National Scholarship – Application Timeline, Eligibility, Process and Awards

National Scholarship – The term refers to a wide array of scholarships which are open for Indian nationals studying in India only. Both government departments and private organisations offer a large number of scholarships for students pursuing different levels of education across the nation. However, the Government of India makes the major contribution in this segment. No matter which caste, creed, category or gender you belong to, there is a national scholarship available for you to fulfil your academic requirements.

In fact, the government hosts a distinctive portal with the name of National Scholarship Portal that enlists all the national as well as state level scholarships for the students studying within India. This article primarily focuses on the government-funded national scholarships, their application timeline, eligibility, award details and other important information.

Table Contents

National Scholarship – Complete List
National Scholarship – Eligibility
National Scholarship – Award Details
National Scholarship – Where to Apply?
National Scholarship – FAQs
- Q. What is a national scholarship?
- Q. Who can avail benefits under national scholarships?

National Scholarship – Complete List

The government offers a large number of scholarships for students across India, out of which some are disbursed at national level, and some are disbursed at state level. The national level scholarships include the scholarships offered by departments like the Ministry of Minority Affairs, Department of Empowerment of Persons with Disabilities, Ministry of Social Justice and Empowerment, Ministry of Education (formerly known as MHRD), Ministry of Labour and Employment, and others.

The table below highlights the list of top 20 national scholarships that one must not miss along with their provider details and tentative application timeline.

National Scholarship – Detailed List of Scholarships

Scholarship Name	Provider Detail	Application Timeline*
Pre-Matric Scholarship Scheme for Minorities	Ministry of Minority Affairs (MOMA)	Between August and November
Post-Matric Scholarship Scheme for Minorities		Between August and November
Merit-cum-Means Scholarship for Professional and Technical Courses		Between August and November
Pre-matric Scholarship for Students with Disabilities	Department of Empowerment of Persons with Disabilities (DePwD)	Between August and November
Post-matric Scholarship for Students with Disabilities		Between August and November
Scholarships for Top Class Education for students with disabilities		Between August and November
Top Class Education for SC Students	Ministry of Social Justice and Empowerment	Between August and November
Financial Assistance for Education of the Wards of Beedi/Cine/IOMC/LSDM Workers – Post-Matric	Ministry of Labour and Employment	Between August and November
Financial Assistance for Education of the Wards of Beedi/Cine/IOMC/LSDM Workers – Pre-Matric	Ministry of Labour and Employment	Between August and November
National Fellowship and Scholarship for Higher Education of ST Students	Ministry of Tribal Affairs	Between August and November
National Means cum Merit Scholarship	Department of School Education & Literacy Department of Higher Education	Between August and November
Central Sector Scheme of Scholarships for College and University Students		Between August and November
Prime Minister’s Scholarship Scheme	WARB, Ministry of Home Affairs	Between August and November
Prime Minister’s Scholarship Scheme for RPF/RPSF	RPF/RPSF, Ministry of Railway	Between August and November
PG Indira Gandhi Scholarship for Single Girl Child	University Grants Commission (UGC) Department of Science and Technology (DST), Government of India	Between August and November
PG Scholarship for University Rank Holders		Between August and November
PG Scholarship Scheme for SC/ST Students for Professional Courses		Between August and November
Kishore Vaigyanik Protsahan Yojana (KVPY)		Between June and August
AICTE Pragati Scholarship for Girls	Ministry of Human Resource Development – AICTE	Between September and December
AICTE-Saksham Scholarship Scheme	Ministry of Human Resource Development – AICTE	Between September and December

*The application timeline mentioned above is tentative and may change on the discretion of the scholarship provider.

The list does not end here. There are numerous national scholarships including private-sector scholarships for students studying within the country.

National Scholarship – Eligibility

Now, since you are aware of the list of national scholarships, you must also be well-aware of their respective eligibility criteria. Each scholarship comes with a pre-defined set of eligibility conditions that one must fulfil to avail their benefits. The table below provides a detailed overview of all the scholarships for your reference. If you fulfil the eligibility for any of the scholarships, you can apply for it accordingly within the stipulated time duration.

