National Scholarship Portal (NSP) Scholarships 2026-27

NSP describes itself as a one-stop solution that covers the student's application, receipt, verification, processing, sanction and disbursal of scholarships. It aims at faster disposal of applications and delivery of funds directly into the beneficiary's account without leakages. The portal has sections for Students, Institutions, Officers and the Public.

The stages of an application

This stage list is from NSP's Standard Operating Procedures (2019). The student's side now starts with the OTR, described below. Under the same document the Ministry of Electronics and IT owns the portal and NIC develops and maintains it, each scheme's ministry or department puts its scheme on NSP, and the DBT Mission in the Cabinet Secretariat approves the important dates and deadlines of every scheme.

What is new for 2026-27

• NSP has been open for academic year 2026-27 since 1 June 2026.
• OTR is mandatory to get a scholarship: it is a unique 14-digit number for the student's whole academic career.
• A student can apply for one merit-based scheme and one or more welfare-based schemes. NSP marks each scheme as merit-based or welfare-based.

States and Union Territories on NSP

The State Schemes search on NSP offers these states and Union Territories: Arunachal Pradesh, Assam, Chhattisgarh, Delhi, Goa, Haryana, Himachal Pradesh, Maharashtra, Manipur, Meghalaya, Mizoram, Nagaland, Punjab, Sikkim, Tripura, Uttarakhand, West Bengal, the Andaman and Nicobar Islands, Chandigarh, Jammu and Kashmir, Ladakh, Lakshadweep, Puducherry, and Dadra and Nagar Haveli and Daman and Diu. Bihar and Karnataka are not in that list: they run their own portals and ask SC, ST and OBC students for an NSP OTR number.

Sources: NSP, About Us; NSP Standard Operating Procedures, version 1.0 (2019); NSP Students page; NSP, Schemes on NSP (Central Sector Schemes), academic year 2026-27; Karnataka State Scholarship Portal; Bihar PMS portal. Checked on 5 October 2026.

NSP's Schemes on NSP page has three lists: Central Sector Schemes, Centrally Sponsored Schemes and State Schemes. The table below is the Central Sector list for academic year 2026-27 as the portal showed it on 5 October 2026: 31 entries, 21 marked merit-based and 10 welfare-based. The Centrally Sponsored and State lists load through a search on that page and are not listed here; open Schemes on NSP and choose the list for your state. Each scheme has a Specifications and an FAQ link.

A student can apply for one merit-based scheme in an academic year (fresh and renewal together) and for more than one welfare-based scheme. For most schemes below students may apply until 31 October 2026. The Opens column gives the date NSP lists for the scheme, and R marks the four schemes that NSP lists as open for renewal applications only.

Merit-based schemes

Welfare-based schemes

The For column gives the scheme's name and, where the Specifications document on NSP was read, its figures. Those documents have different ages, so open the Specifications link beside your scheme for the current rate. NMMSS and the ICAR scheme names are as NSP lists them; the NMMSS date is discussed in the deadlines section.

Sources: NSP, Schemes on NSP (Central Sector Schemes), academic year 2026-27; PM-USP CSSS guidelines on NSP; PIB, Ministry of Education, 1 September 2026; AICTE, Student Development Schemes (Pragati, Saksham, Swanath, J&K and Ladakh); AICTE Pragati (degree) specification; Ishan Uday guidelines; National Scholarship for Post Graduate Studies guidelines. Other figures are from the Specifications documents hosted on NSP for each scheme. Checked on 5 October 2026.

The OTR is a unique 14-digit number issued from your Aadhaar or Aadhaar Enrolment ID (EID). It is generated once, stays valid for your whole academic career, and is your username for NSP. Generating an OTR is not the same as applying: you must still apply for a scholarship using it. The OTR is free. NSP also issues OTR numbers that state portals such as Bihar's ask for.

What you need

• An active mobile number.
• Your Aadhaar number, with the mobile number linked to Aadhaar so the OTP reaches you.
• A phone to do face authentication in front of the camera, with the NSP OTR app and the AadhaarFaceRD app installed.
• Bank seeding with Aadhaar (desired): the OTR screen shows whether your bank account is seeded on the NPCI mapper.
• No Aadhaar yet: your Aadhaar enrolment slip and a mobile linked to the EID. A minor without Aadhaar can use a parent's or guardian's Aadhaar, and a guardian can generate up to two OTRs for two minor children.

