Punjab Scholarship (Dr. Ambedkar Post Matric Scholarship Portal) 2026-27
Department of Social Justice, Empowerment and Minorities, Government of Punjab
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About This Scholarship
The Punjab Scholarship portal (scholarships.punjab.gov.in/sp), called the Dr. Ambedkar Scholarship Portal in a department letter of September 2026, is run by the National Informatics Centre for the Department of Social Justice, Empowerment and Minorities, Government of Punjab. Students of Punjab register on it for the Post Matric Scholarship Scheme for SC students, which follows the Government of India guidelines for 2020-21 to 2025-26. Its Scheme Details page also lists the Post Matric Scholarship Scheme for OBCs, EBCs and DNT for academic year 2025-26. The home page carries links to the National Scholarship Portal for the centrally sponsored PM YASASVI scheme, the centrally sponsored post-matric scheme for SC students and the central sector Top Class Education scheme.
Notices on the portal list students whose Aadhaar is not seeded or whose bank details show errors: 1,814 for 2022-23, 1,132 for 2023-24, 1,419 for 2024-25 and 2,902 for 2025-26, with lists updated on 1 September 2026. Payment goes to an Aadhaar-seeded bank account, and a portal notice makes the National Scholarship Portal One Time Registration (OTR) mandatory for the 2024-25 scholarship.
No 2026-27 schedule has been published on the portal. The latest official schedule is the revised activity schedule for 2025-26 in a letter of the Directorate of Social Justice, Empowerment and Minorities dated 10 September 2026, which reopened the portal for pending Post Matric Scholarship for SC cases: institutes forward corrected cases to the approving authority by 14 September 2026, approving authorities send proposals to line departments by 16 September 2026, and line departments send proposals to the Social Justice Empowerment Department by 17 September 2026. These dates have passed and are not student application dates for 2026-27.
At a glance
| Item | Detail |
|---|---|
| Provider | Department of Social Justice, Empowerment and Minorities, Government of Punjab (portal built by NIC) |
| Level | Post-matric courses (after Class 10) |
| Amount | SC: academic allowance Rs 2,500 to Rs 13,500 a year plus compulsory fees; OBC, EBC, DNT: Rs 5,000 to Rs 20,000 a year |
| Income limit | Rs 2,50,000 a year |
| Applications 2026-27 | Not announced yet |
| Latest schedule on the portal | Revised 2025-26 SC schedule: 14, 16 and 17 September 2026 (institute and department levels) |
| Portal | scholarships.punjab.gov.in/sp; National Scholarship Portal for the central OBC, EBC and DNT schemes |
Schemes on the portal
| Scheme | Who | Benefit |
|---|---|---|
| Post Matric Scholarship Scheme for SC (centrally sponsored; Government of India guidelines 2020-21 to 2025-26) | SC students of Punjab in post-matric courses with parental income up to Rs 2,50,000 a year; non-management quota only | Compulsory non-refundable fees including tuition fee through the Freeship Card, plus a yearly academic allowance of Rs 2,500 to Rs 13,500 by course group; 10% extra for Divyang students |
| Post Matric Scholarship Scheme for OBC, EBC and DNT (PM YASASVI, centrally sponsored) | OBC, EBC and DNT students with annual family income up to Rs 2.5 lakh | Yearly academic allowance plus tuition fee, Rs 5,000 to Rs 20,000 by course group |
| Top Class Education in Colleges for OBC, EBC and DNT students (central sector) | OBC, EBC and DNT students; link on the portal home page goes to the National Scholarship Portal | Details are on scholarships.gov.in and not on the Punjab portal pages read |
Sources: Punjab Scholarship portal; Scholarship Activity Schedule letter of 10 September 2026; Post Matric Scholarship for SC guidelines 2020-21 to 2025-26; PM YASASVI scheme guidelines on the portal. Checked on 5 October 2026.
