National Scholarship Portal 2026: Fresh vs Renewal Guide

The National Scholarship Portal (NSP) at scholarships.gov.in is where you apply for most central government scholarships, and many UGC, AICTE and state ones. To use it you first create a One Time Registration (OTR) number with Aadhaar face authentication, then file a fresh application for a scholarship you have never received or a renewal for one you already hold. Your institute and a district, state or ministry officer verify it, and the money is paid into your Aadhaar-seeded bank account.

Everything below is as of October 2026 for academic year (AY) 2026-27, taken from the NSP homepage, its OTR and application FAQs, the Ministry of Education's FAQ for the Central Sector Scheme and institute notices. The portal says it opened for AY 2026-27 from 1 June 2026.

Who can use NSP

• School and college students in India applying for a scheme listed on NSP (pre-matric, post-matric, merit-cum-means, top-class and other schemes run by ministries such as Education, Social Justice, Tribal Affairs, Minority Affairs and others)
• Students at institutes registered on NSP with an AISHE or UDISE+ code. If your college is not registered, it cannot verify your application.
• Students with disabilities must first log in to the UDID portal and consent to share UDID details before applying, according to the NSP notice for 2026-27.

Each scheme has its own income limit, marks condition and category rules. Use the Scholarship Eligibility tool on the NSP homepage to list schemes that match your profile.

Step 1: Get your OTR

OTR is a unique 14-digit number linked to your Aadhaar (or Aadhaar enrolment ID). It is mandatory for all NSP services and is valid for your entire academic career.

You need: an active mobile number, your Aadhaar number, and the mobile number linked to Aadhaar. Minors without Aadhaar can use the enrolment slip or a parent's or guardian's Aadhaar, but must add their own Aadhaar later.

1. On scholarships.gov.in, go to Students and "Apply for One Time Registration (OTR)".
2. Verify your mobile number by OTP and complete Aadhaar eKYC. You get a Reference number.
3. Install the NSP OTR app and UIDAI's AadhaarFaceRD app on an Android phone.
4. Choose "eKYC with FaceAuth", enter the Reference number, and complete face authentication.
5. Your OTR is shown and sent by SMS.

Fixes the portal itself suggests: if face authentication fails, check that your Aadhaar biometrics are unlocked on myAadhaar or mAadhaar; for error 904, update the AadhaarFaceRD app. You can also do the whole process at a Common Service Centre, where the fixed charge is ₹30 including taxes.

Step 2: Find schemes and apply fresh

1. Log in with OTR, Aadhaar or APAAR ID.
2. Fill in Basic Information: general, academic and application-specific details.
3. Go to Apply Fresh, accept the guidelines and generate an Application ID.
4. Open the application, pick the scheme shown for your profile, upload documents and Final Submit.

From AY 2026-27, NSP allows one merit-based scheme plus one or more welfare-based schemes a year, if you qualify. The Schemes on NSP page says which category each scheme belongs to.

Name match matters. The Ministry of Education's FAQ warns that your name, father's name and roll number must match your mark sheet exactly; for instance, "M.P. Singh" in Aadhaar vs "Mahendra Pratap Singh" on the mark sheet can stop the scheme appearing.

Fresh vs renewal

If you created a new OTR with your own Aadhaar (after turning 18, for example) and last year's application is not listed, use Link Renewal Application with last year's application ID. Name, gender and date of birth must match, and OTP goes to the Aadhaar-linked mobile of the parent used last year.

Example: Central Sector Scheme of Scholarship

The PM-USP Central Sector Scheme of Scholarship for College and University Students (CSSS) is one of the most-searched NSP schemes. According to the Ministry of Education's FAQ on NSP:

• Fresh: students above the 80th percentile in their Class 12 board, with family income up to ₹4.5 lakh a year, joining a regular degree course
• Amount: ₹12,000 a year for the first three years of graduation, ₹20,000 a year at post-graduation; technical courses get ₹20,000 in the 4th and 5th year
• Renewal: at least 50% marks and 75% attendance; a student who misses a year's renewal can apply in a later year if otherwise eligible

A student who does a three-year BSc and a two-year MSc and renews every year would receive ₹12,000 × 3 + ₹20,000 × 2 = ₹76,000. A four-year B.Tech student would get ₹12,000 × 3 + ₹20,000 × 1 = ₹56,000. Missing one renewal at ₹12,000 a year means losing that year's amount.

Documents usually needed

• Aadhaar (and parents' Aadhaar for minors)
• Bank account in the student's name, Aadhaar-seeded and active
• Income certificate for the current financial year from the competent authority
• Caste or category certificate, where applicable
• Previous year's mark sheet and fee receipt
• Bonafide certificate from the institute
• UDID or disability certificate, where applicable
• Domicile certificate, for state-linked schemes

Verification and dates for 2026-27

After you submit, your institute (Level 1) verifies the application, followed by district, state or ministry officers (Level 2/3). Then PFMS validates your bank account, a merit list is drawn up, and payment is released by DBT.

Dates are scheme-wise. As examples from the NSP homepage in October 2026, the CSSS and J&K-Ladakh special scholarship renewals close for students on 31 October 2026, with institute verification by 15 November 2026 and Level 2 verification by 30 November 2026. Colleges often set an earlier internal deadline for hard copies, so follow your scholarship cell's notice too. Check your own scheme's dates on the portal; do not rely on social media posts.

Track status

• Log in with OTR and open "My Applications" to see if it is submitted, verified, defective or rejected.
• Use Track Your Payment on NSP or "Know Your Payment" on the PFMS site after approval.
• If payment is late, see scholarship approved but money not received.

Common problems and fixes

How to complain

• NSP Helpdesk: 0120-6619540, helpdesk@nsp.gov.in (8 am to 8 pm, except government holidays)
• PFMS Helpdesk for payment issues: 1800-118-111
• Grievance registration on nsp.gov.in, then the scheme's nodal officer listed on NSP
• pgportal.gov.in (CPGRAMS) against the ministry if unresolved

Beware of fakes. NSP is free. PIB Fact Check flagged a fake "National Sports Scholarship 2026-27" in September 2026 that asked for fees. Real schemes are listed on scholarships.gov.in; if you are cheated, report at cybercrime.gov.in or call 1930. State schemes such as Gujarat's MYSY scholarship run on state portals. To plan the bigger costs beyond scholarships, see child education planning.

Key takeaways

• NSP (scholarships.gov.in) is open for AY 2026-27; OTR with Aadhaar face authentication is compulsory.
• Apply fresh for a new scheme; apply for renewal every year to keep an existing one.
• From AY 2026-27 you can hold one merit-based and one or more welfare-based applications.
• Deadlines are scheme-wise; CSSS renewals close 31 October 2026 for students.
• Keep an Aadhaar-seeded, active bank account and never pay anyone to apply.