Detailed Eligibility of National Scholarship

Scholarship Name	Eligibility
Pre-Matric Scholarship Scheme for Minorities	Open for students belonging to minority communities They must be studying in Class 1 to 10 They are required to have secured at least 50% marks in the previous qualifying examination The annual income of the family must be less than INR 1 lakh from all sources
Post-Matric Scholarship Scheme for Minorities	Open for minority community students studying in Class 11 to PhD level They are required to have secured at least 50% marks in the previous qualifying examination The annual income of the family must be less than INR 2 lakh from all sources
Merit-cum-Means Scholarship for Professional and Technical Courses	Open for minority community students who are pursuing technical or professional courses at UG/PG level They must have secured at least 50% marks or equivalent grade in previous qualifying examination The annual family income must be less than INR 2.50 lakh from all sources They must get admission on the basis of the competitive entrance examination or must have scored at least 50% in Class 12 or graduation (in case of direct admission).
Pre-matric Scholarship for Students with Disabilities	Open for disabled students who have more than 40% disability and a valid certificate for the same They must be studying in Class 9 or 10 The annual family income must be less than INR 2.50 lakh from all sources
Post-matric Scholarship for Students with Disabilities	Open for disabled students who have more than 40% disability and a valid certificate for the same They must have passed matriculation or higher secondary or any higher exam They must be pursuing studies in Class 11 to postgraduate level The annual family income must be less than INR 2.50 lakh from all sources
Scholarships for Top Class Education for students with disabilities	Open for disabled students who have more than 40% disability and a valid certificate for the same They must be pursuing studies at graduate/postgraduate/diploma level The annual family income must be less than INR 6 lakh from sources
Top Class Education for SC Students	Open for SC category students who have passed Class 12 They must have taken admission in a full-time course at undergraduate or postgraduate level The annual income of the family must be less than INR 6 lakh from all sources
Financial Assistance for Education of the Wards of Beedi/Cine/IOMC/LSDM Workers – Post-Matric	Open for candidates whose one or both parents are working as Beedi workers, Iron Ore, Manganese & Chrome Ore Mines, Limestone & Dolomite Mines (LSDM), Cine workers since at least the last six months. They must be pursuing a general or technical education at post-matriculation level They must have passed the last examination in the first attempt. The monthly family income must not exceed INR 10,000 (For Cine Workers, the family income must not exceed INR 8,000 pm or INR 1 lakh PA)
Financial Assistance for Education of the Wards of Beedi/Cine/IOMC/LSDM Workers – Pre-Matric	Open for candidates whose one or both parents are working as Beedi workers, Iron Ore, Manganese & Chrome Ore Mines, Limestone & Dolomite Mines (LSDM), Cine workers since at least the last six months. They must be studying in Class 1 to 10 They must have passed the last examination in the first attempt The monthly family income must not exceed INR 10,000 (For Cine Workers, the family income must not exceed INR 8,000 pm or INR 1 lakh PA)
National Fellowship and Scholarship for Higher Education of ST Students	Open for ST category students only For Fellowship They must have passed post graduation They must be admitted or registered in a full-time MPhil/PhD programme For Scholarship They must have taken admission in an institution notified and identified by the Ministry of Tribal Affairs The annual income of the family must be less than INR 6 lakh from all sources
National Means cum Merit Scholarship	Open for students of Class 9 who have secured at least 55% marks or equivalent in Class 8 examination To appear for the selection test, the students must have secured at least 55% marks or equivalent in Class 7 examination The annual income of the family must be less than INR 1.50 lakh from all sources
Central Sector Scheme of Scholarships for College and University Students	Open for Class 12 passed students who are pursuing a regular course such as medical and engineering from a recognized institution They must be above 80th percentile of successful candidates in the relevant stream in Class 12 or equivalent of respective state examination boards The annual family income must be less than INR 8 lakh from all sources
Prime Minister’s Scholarship Scheme	Open for dependent wards/widows of deceased CAPFs & AR/ Ex-CAPFs & AR/ retired and serving CAPFs & AR/ State Police Personnel They must be pursuing professional courses as specified in the notification They must fulfil the minimum education qualification They must have obtained at least 60% marks or above in the minimum educational qualification
Prime Minister’s Scholarship Scheme for RPF/RPSF	Open for dependent wards/widows of Ex-RPF/RPSF personnel They must be pursuing technical or professional degree courses They must have secured 60% or above in Minimum Educational Qualification (MEQ) i.e., Class 12, Diploma/Graduation
PG Indira Gandhi Scholarship for Single Girl Child	Open for girl students who are the only girl-child in their family Must be enrolled in the first-year of full-time regular Master’s degree programme at a designated university/college The upper age limit is 30 years Girl students who have no brother or those who are twin daughters/fraternal daughters can also apply for this scholarship
PG Scholarship for University Rank Holders	Students pursuing postgraduate studies can apply They must be the first or second rank holder in their graduation examination with at least 60% marks The maximum age limit is 30 years They must have completed graduation in one of the specified disciplines
PG Scholarship Scheme for SC/ST Students for Professional Courses	Open for SC/ST category students They must be studying in the first year of a professional course at postgraduate level during the current academic year They must be studying at a recognized institution
Kishore Vaigyanik Protsahan Yojana (KVPY)	Open for Indian students who are studying in India For SA Stream – They must be studying in Class 11 with at least 75% (65% for SC/ST/PWD) in Maths and Science subjects in Class 10 board examination. For SX Stream – They must be studying in the Class 12 with at least 75% (65% for SC/ST/PWD) in Maths and Science subjects in the Class 10 board examination. For SB Stream – They must be studying in the first year of graduation in a basic Science-related course with at least 60% (50% for SC/ST/PWD) in Maths, Physics, Chemistry, Biology in Class 12 board examination
AICTE Pragati Scholarship for Girls	Open for girl students who are pursuing a technical diploma/degree course in the first year or second year (through lateral entry only) on the basis of percentage of marks obtained in the 10+2/equivalent examination The annual family income must be less than INR 8 lakh from all sources
AICTE-Saksham Scholarship Scheme	Open for specially-abled students having not less than 40% disability They must be admitted in the first year of degree/diploma level course or second year of degree/diploma level course through lateral entry in any of the AICTE approved institution The annual family income must be less than INR 8 lakh from all sources

