StudyDesk Scholarships
About the scholarship
The National Scholarship for Post Graduate Studies is one of the UGC’s flagship student schemes, and its size is what sets it apart: 10,000 fresh scholarships a year, each worth ₹1,50,000 a year, is a national programme rather than a small trust fund. Selection is described as purely on an all-India merit basis, which means the competition is with first-year postgraduate students across the country, not only within one university or state.
Two restrictions define the scheme and catch applicants out. First, it is only for the first year of a postgraduate degree: a student already in the second or final year cannot apply fresh. Second, it is only for a first postgraduate degree: a student who already holds a master’s degree cannot apply for a second one under this scheme. The course itself must be a recognised postgraduate degree programme pursued in regular, full-time mode at an institution recognised under Section 2(f) or Section 3 of the UGC Act and carrying a valid AISHE code.
Benefits
- ₹15,000 a month for 10 months of each academic year.
- A tenure of two years, giving ₹1,50,000 a year and ₹3,00,000 over the full tenure, subject to the scheme’s renewal and performance conditions.
- 10,000 scholarships awarded each year across India.
- Payment through the National Scholarship Portal system into the student’s Aadhaar-seeded bank account.
Who can apply
- You are an Indian student admitted to the first year of a postgraduate degree programme in the 2026-27 academic year.
- Your programme is a recognised postgraduate degree pursued in regular, full-time mode at a university, college or institution recognised under Section 2(f) or Section 3 of the UGC Act, with a valid AISHE code. Distance, open-learning, part-time and private modes are excluded.
- It is your first postgraduate degree. Students who have already acquired a postgraduate degree are not eligible.
- You are under 30 years of age at the time of admission to the postgraduate programme.
- Income: the UGC scholarship table checked gives no income limit for this scheme, while a 2025 guide mentions a parental income below ₹8 lakh a year as expected. The two do not agree, so if an income condition matters to your application, check the current NSP scheme page rather than assuming either figure.
Documents required
The documents named in the official-information summaries checked are: attested copies of mark sheets and certificates from Class 9 onwards, an attested copy of the provisional or final admission letter to the postgraduate course, proof of identity (Aadhaar card, voter ID, passport, PAN card or driving licence), bank details, and two recent passport-size photographs. The 2026-27 guides also list the 14-digit NSP One Time Registration (OTR) number, Class 10, Class 12 and graduation mark sheets, first-year postgraduate admission proof or fee receipt, and a college identity card or bonafide student certificate, with an Aadhaar-seeded active bank account for payment. Keep all of these ready and follow the document list shown on the NSP application itself, since that list governs the application.
How to apply
- Complete One Time Registration (OTR) on the National Scholarship Portal at scholarships.gov.in — OTR is mandatory, and you will use the 14-digit OTR credentials to log in.
- Find the National Scholarship for Post Graduate Studies under the UGC schemes on NSP and open the 2026-27 application. The scheme opened on 16 September 2026.
- Fill in your personal, academic and current-institution details, including your admission roll or registration number and your bank account information, and upload the documents listed above.
- Submit before 31 October 2026, then follow up with your institute: institute verification runs to 15 November 2026 and district-level verification to 30 November 2026, and a defective application can be rectified to 15 November 2026. If your institute does not verify in time, payment stalls, so remind your institute nodal officer.
FAQs
₹15,000 a month for 10 months a year, for two years — ₹1,50,000 a year, ₹3,00,000 in total.
First-year students of a regular, full-time postgraduate degree at a UGC-recognised institution, under 30 at admission, pursuing their first postgraduate degree.
No. Fresh applications are only for first-year students; second- and final-year students are not eligible for a fresh application.
No. The scheme applies only to a first postgraduate degree.
31 October 2026 for student applications on NSP. Institute verification runs to 15 November 2026 and district-level verification to 30 November 2026.
The UGC scholarship table checked gives no income limit, while a 2025 guide mentions below ₹8 lakh a year as expected. Check the current NSP scheme page if this matters to you.
Verified 30 Oct 2026 against 2026-27 reporting (Matribhumisamachar: UGC, NSP, opened 16 September 2026, closes 31 October 2026, ₹1,50,000 a year as ₹15,000 a month for 10 months, 2-year tenure, 10,000 slots, first-year PG, first PG degree, regular full-time, AISHE code, under 30, verification to 15/30 November 2026; Biotecnika: same dates and figures; Careerindia: same 31 October 2026 deadline and first-year condition) and the UGC scholarship table (first-year full-time PG, no income limit, under 30, UGC-recognised institutions) and official-information summaries (documents from Class 9 onwards, admission letter, identity proof, bank details, two photographs). The income-limit disagreement is carried openly in the article.