Step 1: reference number

1. On scholarships.gov.in choose Students and Apply for One Time Registration, or open Register in the NSP OTR app.
2. Read the guidelines and give consent for Aadhaar and OTR to be used for de-duplication on NSP and state scholarship portals.
3. Enter your mobile number, get the OTP and enter it with the captcha.
4. Complete eKYC with your Aadhaar number and the OTP sent to the Aadhaar-linked mobile (or with the EID, or with a parent's or guardian's Aadhaar).
5. Enter your mother's name, father's name and, if you wish, your email address. The screen shows whether your bank account is seeded with Aadhaar.
6. Click Finish. A reference number is generated and sent to your mobile.

Step 2: face authentication gives the OTR

1. Install the NSP OTR app and the AadhaarFaceRD app from the Google Play Store.
2. Open the NSP OTR app and choose eKYC by FaceAuth.
3. Enter the reference number, send the OTP, enter it with the captcha and tap Next.
4. Check your profile details and tap Proceed for Face Authentication.
5. After the face is authenticated the OTR number is shown and sent to your mobile, with the password. Log in with the OTR and change the password on the first login.

After you have the OTR

• Only one OTR is allowed for a student. More than one OTR found for a student can lead to debarment from scholarships.
• A student who generated the OTR with an EID must submit the Aadhaar within one month, or the OTR may be suspended or processing of the application stopped.
• On turning 18 a student must update the self-Aadhaar in the OTR and complete face authentication again.
• To change the mobile number, use Change Mobile No. on the Register page and authenticate with Aadhaar OTP.
• Forgot your reference number or OTR? Use Forgot Reference No or Forgot OTR Number with the Aadhaar number used for eKYC. Forgot the password? Use Forget Password under the OTR login.
• No smartphone? NSP services are available at Common Service Centres. The charge for the whole activity (reference number, biometric authentication, OTR and the complete application form) is Rs 30 with all taxes. The portal links a CSC locator.

Sources: NSP OTR FAQ, version 1.4; NSP student announcements; NSP Students page; NSP renewal students FAQ. Checked on 5 October 2026.

The application form is at scholarships.gov.in, under Students, Apply for Scholarship. This is the official order for a fresh application. Check first that your institute is registered on NSP, which the Public section's Find Institutes on NSP shows by AISHE, UDISE or ITI (NCVT) code.

Step by step

1. Log in with Aadhaar, APAAR or your OTR.
2. Fill Basic Information: General Information, Academic Details (present course, previous course, Class 10 and 12, competitive exam) and Application Specific Details. Your name, photo, date of birth and gender come from the OTR.
3. Choose Apply Fresh, read the guidelines, accept the terms and continue.
4. Select the category: Scholarship or Incentive.
5. Click Apply to generate an Application ID. You land on My Applications.
6. Click Proceed against the Application ID and then Fill/Edit Application Form.
7. Pick the scheme. NSP lists the schemes you are eligible for from the details you gave.
8. Upload the documents and Final Submit. After the final submission you cannot edit the application.

Rules to remember

• You can apply for one merit-based scheme in the academic year, fresh and renewal together, and for more than one welfare-based scheme. For each new scheme, use Apply Fresh to get a new Application ID.
• Disabled students must log in to the UDID portal and consent to sharing the UDID details before they apply. Otherwise they cannot submit.
• If you have applied for any scholarship you cannot change your Basic Information or your domicile state unless you withdraw all your applications.
• Your name, gender, photo and date of birth cannot be edited in the form. Update them through Aadhaar and Refresh eKYC in the OTR, then refresh them in the form before you submit.
• Mobile number and email are also changed in the OTR profile and refreshed in the form.

Before you choose: check your eligibility

Under the Public section choose Check Eligibility. NSP asks for your domicile state, gender, marital status, parents' income and profession, religion, community, disability, the scholarship category, your institute and course and your previous marks. It then lists the schemes you may apply for. If you see none, select a scheme and use Why am I not eligible? to see the reasons.

Sources: NSP Student FAQs, version 2.2; NSP Students page; NSP student announcements; NSP Student User Manual. Checked on 5 October 2026.

