NSP Scholarship Last Date 2026-27: 31 October Deadline

"School girls in Mumbai" by the opoponax, CC BY 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons

If you are a student counting on a central scholarship this academic year, the date to circle is 31 October 2026. That is the current last date for students to submit applications on the National Scholarship Portal (NSP) for 2026-27, after the Ministry of Education and the portal itself extended the earlier deadlines. With only a couple of days left, here is what is confirmed, which schemes it covers, what you need, and what happens after you hit submit.

NSP last date 2026-27: the confirmed schedule

The NSP has been open for 2026-27 applications since 1 June 2026. On 1 October 2026, the Press Information Bureau (PIB) announced that the Ministry of Education had extended the last date for the National Means-cum-Merit Scholarship Scheme (NMMSS) to 31 October 2026. The NSP homepage shows the same 31 October 2026 closing date for renewal applications under the PM-USP Central Sector Scheme of Scholarship for College and University Students (CSSS) and the PM USP Special Scholarship Scheme for Jammu & Kashmir and Ladakh.

The deadline is not just for students. After you apply, your institute and then the district have to verify the application, and they have their own cut-off dates:

Sources: PIB release dated 1 October 2026 (NMMSS); NSP homepage notice (PM-USP CSSS renewals), both checked on 29 October 2026.

One caution: each scheme on NSP is run by a different ministry, and closing dates can differ by scheme and by state. The PIB extension is officially confirmed only for NMMSS, and the NSP notice only for the PM-USP schemes. Education portals such as Careers360 list many other central schemes, including pre-matric and post-matric scholarships, with the same 31 October 2026 deadline. Before you rely on that date, check the closing date shown next to your scheme on scholarships.gov.in.

Which scholarships are on NSP this year?

NSP is a single window for scholarships from several central ministries, the UGC and AICTE, and many state governments. Schemes reported to be open until 31 October 2026 include:

• NMMSS (Ministry of Education): ₹12,000 a year for Class IX students who clear the state-level selection test, renewable until Class XII.
• PM-USP CSSS (merit-based, for college and university students) and the PM USP Special Scholarship Scheme for J&K and Ladakh: renewals open.
• Top Class Education scholarships for SC students and the PM YASASVI top-class scheme for OBC, EBC and DNT students.
• National Fellowship and Scholarship for Higher Education of ST Students (Ministry of Tribal Affairs).
• AICTE Pragati (girl students), Saksham (specially-abled students) and Swanath scholarships for technical degree and diploma courses.
• Pre-matric and post-matric scholarships for students with disabilities and the top-class scheme for students with disabilities.
• Labour ministry financial assistance for the wards of beedi, cine, IOMC and LSDM workers (pre-matric and post-matric).

The NSP homepage adds a rule that matters from 2026-27: a student may apply for one merit-based scholarship and one or more welfare-based scholarships, subject to each scheme’s eligibility conditions. You cannot hold two merit scholarships at once.

Eligibility: what usually applies

Eligibility is set scheme by scheme, so read the guidelines on the portal. Here is how it works for NMMSS, as stated in the PIB release:

• To sit the selection test, you need at least 55% marks (or an equivalent grade) in Class VII. SC/ST students get 5 percentage points of relaxation.
• Parental income must not exceed ₹3.5 lakh a year.
• You must be studying in a state government, government-aided or local body school.
• One lakh fresh scholarships are awarded each year. The amount is paid by DBT straight into the student’s bank account.

Most welfare scholarships also set a family-income ceiling and a category condition (SC, ST, OBC, minority, disability and so on), and renewals need you to have been promoted to the next class.

Documents to keep ready

• Aadhaar number, or your Aadhaar enrolment ID, and a mobile number for OTPs
• A bank account in the student’s name, seeded with Aadhaar for DBT
• Income certificate from the competent authority
• Caste or category certificate, or a disability certificate, where it applies
• Previous year’s marksheet, plus the fee receipt for the current year’s admission
• Bonafide or study certificate from the institution, if the scheme asks for one
• Domicile certificate for state-linked schemes

How to apply on NSP: step by step

1. Complete One-Time Registration (OTR)

The PIB notice says students must complete One-Time Registration on the portal before they can apply. OTR gives you a unique number that you use for every scholarship application across your education. It is Aadhaar-based, with OTP and face authentication. If you already have an OTR, do not register again.

2. Log in and choose the scheme

Go to scholarships.gov.in and log in with your OTR number. Choose fresh or renewal for academic year 2026-27, then pick the scheme or schemes you are eligible for.

3. Fill in academic, bank and contact details

Enter your institution, course, marks and fee details exactly as they appear on your documents. A name that does not match between Aadhaar, the bank account and your school records is one of the most common reasons applications get rejected.

4. Upload documents and submit

Upload the documents the scheme asks for, check the preview carefully and submit before 31 October. Keep the acknowledgement.

5. Follow up on verification

Ask your school or college to verify the application before 15 November 2026. The district has until 30 November 2026. An application that is never verified is effectively dead, even if you submitted it on time.

What if you miss the 31 October deadline?

• Another extension is not confirmed. No further extension had been announced as of 29 October 2026. The deadline has been moved before, but do not count on it happening again.
• Check state portals. Some state scholarships run on their own websites with different schedules.
• Renewal students should not skip a year. Missing a renewal can break the continuity that schemes such as NMMSS require from Class X to XII.
• Use the grievance channel. If the portal failed on you, raise it through the NSP helpdesk and your institute nodal officer, and keep screenshots.

If you are planning beyond scholarships, the changes to the PM Internship Scheme and the latest Skill India programmes for students are also worth a look. School students should read our explainer on CBSE’s twice-a-year board exam reform, and families can browse our round-up of new government schemes for women, girls and families in 2026.

Quick numbers

As of 30 September 2026, the PIB said 88,522 fresh and 1,97,133 renewal NMMSS applications had been submitted on NSP. That suggests many eligible students had not yet applied when the deadline was extended.

Bottom line

For 2026-27, apply on NSP by 31 October 2026, make sure your OTR is done, and then follow up until your institute (by 15 November) and district (by 30 November) have verified your application. Dates for individual schemes can differ, so the closing date shown against your scheme on scholarships.gov.in is the one that counts.