Class 10 scholarships 2026-27: NSP, SSP open for pre-matric schemes, apply by September 30

Scholarship applications for students currently in Class 10 across India for the Academic Year 2026-27 are actively being accepted through the National Scholarship Portal (NSP) and various state-specific platforms. These schemes aim to support the education of students from disadvantaged categories, including Scheduled Castes (SC), Scheduled Tribes (ST), Other Backward Classes (OBC), Economically Backward Classes (EBC), Denotified Tribes (DNT), students with disabilities, and children of parents or guardians engaged in unclean and hazardous occupations.

The initiatives are designed to minimize drop-outs and improve academic performance, with eligibility criteria based on factors such as current class, family income, social category, disability status, and parental occupation. Students who have already passed Class 10 should explore post-matric scholarship options.

National Scholarship Portal Application Process

The National Scholarship Portal (NSP) commenced accepting applications for the Academic Year 2026-27 on June 1, 2026. Students are required to complete a One Time Registration (OTR) on the portal, a process introduced from AY 2024-25, which can be generated using an Aadhaar or Aadhaar Enrollment number (EID). The NSP OTR App is available for download on the Google Play Store.

Students can apply for one merit-based scholarship scheme and one or more welfare-based scholarship schemes, provided they meet the specific eligibility criteria for each. For students with disabilities, an additional step involves logging into the UDID portal to provide consent for sharing UDID details leading up to submitting the application on NSP. The total charges for scholarship-related services at Common Service Centres (CSCs) are fixed at Rs 30.00 per candidate.

Key Pre-Matric Scholarship Schemes

Several pre-matric scholarship schemes are available for Class 10 students, each with distinct eligibility requirements and support levels. The Pre-Matric Scholarship Scheme for Scheduled Castes & Others is a Centrally Sponsored Scheme, implemented by State Governments and UT administrations. For Component 1 of this scheme, the parent or guardian’s income should not exceed Rs. 2.50 lakh per annum, while Component 2, for children of parents or guardians engaged in unclean and hazardous occupations, has no family income ceiling. This specific scheme supports SC students studying in Class 9 and 10 full-time, and children of parents in unclean occupations from Classes 1 to 10.

Other notable schemes include the Pre-Matric Scholarship for Students with Disabilities, targeting students with at least 40 percent disability in Class 9 and 10. The PM-YASASVI Pre-Matric Scholarship is available for OBC, EBC, and DNT students in Class 9 and 10. The National Means Cum Merit Scholarship Scheme (NMMS) is for Class 8 students who plain a state exam, providing yearly amounts from Class 9 to Class 12. Also, the HDFC Parivartan ECSS programme supports school students from Class 1 up to college.

State-Specific Scholarship Opportunities and Deadlines

Besides national schemes, several states offer their own scholarship programs. The Karnataka State Scholarship Portal (SSP) is currently open for applications for the 2026-27 academic year. For Pre-Matric scholarships (Classes 1-10) in Karnataka, applications across most departments, including Social Welfare, Tribal Welfare, Backward Classes Welfare Department (BCWD), Minorities, Technical Education, Disability & Senior Citizen Empowerment, and KBOCW, are scheduled to close on September 30, 2026. Students in Karnataka applying for OBC, SC, and ST scholarships must first complete a One-Time Registration (OTR) on NSP, then use that NSP ID to apply through the SSP. All income and caste certificates for SSP scholarships must carry a valid RD Number issued by competent Karnataka authorities.

The SSP portal, launched by the Government of Karnataka, serves as a unified platform for the disbursement of both Pre-matric and Post-matric Scholarships, supporting online applications and direct benefit transfer (DBT) to Aadhaar-seeded bank accounts. The portal is known to experience heavy traffic in the final days before deadlines, and students are advised to apply 3-4 weeks in advance to allow for potential corrections. In Rajasthan, the Pre-Matric Scholarship for SC Students (Class 9 to 10) is available for girls and boys via the ShalaDarpan Beneficiary Scheme Portal.

Income Limits and Application Guidance

Eligibility for scholarships often hinges on family income, which varies by scheme and category. For the centrally-funded Pre-Matric Scholarship for SC students in Classes 9-10, the income limit is Rs. 2.50 lakh per annum. In Karnataka, state-funded SC scholarships for Classes 1-8 have a typical income limit of ₹6 lakh per year, while for SC/ST Post-Matric schemes, it is ₹2.5 lakh per year. Certain occupation-linked schemes, such as those for children of parents engaged in unclean and hazardous occupations, may have no strict income limit.

Applicants are advised to ensure their Biometric Lock/Unlock status is ‘Unlocked’ in Aadhaar before proceeding for face authentication through the NSP OTR app. Students encountering error 904 during face authentication should update the UIDAI AadhaarFACERD App from the PlayStore. For those moving from Class 10 into PUC in Karnataka, a fresh application on the Post-Matric portal will be required.

Further reading

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• IIT Gandhinagar PhD CDP: Apply by September 28, 2026
• Karnataka Class 7 Mid-Term: Download answer keys after September 30, 2026
• Karnataka MSc Nursing 2026 applications open: apply by 26 September
• Navodaya Vidyalaya Class 9, 11: Apply by Sep 30, 2026

Written by Nishit Kumar

Nishit Kumar is a senior EdTech industry leader with over a decade of experience in building and scaling education platforms, shaping their product, content, and growth strategy. At FindMyCollege, Nishit oversees content and editorial strategy, guiding topic selection and content frameworks to ensure accuracy, relevance, and student-first value across the website.

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