Pre-Matric Scholarship Scheme for ST Students 2026‑27

The Pre-Matric Scholarship Scheme for ST Students pays a monthly scholarship to Scheduled Tribe students in Classes IX and X. The Ministry of Tribal Affairs, Government of India, runs it as a Centrally Sponsored Scheme. State and Union Territory governments handle applications in their own areas, and payments to the selected students also come from the State or UT government.

Lakshadweep students should note one point. The Lakshadweep UT Administration is not submitting proposals under the pre and post matric schemes for ST students, so funds are not released to it under them. The UT appears to run these schemes using grants from the Ministry of Home Affairs.

What you get

Day scholars receive Rs. 225 a month and hostellers receive Rs. 525 a month. The scholarship is payable for 10 months in an academic year. The Ministry’s page does not name a year for these rates.

The Ministry’s page lists an increase in the scholarship amount under this scheme dated 20 December 2019. The 2012 guidelines had set lower rates of Rs. 150 a month for day scholars and Rs. 350 a month for hostellers.

The 2012 guidelines also list a books and ad hoc grant of Rs. 750 a year for day scholars and Rs. 1,000 a year for hostellers. The newer guidelines available for this page do not restate this grant, so ask your school or state office before you count on it.

Who can apply

• You must belong to a Scheduled Tribe as specified for the State or UT where you are domiciled.
• You must study in a Government school, or in a school recognised by the Government or by a Central or State Board of Secondary Education.
• Your family income from all sources must not exceed Rs. 2.5 lakh a year.
• You need a valid bank account in a Scheduled Bank, linked with your Aadhaar and mobile number.
• You must not get any other scholarship.
• If you live in one state but study in another, you apply to the state where you are domiciled.

The official eligibility conditions do not set an age limit or a minimum mark. Manipur’s 2026-27 notice says students in fully government-funded institutions that give free education, boarding and lodging cannot apply. If you give wrong or misrepresented facts, you become ineligible and can be debarred from the scheme.

How to apply

1. Your application goes to the state or UT where you are domiciled, even if you study elsewhere.
2. Apply online. States can run their own online platform, or they can use the National Scholarship Portal at scholarships.gov.in. Check your state’s notice to see which one it uses.
3. Keep your bank account active and not dormant. It should be in your name or your parent’s name and linked with Aadhaar and mobile.
4. Give a mobile number that works and belongs to you or your parent. Keep the same number for the whole scholarship period.
5. Upload clear, legible documents and a clear photo.
6. Submit the completed application before the last date your state or UT sets.

Documents you need

• Self-declared income forms are not accepted. Each State must name an authority that issues income certificates.
• An ST certificate. The 2012 guidelines ask for the original certificate, signed by an authorised officer.
• A passport-size photograph for a fresh application, as the 2012 guidelines list it.
• Your state or NSP portal shows which certificates of the examination you passed are needed, and some states link the portal to DigiLocker.

How students are selected

The guidelines describe checks of eligibility and documents, not a merit ranking. Your school or college Institute Nodal Officer checks your details and uploaded documents first. That officer can verify, reject or make the application defective. The officer must give reasons for a rejection or a defect, so you can see them. District and State Nodal Officers check the application next, at the second and third levels. States must keep records of beneficiaries under other scholarships to avoid double payment.

Renewal

• A scholarship for any one class lasts for one year.
• The award continues only while you show good conduct and regular attendance.
• Renewal for Class X comes after you pass Class IX. You can renew for the next class when you are promoted.
• If you repeat a class, you do not get the scholarship for that class a second time.
• The income certificate is taken once, at admission to Class IX, and it also covers Class X.

Important dates

• The 2021-22 to 2025-26 guidelines ask States to open the portal for applications by 1 April.
• Those guidelines also suggest verification by 30 September and disbursal by 31 October, and they call these timelines only suggestive.
• For 2026-27, Manipur’s notice of 31 July 2026 says online applications opened on 1 August 2026, with 31 October 2026 as the last date for online submission. This is one state’s date, and your state may differ.
• No national closing date for 2026-27 appears in the official sources reviewed for this page. Each state or UT sets its own.
• The Notes on Demands for Grants for 2026-27 describe the Pre-Matric Scholarship for STs under its own heading.