UGC National Scholarship for PG Studies: ₹1.5 lakh a year, 31 October

This is the University Grants Commission's National Scholarship for Post Graduate Studies. It pays a postgraduate student in India ₹15,000 a month for 10 months in a year — ₹1,50,000 a year — for 2 years. The UGC puts 10,000 of them on offer each year, "or as may be decided by the Commission". Applications run on the National Scholarship Portal, and for 2026-27 the window opened on 16 September 2026 and closes on 31 October 2026.

Who can apply

• You are already admitted in the first year of a PG degree programme. You apply after admission, not before
• This is your first postgraduate degree. If you already hold any PG degree, you are not eligible
• You are below 30 years of age as on the date of admission to your first semester or year
• You are studying through regular, full-time mode. Open, distance, correspondence, private and part-time students are not eligible
• Your course is a recognised PG degree whose name and duration match the UGC Notification on Specification of Degrees, 2014, as amended
• Your undergraduate degree came from an institution recognised under Section 2(f) or Section 3 of the UGC Act, 1956, or authorised to award specified degrees under Section 22(1)
• For an integrated programme, the scholarship is paid for the PG component only

There is no income limit, and the guidelines say nothing about caste or community

This is unusual for a scholarship on the National Scholarship Portal and it is worth being precise about. The UGC guidelines set no family income ceiling at all, so a student who is turned away from the post-matric schemes by the ₹2.5 lakh limit can still apply here. Slots are allocated as per the Government of India reservation policy, but the scheme is not restricted to any one community. Selection is on marks.

Your institution has to be one of these four

• A university, college or institution under Section 2(f) of the UGC Act, 1956, with a valid NAAC accreditation
• A deemed-to-be university under Section 3 of the UGC Act, 1956, with a valid NAAC accreditation
• An institution fully funded by the Central or a State Government and empowered to award degrees
• An Institution of National Importance

Your institution must also have a valid AISHE code — without it, it cannot even reach the portal to verify you. An institution with an AISHE code registers or re-registers on the portal through the district or state nodal officer.

How the 10,000 slots are divided

• Reservation — slots are allocated as per the Government of India reservation policy
• Women — 30% of slots are reserved for women candidates
• Single, twin and fraternal girl children first — the slots reserved for women are filled first by single, twin or fraternal girl children, and the guidelines are explicit that this is done "without considering their marks in UG examination". The remaining women's slots are then filled on merit
• Subject split — 50% of the slots under each category are earmarked for arts, humanities and social sciences, law and management; the other 50% for science, engineering and technology, medical, technical, agriculture and forestry programmes
• Ties — if two candidates are level at the bottom of the merit list, UG marks decide. If it is still level, Class 12 marks decide

What you do not upload

You are not required to upload any certificate or affidavit on the portal. Instead you give your documents to your institution, which verifies your online application against them. Your institution may ask for certificates and affidavits, including a caste or category certificate where you have applied under one, and it keeps them for the period of the scholarship plus 2 years. The UGC can call for any student's documents at any time.

The bank account is where this goes wrong

The money is paid by DBT through PFMS straight into your bank account, and Aadhaar is mandatory as the identifier. The account has to be KYC-compliant and in your own name — not a parent's. The guidelines warn that even a selected student may not be paid if the name, account number or IFSC code does not match. If you do not have such an account, open one before you fill the form.

One scholarship at a time

You may hold only one scholarship at a time, and you must declare that you will not take any other scholarship, fellowship, appointment, salary or stipend from any other source while you hold this one. If you already receive a scholarship you may still apply, as long as you declare it — but if you are selected you must give up one or the other. You do not need a no-objection certificate from the UGC to apply elsewhere; if you are selected elsewhere, you resign from this one.

Dates on the portal

• 16 September 2026 — applications opened
• 31 October 2026 — last date for students to apply
• 15 November 2026 — last date for correcting defective applications, and for your institute to verify you
• 30 November 2026 — last date for district, state and ministry verification

Results are normally declared in November or December of the same year, on the portal and at ugc.ac.in/notices.

Renewal

• The scholarship is renewed each year for the rest of your course, subject to good conduct and the attendance your institution prescribes
• You apply for renewal on the portal yourself in the next year of study
• If you are not promoted to the next year, you forfeit it
• You may not change your course or your institution. If you do, the scholarship stops from the date of the change

Where to apply

On the National Scholarship Portal, scholarships.gov.in. Under Central Sector Schemes the scheme is listed under UGC as "National Scholarship For Post Graduate Studies (Merit Based Scheme)". Complete your One-Time Registration first if you have not already.

Checked on 23 September 2026 against the National Scholarship Portal's scheme board and the UGC's own scheme page at ugc.gov.in, which was itself last updated on 23 September 2026, and against the UGC guidelines for the scheme hosted on the portal. Deadlines move without notice, so confirm on the official portal before you apply.