National Scholarship – Award Details

The amount of financial assistance given to students under each national scholarship may vary. While some scholarships look after all your academic expenses, some offer financial aid in the form of one-time assistance. The table below provides a detailed overview of the financial assistance that students will get under each national scholarship. Please note that the scholarship amount is directly transferred into the bank account of the beneficiaries through Direct Benefit Transfer (DBT).

Award Details of National Scholarships

Scholarship Name	Award Details
Pre-Matric Scholarship Scheme for Minorities	Admission fee, tuition fee, and maintenance allowance
Post-Matric Scholarship Scheme for Minorities	Admission fee, tuition fee, and maintenance allowance
Merit-cum-Means Scholarship for Professional and Technical Courses	Course fee up to INR 20,000 per annum and maintenance allowance
Pre-matric Scholarship for Students with Disabilities	Maintenance allowance, book grant, and disability allowance
Post-matric Scholarship for Students with Disabilities	Maintenance allowance, book grant, and disability allowance
Scholarships for Top Class Education for students with disabilities	Up to INR 2 lakh per annum and other benefits
Top Class Education for SC Students	Full tuition fee and other allowances
Financial Assistance for Education of the Wards of Beedi/Cine/IOMC/LSDM Workers – Post-Matric	Up to INR 15,000
Financial Assistance for Education of the Wards of Beedi/Cine/IOMC/LSDM Workers – Pre-Matric	Up to INR 1,840
National Fellowship and Scholarship for Higher Education of ST Students	Up to INR 28,000 per month and other benefits
National Means cum Merit Scholarship	INR 12,000 per annum
Central Sector Scheme of Scholarships for College and University Students	Up to INR 20,000 per annum
Prime Minister’s Scholarship Scheme	INR 3,000 per month to female students and INR 2,500 per month to male students
Prime Minister’s Scholarship Scheme for RPF/RPSF	INR 2,250 per month for girls and INR 2,000 per month for boys
PG Indira Gandhi Scholarship for Single Girl Child	INR 36,200 per annum for two years
PG Scholarship for University Rank Holders	INR 3,100 per month for two years
PG Scholarship Scheme for SC/ST Students for Professional Courses	For ME/MTech students – INR 7,800 per month for 2 years For other professional courses – INR 4,500 per month for 2 years
Kishore Vaigyanik Protsahan Yojana (KVPY)	Up to INR 7,000 per month and contingency grant up to INR 28,000 per annum
AICTE Pragati Scholarship for Girls	Up to INR 50,000 per annum and other benefits
AICTE-Saksham Scholarship Scheme	Up to INR 50,000 per annum and other benefits

