All India (Central) scholarships (केंद्र सरकार)

How central scholarships work

Central scholarships are the backbone for every state. Almost all of them run on the National Scholarship Portal (NSP), where you first create a One Time Registration (OTR) number linked to Aadhaar, then apply to one scheme per year. Your institute verifies the form, then the district or state nodal officer, and the money comes by DBT to an Aadhaar-seeded bank account.

Key central schemes

Application calendar

• June – July: NSP opens for fresh and renewal applications; complete OTR early
• October – November: Usual last date for students, followed by institute verification
• January – June: Payments by DBT after district / state verification

Avoid these rejections

• Your name must match exactly on Aadhaar, the marksheet and the bank account — a single letter mismatch is the top rejection reason.
• Apply for only one scholarship per year on NSP; duplicate applications are rejected for all schemes.
• Renewal is not automatic — you must submit a renewal form every year with the previous year's result.

All India (Central) scholarship FAQs

Official sources: scholarships.gov.in· pfms.gov.in· Guide last reviewed 2026-10-30. Amounts and dates change every year — confirm on the official portal.