While scholarships for graduating high school students abound, almost all are sponsored by corporations, foundations, and faith-based community organizations. However, hardly any scholarship is offered by the Hindu community to deserving high school seniors. To fill this gap, the World Hindu Council of America has launched the Sharda Hindu Scholarship at the national level, offered to Hindu students who are graduating from High School and are headed to a college to pursue higher studies.

Saraswati Devi is the giver of knowledge. She embodies the feminine aspect of Reality (Brahman) that inspires us to continuously seek, learn, create, and grow to our full potential. And this growth is trifold: academic, spiritual, and cultural i.e., all forms of creative arts. The scholarship is awarded to students who best exhibit the values that Saraswati Devi represents.

The Scholarship Committee is open to rising High School seniors from the Hindu Community who aspire for higher studies. The student must excel not only in academics but also demonstrate talent in cultural arts, leadership in community service and awareness of their heritage. The application process, eligibility requirements, qualifications and the selection schedule are described below.