PM Scholarship Scheme 2026-27 for RPF and RPSF wards (Ministry of Railways): only 150 scholarships, last date 31 October

Start with the thing that gets this scheme wrong most often in scholarship lists, including in our own backlog before we read the guidelines: this is not a scholarship for the children of railway employees. The Railway Board's own document restricts it to dependent wards of ex and serving Railway Protection Force and Railway Protection Special Force personnel, and their widows, below the rank of Gazetted officer.

If your parent works for the railways but not in the RPF or RPSF, this is not your scheme. If your parent is or was RPF or RPSF, read on, because very few people apply for it.

The number to know first

150 scholarships for the entire country per academic session. Not 150 per zone — 150 in total. Half of them, 75, are reserved for female candidates, and the guidelines say a shortfall in one gender is not transferred to the other: unallocated slots in one category may not be used for the other.

They are then divided zone by zone, which means your competition is the RPF families in your own zone, not nationally. The published distribution is: ER and NR with the JR RPF Academy and RDSO 16 each; CR with KRCL, SER, SR with ICF and WR 10 each; ECR and NFR 8 each; ECoR, NCR with CORE, NER and SCR 6 each; NWR with Construction, SECR, SWR and WCR 4 each; and RPSF 22, the largest single share.

Who can apply

- Dependent wards of ex or serving RPF and RPSF personnel, and their widows, below Gazetted officer rank
- You must have taken regular admission in the academic year you are applying for
- At least 60% in the Minimum Entry Qualification
- Only two wards per family
- Your college, institute or university must be registered with AISHE and hold an AISHE code

There is no income limit in the guidelines.

Which courses count

Professional degree courses recognised by the relevant regulator — AICTE, the medical council, UGC, NCTE — such as BE, B.Tech, MBBS, BDS, B.Ed, BCA, MCA and B.Pharma. Master's degree courses are not eligible except MBA and MCA. Students studying abroad are not eligible. Distance learning is not permitted. The scholarship can be used for one course only.

The minimum entry qualification depends on the course:

- MBBS and equivalent medical courses — Class 12
- BE and B.Tech — 10+2, or a diploma in the case of lateral entry
- BBA, BCA, B.Sc Agriculture and similar — Class 12
- MBA, B.Ed and MCA — graduation
- Five-year integrated law courses such as BA LLB, BBA LLB, B.Sc LLB and B.Com LLB — Class 12

What you get

- ₹3,000 a month for female students
- ₹2,500 a month for male students
- For two to five years, depending on the duration of your course
- Paid by direct benefit transfer through PFMS into your own bank account, which must be in a nationalised bank and seeded with your Aadhaar number

Payment is granted after approval of the DG/RPF, in order of merit each year. Applicants selected under the new category receive a personal letter from the Prime Minister.

If applications exceed the slots, this is the order

- Category I — wards and widows of ex-RPF and RPSF personnel who died in harness from an encounter with terrorists or with criminals while protecting railway property, passengers and passenger areas, or who died during election work
- Category II — wards and widows of ex-RPF and RPSF personnel who died while in service
- Category III — wards of retired RPF and RPSF personnel
- Category IV — wards of serving RPF and RPSF personnel

Documents to keep ready

For a fresh application:

- Service Certificate issued by the respective office, in the Annexure II format, if your parent is serving (category IV)
- A copy of the PPO, discharge certificate or discharge book, for categories I, II and III
- Scanned copy of your MEQ marksheet or grade card — 10+2, diploma or graduation

For a renewal:

- Latest Service Certificate for serving personnel, in the Annexure II format
- Previous class marksheet or grade card, or proof of promotion to the next class issued by the competent authority

How to apply

Apply on the National Scholarship Portal at scholarships.gov.in before 31 October 2026 — the scheme has been run through NSP since 2017-18. A mobile number is mandatory for registration and receives the OTP, and note that a maximum of two registrations are allowed per mobile number, which matters if you have a sibling applying too.

Your application is verified twice: first by the Institute Nodal Officer, who must be a permanent or regular employee of your institute, and then by the Zonal Nodal Officer. The Security Directorate at the Railway Board compiles the final list of eligible candidates for onward submission to the Prime Minister's Office.

What gets you disqualified

The guidelines are unusually strict here. If any information in your application is later found to be false, the remaining scholarship is forfeited, the money already paid has to be refunded, and no future application from that ex or serving RPF person or widow will be entertained. Separately, if you fail to pass the current class in the same academic year, or you discontinue the course, you are disqualified from renewal.

A note on the source: the closing date above is this year's, read off the National Scholarship Portal's scheme board. The rates and rules come from the Railway Board's detailed guidelines document, which is written to apply to 2022-23 and onwards and is the current version linked from that portal.

Dates checked on 7 August 2026. Deadlines in India move without notice, so confirm on the official portal linked above before you apply.