The National Scholarship Portal (NSP) at scholarships.gov.in is the single website where many central government scholarships, and some state scholarships, are applied for and tracked. You register once (One Time Registration, or OTR), apply for the scheme that suits you, your school or college verifies the form, and money goes straight to your Aadhaar-linked bank account.
This guide explains which schemes the portal carries, how OTR works, how to apply, and how to check your status. Dates change every year, so treat any date below as a guide and confirm it on the portal.
Quick facts
| Item | Detail |
|---|---|
| Official website | scholarships.gov.in |
| Run by | Government of India (the schemes belong to different ministries) |
| Registration | One Time Registration (OTR) with Aadhaar-based verification; you get a permanent OTR number |
| Payment | Direct Benefit Transfer (DBT) to an Aadhaar-seeded bank account |
| Cost to apply | Free |
| Last checked | October 2026 |
What schemes are on NSP?
NSP lists schemes from several ministries. The portal’s own scheme list (the version I could read) showed these open categories:
- Disability: pre-matric, post-matric and top-class education for students with disabilities.
- Tribal Affairs: national fellowship and scholarship for higher education of ST students.
- Social Justice: Top Class Education for SC students, and PM YASASVI schemes for OBC, EBC and DNT students.
- School Education: National Means-cum-Merit Scholarship (NMMSS) for Class 9 to 12.
- Home Affairs and Railways: PM scholarship schemes for wards of central armed police forces, martyred state police personnel, and railway staff.
- AICTE: Pragati (girls), Saksham (specially abled) and Swanath scholarships for technical education.
- UGC and Higher Education: post-graduate scholarship, Ishan Uday for the North East, and the Central Sector Scheme for college and university students.
- Labour: assistance for wards of beedi, cine and certain mine workers.
- State scholarships: several states list their own schemes on NSP too.
Important: the minority pre-matric, post-matric and merit-cum-means schemes appeared on the portal as closed (they closed in November 2022), and the Ministry of Minority Affairs told Parliament in December 2025 that they had not been approved beyond 2021-22. If a website promises you a central minority scholarship through NSP, read the NSP scheme list before you spend time on it. Our guide on minority scholarships explains what is still available.
Who can apply?
Eligibility depends on the scheme, but the common conditions are:
- You are an Indian citizen studying at a recognised institution that is registered on NSP.
- Your family income is within the scheme limit. Many schemes use Rs 2.5 lakh a year; some use Rs 6 lakh or Rs 8 lakh, and NMMSS uses Rs 3.5 lakh.
- You meet the category rule (SC, ST, OBC, disability, wards of armed forces, etc.) and the marks rule, where there is one.
- You have a bank account in your own name, linked to Aadhaar.
- For renewal, you passed the previous year and met the attendance and marks conditions.
Step 1: One Time Registration (OTR)
- Start from scholarships.gov.in. Aadhaar face authentication is done through the NSP OTR and AadhaarFaceRD mobile apps on an Android phone.
- Enter your Aadhaar number or enrolment ID and verify the OTP sent to your Aadhaar-linked mobile.
- Complete the face-authentication step in good light.
- Fill in the remaining details, such as parents’ names and your email, and set a password.
- Save the OTR number you receive by SMS and email. It is your permanent login. Never create a second OTR.
If you do not have a suitable phone, a Common Service Centre can do the registration for you. If face authentication keeps failing, check that your Aadhaar biometrics are not locked.
Step 2: Apply for the scheme
- Log in with your OTR number and password.
- Choose Apply Fresh if you are new, or the renewal option if you already received the scholarship last year.
- Select your domicile state carefully; it cannot be changed after you confirm.
- Pick the right scheme category (pre-matric, post-matric, top class or merit-cum-means) and open the application form.
- Fill in personal, academic, income, institution and bank details, and upload documents.
- Check everything, click Final Submit, and save the application ID.
Documents to keep ready
- Aadhaar number and an Aadhaar-seeded bank passbook in your name
- Marksheet of the last exam and the current admission or fee proof
- Income certificate, as the scheme requires
- Caste or category certificate, if the scheme is category-based
- Domicile certificate where the scheme asks for it
- Bonafide certificate if your institute is outside your domicile state
- Disability certificate for disability schemes
Certificate formats and the exact list differ by scheme, so open the scheme guidelines on the portal before you upload.
After you submit: verification and payment
Your form goes first to your institute for Level 1 verification, then to the district or state nodal officer for Level 2. Only after both approvals is the money released by DBT. Contact your institute’s nodal officer early, because forms that sit unverified are the most common reason a scholarship does not arrive.
How to check your status
- Log in at scholarships.gov.in with your OTR number and password.
- Open the application status section.
- Read the stage: pending at institute, pending at district or state, approved, or rejected with a reason.
- After approval, you can track the bank credit on the PFMS portal using your bank details.
Deadlines for 2026-27
The official portal sets a separate closing date for each scheme. Reports and institute notices I saw for 2026-27 mention 31 October 2026 as the closing date for most central schemes, with institute verification around 15 November and district verification around 30 November, while the Central Sector Scheme renewal window reportedly closed on 30 September 2026. NMMSS is reported (CareerIndia, 3 October 2026) to have been extended to 31 October 2026, though another summary lists it as closed earlier, so check the portal. I could not confirm the live date for every scheme, so check the portal for the current deadline for your scheme.
Common mistakes
- Registering twice and getting two OTR numbers.
- Choosing the wrong domicile state or applying ‘Fresh’ when you should renew.
- A bank account that is not in your name or not linked to Aadhaar.
- Name or date-of-birth mismatch between Aadhaar, marksheet and bank.
- Uploading a blurry or expired income certificate.
- Not following up with your institute after submitting.
The NSP is free. Official links are only scholarships.gov.in and the ministry sites. Anyone asking you for money to ‘approve’ a scholarship is not part of the system.
To sum up: register once, pick the scheme that fits your category and course, keep documents clean, and chase verification at your institute. Then check the portal regularly for your scheme’s deadline.
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)
What is the National Scholarship Portal?
It is the central website, scholarships.gov.in, where students register once and apply for many central and some state scholarships. Verification and payment are tracked on the same portal.
What is OTR on NSP?
One Time Registration creates a permanent OTR number (reported as 14 digits) linked to your Aadhaar. You use it as your login for every scholarship and every year.
How do I check my NSP application status?
Log in with your OTR number and password and open the application status section. It shows whether the form is pending at the institute, the district, or approved.
Is there any fee for applying on NSP?
No. Applying is free. Do not pay anyone claiming to speed up or approve a scholarship.
Why has my scholarship money not come?
Usually the form is stuck at institute or district verification, or the bank account is not Aadhaar-linked. Check the status and contact your institute’s nodal officer.