Provider
Department of Social Justice, Empowerment and Minorities, Government of Punjab
Type
Need-based
Level
Post-Matric
Duration
Course duration, renewed yearly
Course duration, renewed yearly
Duration
SC: compulsory non-refundable fees including tuition fee (Freeship Card, no pre-payment) plus academic allowance of Rs 2,500 to Rs 13,500 a year; OBC, EBC, DNT: academic allowance plus tuition fee totalling Rs 5,000 to Rs 20,000 a year
Coverage
Eligibility Criteria
| Criterion | Requirement |
|---|---|
| Category | SC for the SC scheme; OBC, EBC or DNT for the PM YASASVI scheme |
| Domicile | Students of Punjab; those studying in other states also apply online |
| Family income | Up to Rs 2,50,000 a year from all sources |
| Quota | Only non-management quota students are eligible |
| Course | Post-matric courses at institutes registered on the portal |
- Applications are online only; no offline form is accepted.
- The student registration manual shows an income range of Rs 0 to Rs 1,50,000 for OBC, older than the PM YASASVI limit of Rs 2.5 lakh; the portal form applies.
- A bank account that is Aadhaar-seeded is needed for payment.
Income Limit
₹2,50,000 p.a.
Eligible Categories
Scholarship Benefits
Financial Support
INR 2,500 - 20,000
Disbursement: Direct Benefit Transfer to the Aadhaar-seeded bank account of the student
What's Covered
| Scheme | Component | Yearly amount |
|---|---|---|
| SC | Academic allowance for hostellers and day scholars | Group 1 (professional degree and post-graduate courses): Rs 13,500 and Rs 7,000; Group 2 (other professional courses leading to degree, diploma or certificate): Rs 9,500 and Rs 6,500; Group 3 (graduate and post-graduate courses not in Groups 1 and 2): Rs 6,000 and Rs 3,000; Group 4 (post-matric non-degree courses): Rs 4,000 and Rs 2,500 |
| SC | Fees | Compulsory non-refundable fees including tuition fee as fixed by the state fee committee; the Freeship Card allows admission without pre-payment of tuition and hostel fee; 10% extra allowance for Divyang students |
| OBC, EBC, DNT | Academic allowance plus tuition fee (total) | Group 1: Rs 10,000 + Rs 10,000 = Rs 20,000; Group 2: Rs 8,000 + Rs 5,000 = Rs 13,000; Group 3: Rs 6,000 + Rs 2,000 = Rs 8,000; Group 4: Rs 5,000 |
Payment is by Direct Benefit Transfer to the Aadhaar-seeded bank account; the portal states that no bank details need to be given for payment.
How to Apply
Application Guide
- Open the Punjab Scholarship portal (scholarships.punjab.gov.in/sp) and click Student Registration in the Student Corner.
- Select Student Quota; only non-management quota students are eligible.
- Enter the Aadhaar number, date of birth, name and gender and complete Aadhaar authentication. Then fill in father and mother name, religion, category, de-notified tribe, mobile number, email, annual income and addresses, enter the captcha and click Save.
- Note the username and password sent by SMS. The student FAQ says the login stays valid for fifteen days after registration, during which the application must be made.
- Log in, complete the application and apply for the Freeship Card by uploading the photograph and the income, caste and passing certificates as PDF scans (up to 125 KB each in the manual). The application can be saved and edited until it is locked.
- Click Lock to forward the application to the institute. The institute verifies it and sends it to the approving authority; an incomplete application is temporarily rejected so that the student can edit it.
- Enter the National Scholarship Portal OTR through the applicant ID where the portal asks for it.
Selection Process
Students are not ranked on marks. Eligible students within the income limit are sanctioned after verification at each level: the institute forwards complete cases to the approving or sanctioning authority, which sends online proposals to the line department, which sends them to the Social Justice Empowerment Department. Payment follows by Direct Benefit Transfer to the Aadhaar-seeded bank account.
Registered students apply again each year for renewal. The portal FAQ and the registration manual are older documents; the department letter of 10 September 2026 gives the latest verification schedule.
Documents Required
Important Dates
Important dates will be announced soon. Check back later for updates.