PM-USP Central Sector Scheme of Scholarship for College and University Students (CSSS)

यह क्या है?

This is the Central Government's main merit scholarship for students who have finished Class 12 and gone on to a college or university course. It is meant for students who did well in the board exam but whose families cannot easily pay for higher study. It now sits under the umbrella called PM-USP, run by the Department of Higher Education.

To qualify you must be above the 80th percentile of successful candidates in your stream, in your own Board of Examination, in Class 12. In plain terms, you have to be in roughly the top one-fifth of students who passed in your stream in your board. Your family income must not be more than Rs 4.5 lakh a year, and you must be studying a regular undergraduate or postgraduate course. Distance learning and correspondence courses do not count, and diploma students are not eligible.

The money is Rs 12,000 a year for the first three years of an undergraduate course, and Rs 20,000 a year at the postgraduate level. For professional and technical courses that run four or five years, the fourth and fifth years are also paid at Rs 20,000 a year. For B.Tech and B.E. students specifically, the guidance is Rs 12,000 for the first three years and Rs 20,000 in the fourth year.

Slots are shared out carefully: half go to boys and half to girls, streams are split in a 3:1:3 ratio between Science, Commerce and Humanities, and there are reservations of 15 percent for SC, 7.5 percent for ST and 27 percent for OBC, with a 5 percent horizontal reservation for students with disabilities.

One thing students often get wrong: you cannot hold this scholarship along with another scholarship, and you cannot have a gap after Class 12 before joining the course. Also, your name must match exactly across your mark sheet and your Aadhaar, otherwise the application gets rejected at verification. There is no fee to apply.

संभावित लाभ

₹12,000 – ₹20,000 per year

Rs 12,000 per year for the first three years of an undergraduate course and Rs 20,000 per year at postgraduate level. For technical and professional courses the fourth and fifth years are paid at Rs 20,000 per year. For B.Tech and B.E. students the stated pattern is Rs 12,000 for the first three years and Rs 20,000 in the fourth year. The money is paid directly into the student's bank account and there is no application fee.

कौन आवेदन कर सकता है?

सरकार द्वारा बताई गई अन्य शर्तें

• You must be "above 80th percentile of successful candidates in the relevant stream from a particular Board of Examination in Class XII".
• Family income must not exceed Rs 4.5 lakh per year.
• You must be enrolled in a regular undergraduate or postgraduate course; distance and correspondence courses are not eligible.
• Diploma students are not eligible.
• You must not be receiving any other scholarship at the same time.
• There must be no gap after passing Class 12 before joining the course.
• Renewal each year requires the previous year's mark sheet and continued good performance.

पात्रता संबंधी जानकारी केवल सूचना के उद्देश्य से दी गई है। अंतिम पात्रता और स्वीकृति का निर्णय संबंधित सरकारी प्राधिकरण करता है।

आपको जिन दस्तावेज़ों की ज़रूरत होगी

• Class 12 mark sheet (for fresh applications)
• Family income certificate
• Caste certificate, if applicable
• Disability certificate, if applicable
• Previous year mark sheet (for renewal applications)
• Aadhaar or One-Time Registration (OTR) number

आवेदन कैसे करें

Complete the One-Time Registration (OTR) on the National Scholarship Portal, then log in using Aadhaar or your OTR number and fill the CSSS application. Upload the mark sheet, income certificate and any caste or disability certificate. Your institution must then verify your application on the portal before the verification deadline, otherwise it will not be considered.

आवेदन कहाँ करें: online

अंतिम तिथि

31 October 2026