Ishan Uday Special Scholarship Scheme for North Eastern Region 2026-27
University Grants Commission (UGC), Ministry of Education, Government of India
Quick Actions
About This Scholarship
The Ishan Uday Special Scholarship Scheme for the North Eastern Region is run by the University Grants Commission (UGC), under the Ministry of Education. It is meant for students who have passed Class XII in a school in the North Eastern Region (NER) and have taken admission in the first year of a first undergraduate degree. The scheme offers 10,000 scholarships a year at Rs 8,000 a month for 10 months, which is Rs 80,000 a year. Half of the slots are earmarked for Arts, Humanities, Social Sciences, Law and Management, and the other half for Science, Engineering, Technology, medical, technical, agriculture and forestry programmes. Awardees are chosen on state-wise merit, using Class XII marks.
Applications are taken only on the National Scholarship Portal (NSP). The NSP scheme list for 2026-27 shows Ishan Uday open from 16 September 2026, with student applications open till 31 October 2026. A UGC public notice dated 31 July 2026 said NSP would open shortly for Ishan Uday and the National Scholarship for Post Graduate Studies, and asked institutions to verify, approve, defect or reject applications within 15 days of receiving them. The guidelines on NSP are headed 2021; the UGC scheme page and the UGC FAQ (file number 1-9/2025(SA-III)) carry the same amount, number of slots and income limit.
At a glance
| Item | Details |
|---|---|
| Provider | University Grants Commission (UGC), Ministry of Education |
| Level | First year of a first UG degree, regular mode |
| Amount | Rs 8,000 a month for 10 months (Rs 80,000 a year) |
| Slots | 10,000 a year |
| Income limit | Parents' annual income below Rs 4.5 lakh |
| Domicile | Valid domicile certificate of a North Eastern state |
| Applications 2026-27 | Open from 16 September 2026; last date 31 October 2026 |
| Verification 2026-27 | Institute by 15 November 2026; district, state and ministry nodal officers by 30 November 2026 |
| Portal | National Scholarship Portal (scholarships.gov.in) |
Sources: UGC scheme page, Ishan Uday guidelines (UGC, on NSP), UGC FAQ, UGC public notice of 31 July 2026 and Schemes on NSP. Checked on 5 October 2026.
Provider
University Grants Commission (UGC), Ministry of Education, Government of India
Type
Merit-based
Level
Undergraduate
Duration
Duration of the first UG degree programme (3 to 5 years), renewed each year on promotion
10000
Awards
Duration of the first UG degree programme (3 to 5 years), renewed each year on promotion
Duration
A fixed scholarship of Rs 8,000 a month for 10 months in a year (Rs 80,000 a year); the guidelines name no separate tuition, hostel or book component
Coverage
Eligibility Criteria
| Criterion | Requirement |
|---|---|
| Domicile | Valid domicile certificate of any North Eastern state |
| Class XII | Passed Class XII or equivalent from a school in the North Eastern Region, through a recognised board including CBSE, ICSE and NIOS |
| Course | First year of a recognised UG degree programme notified by UGC, in regular full-time mode; first UG degree only; for integrated and dual-degree programmes, the UG component only |
| Family income | Parents' annual income below Rs 4.5 lakh |
| Institution | University or college under section 2(f) of the UGC Act with valid NAAC accreditation (condition applies from 2025-26), deemed university with NAAC accreditation, institution fully funded by the Centre or a State that awards degrees, or Institution of National Importance |
| Bank account | Aadhaar-seeded, KYC-compliant account in the student's own name |
- Students who already hold a degree are not eligible.
- Open, distance, correspondence, private and part-time students are not eligible.
- Students admitted through management quota are not eligible.
- Only one scholarship can be held at a time; a selected student who receives another scholarship must give up one.
- Changing the course or the institution ends the scholarship from the date of the change.
Source: Ishan Uday guidelines (UGC).
Income Limit
₹4,50,000 p.a.
Eligible Categories
Scholarship Benefits
Financial Support
INR 80,000
Disbursement: Rs 8,000 a month for 10 months a year, paid by UGC through DBT (via PFMS) to the student's Aadhaar-seeded bank account
What's Covered
| Component | Amount |
|---|---|
| Scholarship | Rs 8,000 a month |
| Months paid in a year | 10 |
| Annual amount | Rs 80,000 |
| Slots | 10,000 a year; 50 percent for Arts, Humanities, Social Sciences, Law and Management and 50 percent for Science, Engineering, Technology, medical, technical, agriculture and forestry |
UGC pays the scholarship by Direct Benefit Transfer (DBT) through PFMS to the student's Aadhaar-seeded bank account. The scholarship runs for the duration of the UG programme as specified by UGC for each programme (3 to 5 years on the UGC scheme page). It is renewed each year after promotion, subject to good conduct and the prescribed attendance, and the student applies for renewal on NSP every year. A student who is not promoted forfeits the scholarship.
How to Apply
Application Guide
- Check the guidelines and confirm that the institution has a valid AISHE code and is registered on the National Scholarship Portal (NSP).
- Open https://scholarships.gov.in, complete Apply For One Time Registration (OTR) if not already registered, and log in.
- Under Apply For Scholarship, select Ishan Uday Special Scholarship Scheme For NER (Merit Based Scheme) and fill the online application, entering the bank account number and IFSC exactly as in the bank records.
- Do not upload certificates on NSP. Give the institution the documents it asks for, such as the domicile certificate, the income certificate and any affidavit, so that it can verify the application.
- Submit the application by 31 October 2026. The Institute Nodal Officer verifies it by 15 November 2026 and the district, state and ministry nodal officers by 30 November 2026; NSP also lists 15 November 2026 for defective-application verification.
- Track the status and the result on NSP with the User ID and password created at application; the result is normally declared in November or December.
- In later years, apply for renewal on NSP after promotion.
Selection Process
Selection is purely on state-wise merit among the candidates who apply online on NSP. Only applications verified first by the Institute Nodal Officer and then by the State Nodal Officer go into the merit list, and incomplete applications are rejected. Merit is based on marks in the Class XII examination. If candidates tie at the lowest level of the merit list, marks in Class X decide, and if a tie remains, older candidates are preferred. Half of the slots are earmarked for Arts, Humanities, Social Sciences, Law and Management and half for Science, Engineering and Technology, medical, technical, agriculture and forestry programmes. The result is normally declared in November or December on NSP and is also uploaded on the UGC website.
Documents Required
Important Dates
Announcement Date
Friday, 31 July 2026
Date passed
Application Start
Wednesday, 16 September 2026
Date passed
Application End
Saturday, 31 October 2026
Application Deadline
Saturday, 31 October 2026