NSP scholarship 2026-27: last date, OTR, schemes, amounts and how to apply on the National Scholarship Portal

What is the National Scholarship Portal?

NSP is the Government of India's single website for scholarship applications, verification and payment, run under the Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology. Its standard operating procedure sets one chain for every form: the student applies, the institute verifies (Level 1), district, state or ministry officers verify (Level 2/3), PFMS validates the bank account and money is paid by Direct Benefit Transfer (DBT).

The 2026-27 cycle opened on 1 June 2026. As of 16 October 2026, NSP lists 31 central sector schemes (21 merit-based, 10 welfare-based), 105 centrally sponsored entries run by individual states and UTs, and 32 state scheme entries.

NSP scholarship 2026 last date: central schemes open for 2026-27

Every scheme below closes for students on 31 October 2026. Amounts are as stated in each scheme's guidelines.

What the table cannot show:

• Renewal only: PM-USP CSSS, the PM-USP Special Scholarship for J&K and Ladakh and PM YASASVI Top Class in Schools are open on NSP only for earlier winners. Fresh J&K and Ladakh students apply through AICTE's portal.
• Also open till 31 October 2026: ICAR scholarships, the Prime Minister's Scholarship Schemes, Labour Ministry schemes, disability scholarships and the ST higher education scholarship.
• Minority schemes: no Ministry of Minority Affairs scheme is in the central list as of 16 October 2026.
• SC, ST and OBC pre-matric and post-matric scholarships, including PM YASASVI pre-matric and post-matric, are run by state governments and appear on NSP only for states that use it, such as Delhi, Haryana, Punjab and Uttarakhand. Their closing dates run from 16 October 2026 to 15 February 2027.

What is OTR, and how does Aadhaar face authentication work?

The OTR FAQ calls OTR a unique number valid for your whole academic career on NSP. It is free and works as your username. To get one:

1. On the OTR page, register with an active mobile number and your Aadhaar, keeping the Aadhaar-linked mobile handy for the OTP. Without Aadhaar, use your Enrolment ID (EID); a minor can use a parent's Aadhaar.
2. Finish the OTP e-KYC. NSP sends a Reference number by SMS.
3. Install UIDAI's AadhaarFaceRD app and the NSP OTR app on an Android phone.
4. In the NSP OTR app, choose "eKYC with FaceAuth", enter the Reference number and OTP, and complete the face capture. The OTR number arrives by SMS.

Common snags from NSP's notices: error 904 means you must update AadhaarFaceRD; locked Aadhaar biometrics make face authentication fail; EID users must add Aadhaar within one month or the OTR may be suspended; and students registered on a parent's Aadhaar must switch to their own at 18. Common Service Centres do OTR plus the full form for ₹30.

How to apply for an NSP scholarship in 2026-27 (step by step)

1. Check eligibility on the public Scholarship Eligibility page, which also explains why a scheme is missing.
2. Log in with your OTR, Aadhaar or APAAR ID.
3. Fill Basic Information: general, academic and application-specific details.
4. Apply Fresh: accept the guidelines, choose "Scholarship" and click Apply to create an Application ID.
5. Pick the scheme: under My Applications, click Proceed, then Fill/Edit Application Form. Choose a scheme, upload documents and click Final Submit.
6. Give documents to your institute and follow up until it verifies. For a second scheme, create a new Application ID.

For PM-USP CSSS, the Ministry's FAQ lists the uploads: Class 12 mark sheet, income certificate, and caste or disability certificates if they apply. Your name and father's name must match exactly on Aadhaar and the mark sheet, or the scheme will not appear.

Institute and district verification deadlines

Submitting is half the job. For the central schemes above, NSP's 2026-27 timeline is:

A PIB release of 1 October 2026 confirms these dates for NMMS, and AICTE's 19 June notice does the same for Pragati, Saksham and Swanath. State-run schemes differ: Andaman and Nicobar's PM YASASVI post-matric scheme allows district or state verification until 31 December 2026.

How to check NSP application status and payment

• Status: log in through Application Status. Under My Applications, use "Check Your Status" against your Application ID.
• Payment: NSP's Track Your Payment link opens PFMS Know Your Payment. Search by Aadhaar number, bank account number or NSP Application ID.
• Bank account: money goes to your Aadhaar-seeded account, so check which account was seeded on the payment date.
• Help: the NSP helpdesk is on 0120-6619540 and PFMS on toll-free 1800 118 111, 8 am to 8 pm except government holidays.

Why NSP applications are marked defective, rejected or held up

NSP's Institute FAQ of June 2026 lets institutes mark a form Defective (incomplete, inconsistent or incorrect; it returns to you to fix), Rejected (ineligible or invalid; final) or Fake (suspicious or duplicate). Other official reasons a form stalls:

• Your name or father's name differs between Aadhaar and the mark sheet.
• You chose the wrong institute. The CSSS FAQ warns this cannot be corrected later, so check the AISHE code first.
• Your course is missing because the institute has not updated its NSP profile.
• The institute's AISHE status is inactive, which blocks CSSS payment.
• The institute or state missed the verification cut-off.
• A student with a disability did not first give consent on the UDID portal.
• The bank account is dormant or not seeded with Aadhaar.

Gujarat students: NSP or Digital Gujarat?

No Gujarat scheme appears in NSP's 2026-27 state or centrally sponsored lists as of 16 October 2026. Gujarat runs its own scholarships through the Scholarship Services section of Digital Gujarat; see our guides to Digital Gujarat scholarships 2026-27 and MYSY 2026-27. Central schemes on NSP stay open to Gujarat students:

• NMMS: Gujarat's quota is 5,097. The State Examination Board's NMMS 2026-27 notification of 12 October 2026 takes applications on sebexam.org from 15 to 24 October 2026, fees until 26 October, with a probable exam on 5 December 2026. Winners then apply on NSP. More in our Gujarat NMMS news story.
• AICTE Pragati: AICTE's guidelines give Gujarat 219 degree and 284 diploma scholarships a year.
• PM-USP CSSS renewals: slots are split among state boards, so GSEB students compete within the GSEB share.

One trap: each scheme keeps its own exclusions. The CSSS guidelines bar students getting any state-run scholarship, fee waiver or reimbursement, and AICTE asks for Pragati or Saksham money back if you get help from another source. If you hold MYSY, read the rules first.

Where to go next

• Gujarat state scholarships: Digital Gujarat scholarship 2026-27 guide
• Gujarat's merit scheme: MYSY scholarship 2026-27 guide
• Class 8 in Gujarat: Gujarat NMMS 2026-27 application dates and exam
• For AICTE Pragati and Saksham: B.Tech / B.E. course guide and Diploma in Engineering course guide
• Where to study: engineering colleges in India
• Going abroad: scholarships for Indian students, 2027-28 deadlines
• Latest updates: CareerBox News