New Delhi, Sept. 12 -- In July this year, when 18-year-old Vansh Maurya learnt that he had secured a seat at a Delhi University (DU) college, celebrations broke out at his home in Uttarakhand's Rudrapur. It was the beginning of his "big city" dream. But amid the celebrations, his family also had to confront anxieties over accommodation and finances.

"My father earns Rs.10,000 a month from his job at a factory; we earn a small sum from a dairy farm; and another small sum from renting two rooms. All this totals to around Rs.25,000 a month," said Vansh, who is pursuing a BA Programme at DU's College of Vocational Studies (CVS) in south Delhi.

Accompanied by his mother, he arrived in Delhi for the first time on July 26. The two began lookin...