NSP Scholarships: Application and Details of Program

Established and developed by the Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology, Government of India, the National Scholarship Portal (NSP) is India’s online portal that provides information on scholarships offered by different governmental organizations to eligible students.

NSP is a one-stop solution through which various services starting from student application, application receipt, processing, sanction and disbursal of various scholarships are provided. This initiative was aimed to provide a simplified, mission-oriented, accountable, responsive and transparent (SMART) system for faster and effective disposal of scholarship advertisements and the delivery of funds directly into the beneficiaries’ account without any leakages.

Students can apply for scholarships using the NSP Scholarship Registration Form online on the NSP’s website. To begin your application, you must register an account on the portal as a fresh applicant. You can register your account by clicking “New Registration” on the NSP’s home page. Read the Guidelines for Registration on National Scholarship Portal on the “New Registration” page for guidance when filling in the required information. If you are an existing user, go directly to the “Login” page.

Once you have successfully made an account or logged in to your account, select the scholarship scheme that your wish to apply for and complete all the required information accurately.

Scholarships on the National Scholarship Portal are advertised categorically according to the governmental organizations that provide the scholarships. Each scholarship scheme requires different eligibility criteria and application documents. The NSP scholarship amount also varies for each scheme.

Read on to see the list of scholarships available on the NSP website!

Central Schemes

The Indian Government offers a wide range of various generous scholarships to students who wish to pursue studies in India but cannot afford to pay tuition fees and/or other educational expenses. These scholarships are offered through different parts of the Government, diffused across India’s different departments and ministries.

1. Ministry of Minority Affairs

• • Pre-matric Scholarships Scheme for Minorities

The scholarship at pre-matric level was designed to encourage parents from minority communities to send their school going children to school, lighten their financial burden on formal education and sustain their efforts to support their children to complete school.

The scholarship will be awarded for studies in India at a government or private school from class I to X, including such residential Government institutes and eligible private institutes selected and notified in a transparent manner by the State Government and Union Territory Administration concerned.

• • Post-matric Scholarships Scheme for Minorities

The objective of this scheme is to award scholarships to meritorious students belonging to economically weaker sections of minority community so as to provide them better opportunities for higher education, increase their rate of attainment in higher education, and enhance their employability.

This scholarship is to be awarded for studies in India at a government or private higher secondary school / college / university, including such residential institutes of the Government and eligible private institutes selected and notified in a transparent manner by the State Government and Union Territory Administration concerned. It will also cover technical and vocational courses in Industrial Training Institutes / Industrial Training Centers affiliated with the National Council for Vocational Training (NCVT) of classes XI and XII level including Polytechnics and other courses (certificate courses and any course of less than one year duration is not covered under this scheme).

• • Merit Scholarship for Professional and Technical Courses CS

This scheme was designed to provide financial assistance to poor and meritorious students belonging to minority communities to enable them to pursue professional and technical courses. The scholarship is to be awarded for studies in India at a Government of private institution, selected and notified in a transparent manner by the State Government and Union Territory Administration concerned. It will cover technical and professional courses at undergraduate and postgraduate levels.

2. Department of Empowerment of Persons with Disabilities

These scholarship schemes are aimed to support students with disabilities to study further in order to prepare themselves to earn their livelihood and to find a dignified place for themselves in the society as they face several barriers physical, financial, psychological, mental in pursuing studies and living dignity.

• • Pre-matric Scholarship for Students with Disabilities

This scholarship is awarded to support students with disabilities for their study in classes IX and X onwards so that the incidence of drop-out is minimized. Students who receive this scholarship will benefit maintenance allowance, book grant, and disability allowance.

• • Post-matric Scholarship for Students with Disabilities

Scholarships under this scheme shall be available for studying in classes XI, XII, post-matriculation diploma / certificates and Bachelor’s degree or Diploma in India and Master’s degree / Diploma from any university recognized by UGC / AICTE. Students who receive this scholarship will benefit maintenance allowance, disability allowance, reimbursement of compulsory non-refundable fees, and book allowance.

