National Means-cum-Merit Scholarship Scheme 2026‑27

The National Means-cum-Merit Scholarship Scheme (NMMSS) is a central scheme. The Ministry of Education’s school education department has run it since 2008 to help meritorious students from weaker economic backgrounds continue schooling after Class 8. The Department of School Education and Literacy in the Ministry of Education has run it since 2008.

Each year, one lakh fresh scholarships go to Class 9 students who qualify in the selection test run by their State or UT government. The scheme provides one lakh fresh scholarships every year to eligible Class IX students who qualify in the selection examination conducted by the respective State/UT Governments. The award is Rs. 12,000 a year, paid into the student’s bank account, and the family income limit is Rs. 3.50 lakh a year. The Ministry moved the 2026-27 application deadline to 15 November 2026 on 31 October 2026. The Union Ministry of Education extended the last date for submission of applications under the National Means-cum-Merit Scholarship Scheme (NMMSS) for the academic year 2026-27 till November 15, 2026.

What you get

Selected students get Rs. 12,000 a year, which is Rs. 1,000 a month. The amount of scholarship is Rs. 12,000 per annum at Rs. 1,000 per month. The money is sent straight to the student’s bank account through Direct Benefit Transfer, using the PFMS system. NMMSS scholarships are disbursed directly into the bank accounts of selected students by electronic transfer through the Public Financial Management System (PFMS) following DBT mode.

The Ministry fixed the Rs. 12,000 amount for five years in its 2022 revision, even if state quotas change. Total number of scholarships is 1,00,000 and amount @ Rs 12000 per student will be fixed for five years even when allotted quota of States and UTs will be revised on the basis of Census 2021. The scholarship lasts for a maximum of four years, covering Class 9 to Class 12. If a student is renewed every year, the total comes to Rs. 48,000.

The 2022 guidelines approved the scheme for 2021-22 to 2025-26. The scheme has been approved for continuation for another 5 years during the period of 15th Finance Commission cycle from 2021-22 to 2025-26. The Ministry’s 2026 releases show that applications for 2026-27 are open, so this page covers that round.

Who can apply

• Regular students in a Government, Government-aided or local body school. You must be in Class 8 when you sit the selection test, and you must move up to Class 9 to start the scholarship. The scholarship is provided on a yearly basis to students who are regular students and entering Class IX in a government, government-aided or local body school.
• Parental income from all sources of up to Rs. 3.50 lakh a year. The parental income of the applicant should not exceed Rs. 3.50 lakh per annum.
• At least 55% marks or an equivalent grade in Class VII to sit the selection test. Students from SC and ST communities get a 5 percentage point relaxation. For appearing in the selection test, students must have secured at least 55 per cent marks or equivalent grade in Class VII, with a 5-percentage point relaxation for SC/ST students.
• Students from any community can apply. Reservation follows the rules of each State or UT. Students belonging to any community studying in Government, Government-aided or local body schools and fulfilling the Scheme guidelines are eligible to apply for the scholarship.
• Study must be in India, in an approved regular course. No scholarship is paid for studies abroad, or for diploma and certificate courses. No scholarship shall be available for studies abroad for any course. No scholarship at this stage is payable for studying diploma/certificate level courses.
• Students in Kendriya Vidyalayas, Jawahar Navodaya Vidyalayas, residential schools run by the Centre or a state government, and private schools cannot get this scholarship. The students studying in “Kendriya vidyalayas and Jawahar Navodaya vidyalayas” are not entitled to get scholarship under this scheme. Similarly, those students studying in Residential Schools run by the centre/ State Government Institutions, where facilities like boarding, lodging and education are provided and students studying in private schools are also not eligible for the scholarship under the scheme.
• The official sources do not publish an age limit.
• Other scholarships: from 2026-27 a student may apply for one merit-based scholarship and one or more welfare-based scholarships, if each scheme’s rules are met. Further, from 2026-27 academic year, students may apply for one merit-based scholarship scheme and one or more welfare-based scholarship schemes simultaneously, subject to fulfilling the eligibility criteria prescribed under the respective schemes. The 2022 guidelines say a student can avail only one central scholarship, so check the current NSP rules.

How to apply

You apply online on the National Scholarship Portal at scholarships.gov.in, for a fresh or renewal scholarship. National Means-cum-Merit Scholarship Scheme (NMMSS) Scheme is online and one can apply for fresh or renewal Scholarship under the Scheme on the National Scholarship Portal (NSP) at www.scholarships.gov.in.

