Andaman & Nicobar additional scholarship for OBC students: ₹10,000 a year, last date 31 October

This is the Andaman and Nicobar Administration's own scholarship, paid on top of whatever else you receive. It is not a centrally sponsored scheme, and the money comes from the UT Plan through the Directorate of Social Welfare.

Start with the rule that disqualifies more applicants than any other

You are not eligible immediately after Class XII. The notification is explicit: the scholarship is admissible only to students who have passed the previous academic session, and it spells out what that means — a student who has passed Class XI or Class XII becomes eligible only after completing the first year of the higher education or professional course.

So if you finished Class XII this year and have just joined a degree, you apply next year, not this one. If you are already partway through a course, you are in the right place.

The scheme's own name carries the second restriction: it is for higher studies after Class X, expressly excluding Class XI and XII. School students are not covered.

Who can apply

- You belong to a community listed as OBC in relation to the Andaman and Nicobar Islands, in the notification of 16 December 2005 and its amendments, and you are in the non-creamy layer
- You are a domicile of the Andaman and Nicobar Islands
- You have passed Class X or Class XII from a recognised board
- You are studying in a government-recognised polytechnic, ITI, college or university — anywhere in India, not only in the islands
- You have completed the first year of that course

Only two children of the same parent or guardian can hold this scholarship. The notification adds one exception: if the second live birth is more than one child, all of them are eligible.

There is no income limit

The notification prescribes no income ceiling. What it does ask for, under the documents list, is an income declaration by your parents or guardians on a ₹10 non-judicial stamp paper, stating definite income from all sources. If your parent is a government servant, a pay slip attested by the DDO is submitted instead of the affidavit.

That is a document, not a bar. If you have been ruled out of scheme after scheme by a ₹2.5 lakh line, this one does not have one.

Which courses count

The notification lists them at length:

- All courses leading to a graduation or post-graduation degree
- M.Phil, PhD and post-doctoral programmes (D.Litt, D.Sc and similar)
- Post-doctoral research in medicine, engineering, technology, planning, architecture, design, fashion design and technology, agriculture, veterinary and allied sciences, management, business finance or administration, computer science and applications
- Post-graduate diploma courses in management and medicine branches, and the Commercial Pilot Licence course including helicopter and multi-engine rating
- CA, ICWA, CS, ICFA and similar
- Degree, diploma or certificate courses needing Class 12, in areas like B.Pharm, B.Nursing, LLB, BFS, paramedical branches such as rehabilitation diagnostics, mass communication, hotel management and catering, travel, tourism and hospitality management, interior decoration, nutrition and dietetics, commercial art, and financial services such as banking, insurance and taxation
- Post-matriculation non-degree courses needing only Class X: the vocational stream, ITI courses, and three-year polytechnic diplomas

What is excluded, and this list is worth reading before you apply

The scholarship is not granted for courses already funded by the Central Government, a State Government or the UT Administration. The notification names them: Aircraft Maintenance Engineering, the Private Pilot Licence course, courses at Training Ship Dufferin (now Rajendra), courses and training at all the Defence Academies funded by the Ministry of Defence, and the Pre-Examination Training Centre.

All distance education courses are excluded.

Two more exclusions that surprise people:

- Repeating the same level in a different subject does not qualify. A B.Sc after a B.A, a B.Com after a B.A, or an M.A in one subject after an M.A in another are all ineligible
- A second professional course does not qualify either. The notification's own example is an LLB after a B.T or B.Ed

What you get

₹1,000 a month, sanctioned to eligible OBC students, payable for ten months in an academic session. That is ₹10,000 in a year.

It is credited directly to your Aadhaar-linked bank account by the Department of Social Welfare, and the notification states plainly that the award depends on fund availability in that financial year.

Staying on it

Once sanctioned, the award runs from the stage at which it was granted until you finish the course, renewed year to year, provided you are promoted to the next class and your Head of Institution certifies good conduct and regular attendance.

- If you fail a class for more than one year, the scholarship for the subsequent year is stopped
- If you could not sit the annual examination because of illness or another unforeseeable event, the award can still be renewed for the next year, on a medical certificate or other sufficient proof with the Head of Institution's recommendation, submitted to the Director (Social Welfare)
- If you discontinue the course during the year, you are liable to refund the amount
- A student found to have obtained the scholarship by a false statement has it cancelled, has to repay it, and is blacklisted from every Department of Social Welfare scholarship thereafter

Documents to keep ready

- The application form, in the prescribed format. Separate forms exist for fresh sanction and for renewal, so check you have the right one
- A passport-size photograph, signed by you across the front
- Self-attested copies of your Class X, XII, diploma or degree certificates for the qualifying examination
- Self-attested caste certificate, signed by a revenue officer not below the rank of Tehsildar
- Non-creamy-layer certificate — in original, plus one self-attested copy — signed by a revenue officer not below the rank of Tehsildar
- Income declaration on a ₹10 non-judicial stamp paper, or an attested pay slip if your parent is a government servant
- Self-attested copy of your Aadhaar card and the first page of your bank passbook
- For renewals: the acknowledgement receipt of last year's scholarship, and your marks statement countersigned by the Head of Institution

Every particular has to be verified and countersigned by the Head of your Institution, and the completed application goes to the Director, Department of Social Welfare, through that Head of Institution.

How to apply

Apply on the National Scholarship Portal at scholarships.gov.in. The NSP board shows this scheme open from 3 July 2026 with student applications accepted until 31 October 2026. Complete your One Time Registration first.

The notification also records the older route, which still matters if the portal gives you trouble: students should apply online when the scheme is onboard on the scholarship portal, and until then in the application forms available in the OBC section of the Department.

One timing note from the notification itself: the Department announces the scheme and invites applications in May-June each year through advertisements in the UT's leading newspapers. If you are reading this after the NSP window has closed, that advertisement is where next year's dates will appear first.

Who decides

The Secretary (Social Welfare) is the sanctioning authority, and a departmental Screening Committee assesses the applications.

Dates checked on 16 August 2026. Deadlines in India move without notice, so confirm on the official portal linked above before you apply.