NSP One-Time Registration (OTR) 2026-27: do this before any scholarship application
Before you can apply for any NSP scholarship (CSSS, post-matric, AICTE Pragati or Saksham) you need a One-Time Registration number. It is free, online and Aadhaar-based, and a CSC will do it for a fixed ₹30. Do it now, not in the last week of October.
What OTR is
One-Time Registration gives you a permanent OTR number that works for every NSP scheme, every year. Register once, reuse it across applications and renewals.
How to do it (free, online)
1. Go to the National Scholarship Portal (link below) and choose One-Time Registration
2. Verify with Aadhaar, the OTP goes to the mobile number linked with your Aadhaar; some cases use face-authentication via the NSP OTR app
3. Save your OTR number somewhere safe, every scholarship application will ask for it
If you can't do it yourself
Common Service Centres (CSCs) offer complete NSP scholarship services for a fixed ₹30 fee (rate stated on the portal itself). Anyone charging you hundreds of rupees "to do your scholarship form" is overcharging, walk away.
Why do it NOW
The big NSP deadlines (PM-USP CSSS, post-matric schemes, AICTE Pragati and Saksham) fall on 31 October 2026. Aadhaar-OTP problems are the most common last-week failure. Clearing OTR in August costs you 20 minutes; attempting it on 30 October could cost you the scholarship.
Published 28 Jul 2026. Dates change without warning, so check the official site before you apply. We never take your application, your documents or your money. You apply directly, always.