• • Scholarships for Top Class Education for Students with Disabilities

This scholarship scheme aims at recognizing and promoting quality education amongst students with disabilities by providing full financial support. The scholarships are awarded to students with disabilities for pursuing studies at the level of undergraduate and postgraduate degrees or diploma in notified institutions of excellence in education identified by DEPwD.

3. Ministry of Social Justice & Empowerment

The Ministry of Social Justice and Employment offers scholarships through the Top Class Education for SC Students scholarship scheme. This scheme aims at recognizing and promoting quality education among students belonging to SCs, by providing full financial support. The scheme supports SC students to pursue studies beyond 12^th grade.

4. Ministry of Labor & Employment

The Ministry of Labor and Employment offers scholarships through the Financial Assistance for Education of the Wards of Beedi / Cine / IOMC / LSDM Workers scheme. This scheme was designed to provide financial assistance to students whose parent(s) work in Breedi, Iron Ore Manganese & Chrome Ore Mines, Limestone & Dolomite Mines, or Cine with at least 6 months of service. This also includes contract / gharkhata workers.

5. Ministry of Tribal Affairs

The Ministry of Tribal Affairs offers scholarships through the National Fellowship and Scholarship for Higher Education of Scheduled Tribe Students scheme which comprises two programs:

• • Fellowship: The objective is to encourage ST students, a section of society with the lowest literacy levels in the country, to acquire higher education in the form of fellowships to pursue M.Phil and PhD degree studies.
  • Scholarship: The objective is to encourage meritorious ST students to pursue graduate studies at recognized institutions of higher education, in professional fields such as Management, Medicine, Engineering, Information Technology, Law, etc.

6. Department of School Education & Literacy

• • National Scheme of Incentive to Girls for Secondary Education (NSIGSE)

This scheme was designed to establish an enabling environment to reduce the drop-outs and to promote the enrolment of female students belonging to SC / ST communities in secondary schools and ensure their retention up to 18 years of age.

• • National Merit Scholarship

Under this scheme, a total of 100,000 scholarships are awarded to gifted or meritorious students whose parental income is not more than Rs. 1.50 lakh per annum from all sources. These scholarships will be awarded on a yearly basis to students studying as regular students in class IX in a government, government-aided and local body schools, and will be renewed for classes X, XI, and XII.

7. Department of Higher Education

The Department of Higher Education offers scholarships through the Central Sector Scheme of Scholarships for College and University Students. This scholarship scheme is aimed at providing financial assistance to meritorious students from low income families to meet a part of their day-to-day expenses while pursuing higher education.

8. WARB, Ministry of Home Affairs

The Ministry of Home Affairs offers scholarships through the Prime Minister’s Scholarship Scheme for Central Armed Police Forces and Assam Rifles. This scheme was introduced to encourage higher technical ad professional education for the dependent wards and widows of Central Armed Police Forces & Assam Rifles (CAPFs & AR).

9. RPF / RPSF, Ministry of Railway

The Ministry of Railway offers scholarships through the Prime Minister’s Scholarship Scheme for RPF / RPSF. Scholarships under this scheme are available for professional degree courses such as BE, B.Tech, BDS, MBBS, B.Ed, BBS, BCA, MCA, B.Pharma, etc. duly recognized by the respective Government Regulatory Bodies, such as All India Council for Technical Education (AICTE), Medical Council of India (MCI), University Grants Commission (UGC), National Council for Teacher Education (NCTE), etc. Master degree courses other than MBA and MCA are not eligible for PMSS.

UGC Schemes

The University Grants Commission (UGC) offers scholarships to students who wish to pursue or continue studies in India and are in need of financial support, through the following scholarship schemes:

1. ISHAN UDAY – Special Scholarship Scheme for North Eastern Region

This scheme offers 10,000 scholarships every year for general degree courses, technical and professional courses, including medical and para-medical courses as certified by the Registrar / Principal / Director of University / College / Institute.

2. PG Indira Gandhi Scholarship for Single Girl Child

This scholarship scheme was designed to support students who are a female only-child to pursue postgraduate studies.

3. PG Scholarship for SC / ST Students for Pursuing Professional Courses

The objective of this scheme is to provide financial assistance to 1,000 SC / ST candidates to pursue postgraduate level studies in professional subjects at an eligible institution of higher education.