NSP's student manual says not every item below is mandatory: the documents vary by scheme, so read your scheme's Specifications document before you apply.

What some schemes ask for

• The AICTE schemes ask for a current-year income certificate from the State or UT government that says the family income is below Rs 8 lakh.
• PM-USP CSSS verifies caste and educational qualifications through DigiLocker, and asks for an income certificate only from fresh applicants.
• Disabled students need a valid UDID, checked through the UDID portal.

Upload only clear, readable files. Uploads are made against the scheme you select, and the application cannot be edited after the final submission.

Sources: NSP Student User Manual; PM-USP CSSS guidelines; AICTE Swanath specification; NSP student announcements. Checked on 5 October 2026.

NSP lists four Central Sector schemes with dates for renewal applications only in 2026-27. Each has the same dates: students until 31 October 2026, institute verification until 15 November 2026 and nodal officers until 30 November 2026.

Other schemes in the list are shown without the renewal-only mark; check the scheme's own entry for whether fresh and renewal applications are taken.

Conditions for renewal

• PM-USP CSSS: at least 50% marks in the annual examination and at least 75% attendance; a complaint of indiscipline or ragging can lead to forfeiture. A student who misses the renewal deadline loses that year's renewal but is not permanently debarred.
• A student may change college or institute and continue if the course and institute have a valid AISHE code (PM-USP CSSS).
• Only one merit-based scheme can be applied for in an academic year, fresh and renewal together.

Linking last year's application to your OTR

Link your renewal application if you registered last year's application ID using your parent's or guardian's OTR, or if you made a new OTR with your own Aadhaar and last year's application is not listed under it. Withdraw any new merit-based application first, because the link needs no active new merit-based application, and the name, gender and date of birth in the new OTR must match last year's application. Then:

1. Log in to NSP and click Link Renewal Application in the menu.
2. Enter the renewal Application ID you want to link and click Submit.
3. Enter the OTP sent to the mobile number linked to the Aadhaar of your parent or guardian, as given in last year's application, and click Submit.

A student who applied in 2023-24 and got an OTR can apply directly. If the OTR SMS did not come, Know your OTR on the portal retrieves it, and a student who only has a reference number completes face authentication. A withdrawn renewal application can be revoked from My Applications through Revoke Application, unless you changed the Basic Information after withdrawing (restore it as it was first), the dates have closed, or the domicile state differs from your active application.

Sources: NSP, Schemes on NSP (Central Sector Schemes), academic year 2026-27; NSP Students page; PM-USP CSSS guidelines; NSP Student FAQs, version 2.2; NSP renewal students FAQ. Checked on 5 October 2026.

Your application is not complete when you submit it. It is verified at two levels, and the deadlines for both are on the scheme list.

For PM-USP CSSS the second level is the State Higher Education Department or the agency the state nominates as State Nodal Agency. For NMMSS it is the District Nodal Officer.

Defective, rejected and fake

• A defective application is returned to you with the reason. Correct scheme-related fields through Proceed, Fill/Edit Application Form and submit again. Defects in Basic Information can be corrected only if you have one active application; if you have more than one you must withdraw the others first. A correction that makes you ineligible for the scheme you chose is not allowed.
• An application marked rejected or fake is not processed further.
• If you picked the wrong institute, your application has to be marked defective by the institute you selected before you can correct it.

What you should do

• Follow up with your institute well before 15 November 2026, the Level 1 date for most schemes. NSP's procedures tell students to follow up for verification before the deadlines.
• Act on the SMS you receive from NSP in good time.
• Make sure the institute is registered on NSP. Find Institutes on NSP searches by state and district or by AISHE, UDISE or ITI (NCVT) code. An institute needs a valid AISHE, UDISE, NCVT or SCVT code to register, and one that is not on NSP can ask a District or State Nodal Officer of any scheme on NSP to add it.
• To find your nodal officer, use Public, Nodal Officers (Scheme-wise) and select the ministry, state, district or zone.

Withdrawing

You can withdraw an application from My Applications with a reason and an OTP, until the application is processed for payment and while the scheme's Level 2 verification dates are open. A withdrawn fresh application cannot be revoked.

