Central Sector Scholarship
Central Sector Scholarship Scheme for College and University Students is a centrally-funded merit-cum-means scholarship initiated by the Department of Higher Education of MHRD. Started with the objective to financially assist students of economically underprivileged families, Central Sector Scholarship scheme is disbursed among a total of 82,000 graduate/postgraduate students every year. This scholarship is given in equal proportion to boys and girls, i.e., 41,000 of the total number of scholarships are reserved for boys and the other 41,000 are for girl candidates. The selected students receive an annual scholarship amount of up to INR 20,000 so that they could meet their day-to-day expenses while pursuing higher studies.
A detailed description of the Central Sector Scholarship scheme can be found below. Complete details regarding scholarship objective, key dates, eligibility conditions, awards and application process are highlighted in this article. Find a brief account of these details in the table given below.
S.No. | Particulars | Details |
1. | Awards | Up to INR 20,000 per annum till the completion of course |
2. | Eligibility | Candidates who are above the 80th percentile of successful students who have passed class 12 Pursuing regular UG/PG course Annual family income less than INR 8 Lakh |
3. | Application period* | July-October* |
4. | Application process | Application through official NSP |
* The application period mentioned above is tentative and may change as per the discretion of the scholarship provider.
Now, read about the Central Sector Scholarship scheme in complete detail as mentioned below.
Offered to meritorious students, the Central Sector Scholarship Scheme for College and University Students aims to provide monetary support to those students who come from low-income group families. The fund provided under this scholarship helps the candidate to meet his/her daily expenses incurred while pursuing graduate or postgraduate studies in general or professional courses.
Central Sector Scholarship awards a total of 82,000 scholarships every year, among which 50% of the scholarship is earmarked for girl candidates and the remaining 50% is for boy candidates. All these scholarships are distributed to the State Education Boards on the basis of the population of 18-25 years age group in the respective State, after segregating the share of CBSE and ICSE. Furthermore, the scholarships allotted to State Education Boards are divided in the ratio of 3:2:1 among the pass-outs of Science, Commerce and Arts, respectively. The selected students receive the scholarship amount directly into their account through Direct Benefits Transfer (DBT) mode. Given below is the detail of rewards given under Central Sector Scholarship scheme.
Award Money of Central Sector Scholarship Scheme
S.No. | Level of Study | Scholarship Amount |
1. | Graduation | An annual scholarship amount of INR 10,000 for 1st three years of graduation. In case of 5-year integrated course (professional studies), INR 20,000 per year is given to students during 4th and 5th year of study. If the students are pursuing technical courses such as B.Tech., B.Engg., the scholarship is given up to graduation level. |
2. | Post-graduation | An amount of INR 20,000 is provided to students studying at postgraduation level. |
This merit-cum-means scholarship is generally announced every year in the month of July and its deadline falls in the last week of October. The application period varies from year-to-year and is subject to change as per the discretion of the scholarship provider. For academic session 2020-21, the last date to apply for the scholarship is 31 October 2020.
Central Sector Scholarship scheme is meant for those bright students who belong to economically disadvantaged families. While applying for this merit-cum-means scholarship, the applicants must make sure that they are above the 80th percentile of successful students in the relevant stream in class 12 board exam. Find below more details about the eligibility criteria needed to apply for the scholarship.
If you wish to know about more Centrally-funded scholarships, then read ‘UGC Scholarship – All You Need to Know’.
To make the application process easy and accessible for applicants, MHRD allows students to fill the scholarship application form online through the government scholarship portal, the National Scholarship Portal (NSP). Follow the steps given below to fill the Central Sector Scholarship application form.
Note: These online scholarships submitted by the candidates are verified at two levels – one at institute level where the candidate is studying and the other at education board level through which the candidate passed his/her class 12 exam.
There are a few necessary documents that the applicants must keep with them ready at the time of application process. The list of the required documents for the Central Sector Scholarship Scheme for College and University Students is given below.
The beneficiaries of this merit-cum-means scholarship are eligible to receive the scholarship for a maximum period of 5 years which includes both graduation and postgraduation period. The candidates must be pursuing graduation and post-graduation in the same stream. Moreover, the candidates must fulfil the prescribed eligibility criteria in order to get the scholarship renewed.
The Central Sector Scholarship, run by MHRD, Government of India is meant to support the studies of meritorious students coming from underprivileged families. The students who fulfil all the eligibility conditions may apply for the scholarship through the National Scholarship Portal (NSP). Once the application gets verified, the selected students get the scholarship amount directly in their respective bank accounts through DBT.
The students, who are among the top 20th percentile of successful students in the relevant stream in Class 12 board examination can avail benefits under this scholarship. They must be pursuing a regular undergraduate/ postgraduate/ professional course from a recognised institution in India. Also, the annual income of the family should be less than INR 8 lakh per annum from all sources.
The students applying for the Central Sector Scholarship need to provide certain documents in support of their application such as bank passbook in the name of the applicant, Aadhaar card number, income certificate, caste certificate (if applicable), disability certificate (if applicable), and Class 12 mark sheet.
There is no minimum income requirement for the scholarship. However, the annual income of the applicant's family must not exceed INR 8 lakh per annum from all sources.
To ensure the renewal of scholarship, the students must secure at least 50% marks or more in the previous examination. Also, they must maintain the attendance of at least 75%.
Yes, the Central Sector Scholarship is meant for all categories of students (including General category). However, reservations are available for various reserved categories as per the norms laid by the Government of India. 15% scholarships are reserved for Scheduled Caste (SC) students, 7.5% scholarships are reserved for Scheduled Tribe (ST) candidates, 27% scholarships are reserved for Other Backward Classes (OBC) candidates, and 5% scholarships are reserved for Physically Handicapped/Persons with Disabilities (PwDs).
In case of any query regarding the Central Sector Scholarship scheme, the applicants can contact:
Address: National Scholarship Division,
Ministry of Human Resource Development, Department of Higher Education,
West Block 1, 2nd Floor, Wing 6, Room No. 6,
R.K. Puram, Sector 1, New Delhi 110066.
Telephone No: 011-26172917, 26172491, 26165238
Also, read ‘Means Scholarship – All You Need to Know’ to enrich your knowledge of scholarships offered for economically weak students.
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