The Ministry of Education has extended the last date to apply for the National Means-cum-Merit Scholarship (NMMS) 2026-27 to 15 November 2026 on the National Scholarship Portal (NSP), according to the Press Information Bureau. The earlier deadline was 31 October.
The scheme offers one lakh fresh scholarships a year, but only 90,483 fresh applications had been submitted as on 30 October, along with 1,99,531 renewals. Students who cleared their state’s selection test should not leave this for the last few days.
New dates
| Step | Last date |
|---|---|
| Student submits application on NSP | 15 November 2026 |
| School (Institute Nodal Officer, L1) verifies | 30 November 2026 |
| District Nodal Officer (L2) verifies | 15 December 2026 |
Applying is not the last step. An application also has to clear both verification levels by these dates, so students should follow up with their school after submitting. Those who have already applied should check that verification is on track.
Who gets it
- Amount: Rs 12,000 a year, paid directly to the student’s bank account, from Class 9 and continued through Class 12 on renewal, subject to academic requirements.
- Schools covered: state government, government-aided and local body schools.
- Selection test: conducted by each state or UT. To appear, a student needs at least 55% in Class 7 (50% for SC/ST).
- Family income: not more than Rs 3.50 lakh a year.
Students must complete One-Time Registration (OTR) on scholarships.gov.in before applying.
Source: Ministry of Education release via PIB, 31 October 2026 (Release ID 2330936).