Sources: NSP Standard Operating Procedures (2019); NSP Student FAQs, version 2.2; PM-USP CSSS guidelines; NSP, Schemes on NSP (Central Sector Schemes), academic year 2026-27; PIB, 1 September 2026. Checked on 5 October 2026.

NSP publishes the dates beside every scheme. For the Central Sector schemes the same dates apply to all except the opening date:

Schemes that open later than 1 June 2026

NMMSS: check the date

NSP's list shows the same 31 October 2026 for NMMSS. The Ministry of Education, however, notified a last date of 31 August 2026 for students (with 15 September for Level 1 and 30 September for Level 2) on 6 August 2026, and on 1 September 2026 extended it to 30 September 2026, with 15 October for the institute (L1) and 31 October for the district (L2). Read the NMMSS entry on NSP, and ask your school's nodal officer, before you rely on either date.

The Centrally Sponsored and State lists on NSP were not read for this page: check the dates beside your scheme there. The NSP Students page also announces that renewal applications of PM-USP CSSS and the PM USP Special Scholarship Scheme for J&K and Ladakh are open, with the same student, institute and L2 dates.

Sources: NSP, Schemes on NSP (Central Sector Schemes), academic year 2026-27; NSP Students page; PIB, 6 August 2026; PIB, 1 September 2026. Checked on 5 October 2026.

Check the application status

• Log in at Apply for Scholarship with your Aadhaar, APAAR or OTR. My Applications shows all your applications, and the OTR lets you retrieve every application ID linked to it, with each status.
• The Application Status link on the NSP Students page is for academic years 2022-23 and 2023-24 only. It asks for an application login for those years.
• Act in good time on the SMS you get from NSP.

How the scholarship is paid

• NSP pays by DBT directly into the Aadhaar-seeded bank account of the student. NSP's announcements say an account number is not required for the disbursement.
• During the OTR the portal checks your bank on the NPCI mapper. If it is not seeded, the message says the scholarship will not be disbursed without seeding Aadhaar with the bank account, and to contact your bank branch.
• Check your seeding on the myAadhaar website, which the Students page links, and seed it through your bank or the NPCI Bharat Aadhaar Seeding Enabler (BASE), which NSP announces for self-service seeding and de-seeding.

Track your payment on PFMS

1. Open Track Your Payment on the NSP Students page. It leads to the PFMS Know Your Payment page, which asks for your bank and your account number (twice), with a word verification.
2. Or use the PFMS DBT Status Tracker: choose the category NSP, choose Beneficiary Validation or Payment, select the bank, and enter your Application ID or Beneficiary Code or Account Number, with the word verification.
3. PFMS shows the payment status for the last 2 years. For help call the PFMS helpdesk at 1800 118 111 or write to helpdesk-pfms@gov.in.

For PM-USP CSSS the guidelines say a student can track the payment on PFMS by Aadhaar number, bank account number or NSP Application ID.

Why a state-run scheme can be late

For schemes that states implement, such as the post-matric scholarship for SC students, the Ministry of Social Justice and Empowerment told the Rajya Sabha in August 2026 that the Centre releases its share only after the state or Union Territory sends data showing the state share paid and the applications finally verified on NSP. A delay at the state's end can therefore hold up payment.

Sources: NSP Students page; NSP student announcements; NSP OTR FAQ; PFMS Know Your Payment; PFMS DBT Status Tracker; PM-USP CSSS guidelines; PIB, Ministry of Social Justice and Empowerment, 12 August 2026. Checked on 5 October 2026.

Sources: NSP student announcements; NSP OTR FAQ; NSP Student FAQs, version 2.2; NSP Standard Operating Procedures (2019). Checked on 5 October 2026.

• The Public section has Grievance Registration, and the Officers section has a list of Grievance Redressal Officers (GROs).
• The PM-USP CSSS guidelines point to the central grievance portal, pgportal.gov.in, as well as the Nodal Officer whose email is on NSP.
• To contact the nodal officer of your scheme, use Public, Nodal Officers (Scheme-wise, or District-wise).
• Common Service Centres can do the OTR and the application. The portal links a CSC locator.

Sources: NSP Helpdesk; NSP Students page; PM-USP CSSS guidelines; NSP, PFMS Helpdesk. Checked on 5 October 2026.