevent women from pursuing leadership-oriented education.

“Every woman deserves access to the tools that unlock leadership. With ‘1,000 Women – 1,000 Dreams’, we are removing cost as a barrier to ambition – whether shaped by service to the nation, by building in high-growth sectors like technology and start-ups, or by the determination to take the next step in one’s career,” he said.

According to the university, the dedicated scholarships for women in technology and startups are designed to strengthen managerial, financial and strategic capabilities among women professionals and entrepreneurs, enabling them to move into leadership positions or scale new ventures.

The programme also builds on UPES’s broader initiatives aimed at supporting women and defence families. The university said it has previously created academic pathways for defence personnel through institutional collaborations, and the new scholarship initiative extends these efforts by promoting women’s leadership within the defence community.

The scholarship scheme is part of the university’s broader women-empowerment efforts under Project Shakti, launched in 2020 as the ‘Year of Women’s Empowerment’. The programme aligns with the objectives of United Nations Sustainable Development Goal 5 – Gender Equality, which focuses on achieving gender equality and empowering all women and girls.