National Means-cum-Merit Scholarship Scheme

The applicant must be enrolled as a student

The applicant must be enrolled as a student.

Eligibility requires that the student's parental income, from…

Eligibility requires that the student's parental income, from all sources, not exceed ₹3,50,000/- per annum.

To sit the selection test, the student needs…

To sit the selection test, the student needs at least 55% marks (or an equivalent grade) in the Class VII examination, relaxed by 5% for SC/ST students.

The student must be studying as a regular…

The student must be studying as a regular student at a Government, Government-aided, or local body school. Note: Reservation follows State/UT Government norms. Procedure for Selection of Awardee Students: Every State/UT runs its own test at the Class VIII level to pick students, and the State Level Examination may comprise these two tests:
Mental Ability Test (MAT), lasting 90 minutes: 90 multiple-choice questions assessing verbal and non-verbal meta-cognitive skills such as reasoning and critical thinking, drawn from areas like analogy, classification, numerical series, pattern perception, and hidden figures.
Scholastic Aptitude Test (SAT), also 90 minutes: 90 multiple-choice questions spanning science, social studies, and mathematics as taught in Classes 7 and 8. For selecting the students, the following conditions shall apply:
Students need at least 40% marks in aggregate across the MAT and SAT combined to pass, lowered to 32% for SC/ST students.
At selection time, the student must also have scored at least 55% (or an equivalent grade) in the Class 8 examination, with a 5% relaxation for SC/ST students.
Awardees must also meet the scheme's other eligibility conditions. Note: An awardee is eligible for the scholarship provided he/she:
Pursues studies in an approved course.
Keeps up good conduct, as certified by the Head of the College/Institution, and remains enrolled as a regular student at a government/Government-aided/local body school.
Does not stay away from studies without proper leave.
Studies on a full-time basis.
Benefits from whatever reservation applies to their category, since each State/UT sets its own reservation norms.
Draws only one scholarship at a time under any Central Government scholarship scheme.
Opens a bank account, preferably with SBI, another public sector bank, or a scheduled bank offering core banking.
Claims any scholarship arrears within 12 months of the academic session they relate to -- after that, claims won't be entertained.
Forfeits the scholarship entirely if they leave their course within one month of registration/admission.
Where serious illness prevents sitting the annual examination, sends a medical certificate to the Head of the Institution within three months of falling ill, clearly certified by a specialist Registered Medical Practitioner regarding the illness duration; the student may then continue the same course provided the principal/head certifies their overall yearly performance as very good.
Joins the next class/desired course within 3 months of the previous class/course's result being declared.
Has the scholarship treated as discontinued if any one-academic-session gap arises in their studies, for any reason.
Cannot have a discontinued scholarship revived under any circumstances, once stopped under the disbursement rules.
Remains bound by all rules, which are subject to change from time to time as required. For Renewal Applications:
To continue the scholarship into the next higher class, awardees need at least 60% marks in Class 10 (relaxed by 5% for SC/ST candidates).
To keep the scholarship going in Class 10 and Class 12, awardees must get a clear promotion -- from Class 9 to Class 10, and from Class 11 to Class 12 -- on the first attempt. Note:
To start receiving the scholarship in the first place, awardees need a clear promotion from Class 8 to Class 9, as noted above.
At the Secondary/Higher Secondary stage (Classes 9-12 or equivalent), the scholarship runs for a maximum of four years and only for studies within India.
To continue the scholarship into Class 10 and Class 12, awardees must secure clear promotion -- Class 9 to 10, and Class 11 to 12 -- in the first attempt.
Continuing the scholarship at the higher secondary stage requires at least 60% marks in the Class 10 (or equivalent) examination, relaxed by 5% for SC/ST students.
If a school/institution holds no examination at the end of Class 9 and/or Class 11, the second year's scholarship continues once the Head of the Institution/School certifies this in writing.

Every year, 1,00,000 fresh scholarships worth ₹12,000/- per…

Every year, 1,00,000 fresh scholarships worth ₹12,000/- per annum (₹1,000 per month) go to meritorious students at Class IX, continuing through to Class Xll.

Awardees must open a bank account, preferably with…

Awardees must open a bank account, preferably with SBI, another public sector bank, or a scheduled bank offering core banking.

Scholarship amounts are transferred straight into students' bank…

Scholarship amounts are transferred straight into students' bank accounts electronically, via Direct Benefit Transfer (DBT).

Aadhaar card

Aadhaar card

Educational certificates/mark sheet

Educational certificates/mark sheet

Caste certificate

Caste certificate

Parents' income certificate

Parents' income certificate

Disability certificate, if applicable

Disability certificate, if applicable

Domicile certificate

Domicile certificate

Any other supporting documents that may be required

Any other supporting documents that may be required