1. Complete One-Time Registration (OTR) on the portal first. Students are required to complete their One-Time Registration (OTR) on the portal before applying for the Scholarship.
2. Log in and choose the NMMSS application, fresh or renewal.
3. Fill in the form. Fields marked with a red asterisk are compulsory. You can fill up the online application in many sittings using ‘Save Draft’, until you are satisfied that you have entered all desirable fields correctly.
4. Enter bank details carefully. Check the IFSC code and the full account number, and link your Aadhaar to the account. Students/Parents/Guardians are advised to get account number verified by the concerned Bank Branch as the Scholarship amount will not be transferred if the bank details are incorrect.
5. Submit the form. An Application ID will be provided to the candidate once his/her application is submitted online. It will be conveyed to candidates through SMS. Students should remember their ID as it will be required while applying for renewal during subsequent years.
6. Your school or institute verifies the application first, then your district. Your application must be verified at School/Institute level and then at domicile district level. You can check your status by logging in with your Application ID.
7. If the application is marked defective, correct it and resubmit within the NSP timeline. In case the application is marked as ‘rejected’ by the Institute/District/State, the application will not be considered for award of the scholarship.

For portal help, call 0120-6619540 or write to helpdesk@nsp.gov.in. You can immediately register your complain through the link https://scholarships.gov.in/fresh/complaintspage or accessing Complaints -> Register Complaints on the home page of the NSP website or call on the Helpline number 0120-6619540 or send mail on e-mail id: helpdesk@nsp.gov.in.

Documents you need

• Income certificate of your parent or guardian, issued by the competent authority in your State or UT. The list of documents to be submitted by the applicant for Fresh Scholarship, under NMMSS, for verification of her/his online application by the Institute/School/College is as under: i. Income Certificate of Parent/Guardian issued by the Competent Authority in the State/UT.
• Caste certificate. The FAQ lists it with the income certificate for school verification. Caste Certificate
• A bank account with your Aadhaar linked to it. The Aadhaar Number is required to be seeded (linked) with the bank account in which Scholarship amount is desired to be transferred.

You do not upload these papers on the portal. No documents are required for uploading. Keep them ready for your school and district officers.

How students are selected

1. Your State or UT holds its own selection test at Class 8. A separate examination shall be conducted by the State Governments/UT Administrations for selection of students for the award of the National Means-cum-Merit Scholarships in the States/UTs.
2. The test has two parts: the Mental Ability Test (MAT) and the Scholastic Aptitude Test (SAT). The Mental Ability Test shall consist of 90 multiple-choice questions testing verbal non-verbal meta-cognitive abilities like reasoning and critical thinking. The Scholastic Aptitude Test shall consist of 90 multiple-choice questions covering subjects namely, science, social studies and mathematics as taught in classes VII and VIII. Each test will be of 90 minutes duration.
3. You must score at least 40% across both tests taken together. For SC and ST students the cut-off is 32%. MAT and SAT with at least 40 % marks in aggregate taken together for these two tests. For the SC/ST students, this cut off will be 32% marks.
4. At selection, you need at least 55% in Class VIII, with a 5 percentage point relaxation for SC and ST students. At the time of selection for the award of scholarship the student must have scored at least 55% mark or equivalent grade in class VIII examination. There will be 5% relaxation for SC/ST students.
5. Each State or UT gets a fixed quota of scholarships. Each state/UT has fixed quota of scholarship for concerned age group of class VII and VIII. Students with disabilities get extra time in the test. Children with disability will be given extra time, as applicable.
6. The school and district verify the application, and money is released only after every verifying authority approves it. Ministry of Education will release the scholarship amount, only if your application is verified and approved by all verification authorities.

The official sources do not give the cut-off marks for each State or UT quota.

Renewal

• The scholarship continues from Class 10 to Class 12 through renewal. The scholarship is subsequently continued from Classes X to XII through renewal, subject to the prescribed academic requirements.
• You need at least 60% in Class X (5 percentage points less for SC and ST students) to continue to the higher classes. The awardees should get minimum of 60% marks in class X for continuation of scholarship (relaxable by 5% for SC/ST candidates) in next higher classes.
• You must pass each class in the first attempt, moving from Class IX to X and from XI to XII. For continuing the scholarship in class X and XII, the awardees should get clear promotion form class IX to class X and from class XI to class XII in the first attempt.
• A gap of one academic year ends the scholarship, and it cannot be restarted. Scholarship shall be deemed to be discontinued if any gap of one academic session arises in studies at any time due to any reason. Scholarship once discontinued on the basis of the rules of disbursement scholarship cannot be revived under any circumstances.
• Join the next class within 3 months of the result. The student must join the next class/desired course within 3 months of the declaration of the result of the previous class/course.
• If the renewal is not filed on NSP on time, the scholarship stops. The scholarships for those students will be discontinued if they would not have been able to renew their application on NSP within stipulated time period.

Important dates

The deadline has moved more than once. The last date for submission of applications by selected meritorious students on the National Scholarship Portal (NSP) for National Means cum Merit Scholarship Scheme (NMMSS) for 2026-27 has been extended to September 30, 2026. It was later moved to 15 November 2026. The official sources I read do not give the 2026 state test dates, so check your State or UT education department for those.

Official sources: Ministry of Education release of 31 October 2026, revised scheme guidelines (2022), NSP application FAQ, National Scholarship Portal.