J&K Post-Matric Scholarship for ST students: last date 20 September

Two things decide how much you get: which group your course falls in, and whether you live in a hostel. Everything else below follows from those.

This is the Ministry of Tribal Affairs' Post-Matric Scholarship, a centrally sponsored scheme, but the award is made by the Union Territory you are domiciled in — so this page is the Jammu & Kashmir window. It opened on 22 July 2026 and closes on 20 September 2026.

Who can apply. All six conditions:

• You belong to a Scheduled Tribe as notified for Jammu & Kashmir, the UT you actually belong to by domicile.
• You have passed Matriculation or Higher Secondary or a higher examination from a recognised university or board.
• Family income from all sources does not exceed ₹2,50,000 a year.
• You have a valid account in a scheduled bank, linked to Aadhaar and a mobile number.
• You are not receiving any other scholarship.
• Your course is a recognised post-matriculation course at an approved institution.

The scheme runs from Class XI right up to post-graduation, for study in India.

How family income is actually counted — this catches people out.

• If both parents work, both incomes are added together.
• If any other family member earns — a brother, a sister — their income is not counted.
• If only one parent is alive, only that parent's income counts.
• If you are an orphan supported by a guardian, the income criteria do not apply to you at all.

Income means gross income from all sources, with no exemptions or deductions of the kind allowed under the Income Tax Act. You need the income certificate once, at admission, and it stays valid for the whole course — you do not need a fresh one to renew each year.

What you get, part one: your fees. The scheme pays compulsory non-refundable fees for your course. The amount is set by your state's Fee Fixation Committee. Where you study at a private institute, the Government of India's share is capped at ₹2.50 lakh a year for engineering, ₹6 lakh a year for MBBS/MS/MD, and ₹1 lakh a year for other courses — though the UT is free to pay above that from its own funds.

What you get, part two: a monthly stipend.

The guidelines are explicit that this stipend is an incentive to keep studying, not a reimbursement of mess, hostel or boarding charges.

If you have a disability, there is more. On top of the stipend above, a Divyangjan student receives ₹800 a month (₹9,600 a year) as a hosteller, or ₹600 a month (₹7,200 a year) as a day scholar. The disability must be certified by the competent medical authority of the UT. This allowance also covers students who are leprosy-cured, and students with sickle cell anaemia or thalassemia.

What counts as a hostel. Normally a common residential building with a common mess run by your institution. If the college cannot give you hostel accommodation, an approved place of residence counts instead — your Head of Institution approves it after inspection and gives a certificate saying you could not get a college hostel place. Such a deemed hostel must be shared by at least five students with common mess arrangements.

Where to apply. On the National Scholarship Portal. You will need One-Time Registration before you can start, so do that first if you have not already — it is the step that quietly costs people the deadline.

Dates checked on 28 August 2026. Deadlines move without notice, so confirm on the official page linked above before you apply.