Central Sector Scholarship of Top Class Education for SC Students
Department of Social Justice and Empowerment
📌About the Event
The Central Sector Scholarship of Top Class Education for SC Students is a Government of India initiative that supports eligible Scheduled Caste students pursuing higher education after Class 12 at notified premier institutions. The scholarship is designed to reduce financial barriers by covering tuition fees and providing an academic allowance for living expenses, books, stationery and computer-related requirements. Applications for the academic year 2026–27 are being accepted through the National Scholarship Portal.
ℹ️ Event Details
- Scholarship type: Merit-based Central Government scholarship
- Application mode: Online through the National Scholarship Portal
- Academic year: 2026–27
- Course mode: Full-time courses offered by institutions notified under the scheme
- Study level: Courses pursued after Class 12, including eligible undergraduate and postgraduate programmes
- Institutions covered: Notified IITs, IIMs, NITs, IIITs, AIIMS, NLUs, NIFTs, NIDs, IHMs and other approved institutions
- One-Time Registration: Students must obtain an NSP One-Time Registration number before filling out the scholarship application.
- Payment mode: Scholarship benefits are transferred directly to the selected student through Direct Benefit Transfer.
- Current status: Applications for the 2026–27 academic year are open. The eligibility and financial benefits below are based on the latest detailed scheme guidelines published by the Ministry
📅 Important Dates
- Opening date of scholarship applications: 1 June 2026
- Last date for student applications: 31 October 2026
- Last date for defective application verification: 15 November 2026
- Last date for institute verification: 15 November 2026
- Last date for DNO, SNO and MNO verification: 30 November 2026
🎯 Eligibility & Rules
- Eligibility:
- The applicant must belong to the Scheduled Caste category.
- The total annual family income from all sources must not exceed ₹8 lakh.
- The applicant must have secured admission to a full-time prescribed course in an institution notified under the scholarship scheme.
- Fresh scholarships are awarded only to students entering the first year of their course.
- Second-, third- or fourth-year students cannot apply as fresh applicants, although existing beneficiaries may submit renewal applications.
- A maximum of two siblings from the same family can receive benefits under the scheme.
- Thirty per cent of the institution’s scholarship slots are reserved for eligible SC girl students based on merit.
- Students must submit documents such as:
- SC caste certificate
- Valid family income certificate
- Bank account details
- Admission rank or merit details
- Course and fee details
🏆 Benefits for the Participants
- Full tuition fees and non-refundable institutional charges are covered under the scheme.
- For private-sector institutions, tuition fee support is capped at ₹2 lakh per student per year.
- Selected students receive an academic allowance of ₹86,000 in the first year.
- An academic allowance of ₹41,000 per year is provided in each subsequent year of the course.
- The academic allowance may be used for:
- Living expenses
- Books and stationery
- Computer or laptop
- Accessories such as a UPS and printer