National Scholarship – Where to Apply?

What process should be followed to apply for any of the national scholarships? Are the applications accepted online or offline? Where and how can the students apply? The answers to all these questions are given in the table below. While the applications for most of the scholarships can be made through the National Scholarship Portal (NSP), for others, the students can apply through their respective official websites.

National Scholarship – Application Process Details

Name of the Scholarship	Where to Apply?
Pre-Matric Scholarship Scheme for Minorities	Apply online through the National Scholarship Portal (NSP).
Post-Matric Scholarship Scheme for Minorities	Apply online through the National Scholarship Portal (NSP).
Merit-cum-Means Scholarship for Professional and Technical Courses	Apply online through the National Scholarship Portal (NSP).
Pre-matric Scholarship for Students with Disabilities	Apply online through the National Scholarship Portal (NSP).
Post-matric Scholarship for Students with Disabilities	Apply online through the National Scholarship Portal (NSP).
Scholarships for Top Class Education for students with disabilities	Apply online through the National Scholarship Portal (NSP).
Top Class Education for SC Students	Apply online through the National Scholarship Portal (NSP).
Financial Assistance for Education of the Wards of Beedi/Cine/IOMC/LSDM Workers – Post-Matric	Apply online through the National Scholarship Portal (NSP).
Financial Assistance for Education of the Wards of Beedi/Cine/IOMC/LSDM Workers – Pre-Matric	Apply online through the National Scholarship Portal (NSP).
National Fellowship and Scholarship for Higher Education of ST Students	Apply online through the National Scholarship Portal (NSP).
National Means cum Merit Scholarship	Apply online through the National Scholarship Portal (NSP).
Central Sector Scheme of Scholarships for College and University Students	Apply online through the National Scholarship Portal (NSP).
Prime Minister’s Scholarship Scheme	Apply online through the National Scholarship Portal (NSP).
Prime Minister’s Scholarship Scheme for RPF/RPSF	Apply online through the National Scholarship Portal (NSP).
PG Indira Gandhi Scholarship for Single Girl Child	Apply online through the National Scholarship Portal (NSP).
PG Scholarship for University Rank Holders	Apply online through the National Scholarship Portal (NSP).
PG Scholarship Scheme for SC/ST Students for Professional Courses	Apply online through the National Scholarship Portal (NSP).
Kishore Vaigyanik Protsahan Yojana (KVPY)	Apply online through the official website of KVPY (Application fee applicable).
AICTE Pragati Scholarship for Girls	Apply online through the National Scholarship Portal (NSP).
AICTE-Saksham Scholarship Scheme	Apply online through the National Scholarship Portal (NSP).

National Scholarship – FAQs

Q. What is a national scholarship?

The term ‘National Scholarship’ refers to the board gamut of scholarships that are meant to support the studies of Indian nationals studying within India. Both government and private organisations offer such scholarships for students to help them pursue their academic dream.

Q. Who can avail benefits under national scholarships?

Indian students who are residents of India and are studying in an institution within the country can avail benefits under national scholarships.