NSP PM-USP Central Sector Scholarship (CSSS): 30 September
Above the 80th percentile of your Class 12 board stream, with family income under ₹4.5 lakh? That is ₹12,000 a year for UG, ₹20,000 for PG. Checked on 29 August 2026: NSP describes the window that is currently open as renewal applications, and its two pages give different closing dates — 31 October 2026 on the home page announcement, 30 September 2026 on the scheme board. Work to the earlier one.
Scholarship Details
Who Can Apply · Eligibility
✔Graduation, Post-graduation
✔Family income up to ₹4.5 lakh
📅 Important Dates
Before You Apply
Who can apply
- You are in a regular undergraduate or postgraduate course at a recognised institution
- You scored above the 80th percentile of successful candidates in your stream in the Class 12 board exam (i.e., roughly the top 20% of your board)
- Gross family income from all sources is up to ₹4,50,000 per year
- You are not taking any other government scholarship, fee waiver or reimbursement
What you get
₹12,000 per year for the first three years of an undergraduate course, and ₹20,000 per year at postgraduate level, paid by Direct Benefit Transfer.
Dates: two NSP pages, one month apart (checked 29 August 2026)
Read both of these before you plan, because the National Scholarship Portal publishes two different closing dates for this scheme.
The NSP home page announcement says: "Renewal applications for the 'PM-USP – Central Sector Scheme Of Scholarship For College And University Students (CSSS) (Merit Based Scheme)' and 'PM USP Special Scholarship Scheme For Jammu Kashmir And Ladakh (Merit Based Scheme)' is currently open in NSP. Closing dates for student application is 31-10-2026 and closing date for institute verification is : 15-11-2026 and closing date for L2 verification is : 30/11/2026".
The NSP scheme board at scholarships.gov.in/All-Scholarships, under Department of Higher Education, says: "Scheme Open from (for Renewal): 01-06-2026 · Student Application Open till (for Renewal): 30-09-2026 · Defective Application Verification Open till (for Renewal): 15-10-2026 · Institute Verification Open till (for Renewal): 15-10-2026".
Our card carries 31 October because the home page announcement names this scheme by name. Work to 30 September anyway. If the board is the operative page, an application filed in October is simply not accepted, and nothing is lost by being a month early. Your college verifies AFTER you submit, so leave it room and tell your college scholarship cell once you have applied.
Both pages call the open window a renewal
The home page says "Renewal applications ... is currently open in NSP". The scheme board tags every one of its dates "(for Renewal)". Neither page announces an open fresh-application window for CSSS in 2026-27. If you are renewing an earlier CSSS award, apply now. If this would be your first CSSS application, log in and check what the portal offers your account before you count on this scholarship for the year — as of 29 August it is not advertising a fresh intake.
How to apply
1. Complete One-Time Registration (OTR) on the National Scholarship Portal, see our OTR guide on this site
2. Log in with your OTR number and apply under PM-USP CSSS
3. Keep ready: Class 12 marksheet, income certificate, Aadhaar seeded with your bank account, admission proof/bonafide, bank passbook
The steps above are the fresh-application route as the scheme normally runs. As of 29 August 2026 the portal is advertising renewals, so treat them as what to do when a fresh window opens, and check the portal for your own case.
We re-check every deadline on its official source. If this one moves, this page moves with it. How we check every date.
Published 28 Jul 2026 · updated 31 Aug 2026.