Renewing the Centre’s merit scholarship? Student applications on the national portal close 31 October
Renewal applications for the PM-USP central scholarship for college and university students are open on the National Scholarship Portal until 31 October. Colleges must verify by 15 November, and disabled students must give UDID consent first.
If you hold the Centre's merit-based college scholarship and need to renew it, the clock is running. The National Scholarship Portal says renewal applications for the PM-USP Central Sector Scheme of Scholarship for College and University Students (CSSS, merit-based) and the PM-USP special scholarship for Jammu & Kashmir and Ladakh (merit-based) are open now.
Three dates to track
| Step | Last date |
|---|---|
| Student application | 31 October 2026 |
| Institute verification | 15 November 2026 |
| Second-level (L2) verification | 30 November 2026 |
The last two are for your college and the nodal authority, but they matter to you: if your institute is slow, a correct application can still stall. Tell your scholarship clerk as soon as you submit.
Before you log in
- One-Time Registration (OTR): a 14-digit number from your Aadhaar or Aadhaar Enrolment ID that lasts your whole academic career. It is generated with face authentication in the NSP OTR app on Google Play.
- Biometric lock: if face authentication fails, check whether the Aadhaar holder has locked biometrics. The portal says this must be set to unlocked first. For error 904, it advises updating the UIDAI face-authentication app.
- Disabled students: log in to the UDID portal first and consent to share your UDID details. Without that, the portal will not let you submit.
- Bank account: payments are made by direct benefit transfer, so the account should be seeded with Aadhaar. NPCI's Bharat Aadhaar Seeding Enabler (BASE) platform lets you do this yourself online.
The new combination rule
From academic year 2026–27, the portal says a student may apply for one merit-based scheme and one or more welfare-based schemes, subject to each scheme's eligibility. Check your scheme's eligibility on the portal before you apply for a second one.
No computer? Use a CSC
NSP services are also available at Common Service Centres. The portal fixes the all-in charge — reference number, biometric authentication, OTR and the full application — at ₹30 per candidate, all taxes included.
CareerBox News Desk — reporting on the announcements published on the National Scholarship Portal for academic year 2026–27. Official portal: scholarships.gov.in. Dates and eligibility change; confirm them on the official portal before you act.