State Schemes

Scholarships in India are also offered state-wide. Below is a list of the available scholarships awarded annually to students who reside in the concerned states.

1. Assam

Scholarships offered at Assam are pre and post-matric scholarships for:

• • Children of Those Engaged in Occupations Involving Cleaning and Prone to Health Hazards
  • SC Students
  • OBC Students
  • ST Students

2. Chandigarh

Scholarships offered at Chandigarh are:

• • Pre and Post-matric Scholarships for SC Students
  • Post-matric Scholarship Scheme for Transgender Students
  • Post-matric Scholarship Scheme for OBC Students
  • Ambedkar Post-matric Scholarship for Economically Backward Class Students

3. Bihar

Bihar State offers scholarships through the following schemes:

• • BC-EBC Post-matric Scholarship
  • ST Post-matric Scholarship
  • SC Post-matric Scholarship

4. Uttarakhand

Scholarship schemes offered at Uttarakhand include:

• • Pre-matric Scholarship Scheme for Minority (100% State Sector)
  • Post-matric Scholarship for EBC Students
  • Pre-matric Disability Scholarship (State Sector)
  • Pre-matric Scholarship for SC Students (State Sector)
  • Pre-matric Scholarship for ST Students (State Sector)
  • Pre-matric Scholarships for OBC Students (State Sector 50% and Central Sector 50%)
  • Pre-matric Scholarship for SC Students (Center Sector)
  • Pre-matric Scholarship for ST Students (Center Sector)
  • Post-matric Scholarship for ST Students
  • Post-matric Scholarship for SC Students
  • Post-matric Scholarship for OBC Students

5. Tripura

Tripura State offers scholarships through the following scholarships schemes:

• • Pre and Post-matric ST Scholarship Scheme
  • Post-matric Scholarship for SC Students
  • Post-matric Scholarship for OBC Students
  • B.R. Ambedkar Post-matric Scholarship for Economically Backward Classes (EBC)
  • NEC Merit Scholarship

6. Karnataka

Scholarships offered at Karnataka are through the following schemes:

• • Post-matric Scholarship (PMS) for ST Students
  • Centrally Sponsored Scheme of Pre-matric (IX & X) Scholarship for ST Students

7. Meghalaya

Meghalaya State offers scholarships through the Umbrella Scheme for Education of ST Children for both Pre and Post-matric students.

8. Arunachal Pradesh

Scholarships at Arunachal Pradesh are offered under the following schemes:

• • Umbrella Scheme for Education of ST Students – Pre-matric (Class IX & X) and Post-matric Scholarship
  • Scheme for Award of Stipend for the ST Students of Arunachal Pradesh

9. Jammu Kashmir

Jammu Kashmir State offers scholarships under the Post-matric Scholarship for ST Students.

10. Dadra and Nagar Haveli

Pre-matric scholarships are offered at Dadra and Nagar Haveli for OBC, SC and ST students.

11. Himachal Pradesh

Scholarships at Himachal Pradesh are offered through the following scholarship schemes:

• • Centrally Sponsored Post-matric Scholarship Scheme for SC Students
  • Centrally Sponsored Post-matric Scholarship Scheme for ST Students
  • Centrally Sponsored Post-matric Scholarship Scheme for OBC Students
  • Centrally Sponsored Pre-matric Scholarship Scheme for ST Students
  • Centrally Sponsored Pre-matric Scholarship Scheme for SC Students
  • Centrally Sponsored Pre-matric Scholarship Scheme for OBC Students
  • Ambedkar Post-matric Scholarship fro Economically Backward Cass Students
  • Mukhya Mantri Protsahan Yojana
  • Maharishi Balmiki Chatravriti Yojana
  • Integrated Rural Development Program (IRDP)
  • Kalpana Chawla Chatravriti Yojana
  • Indira Gandhi Utkrisht Chatravriti Yojana
  • Thakur Sen Negi Utkrisht Chatravriti Yojana
  • Swami Vivekanand Utkrisht Chatravriti Yojana
  • Ambedkar Medhavi Chatravriti Yojana for SC Students
  • Ambedkar Medhavi Chatravriti Yojana for OBC Students

For further details on each scholarship scheme, visit the National Scholarship Portal website.