The deadline for applications for the NMMSS Scholarship 2026 has been extended by the Ministry of Education to October 31. Through the National Scholarship Portal (NSP) at scholarships.gov.in, eligible students can extend the deadline for completing their National Means-cum-Merit Scholarship Scheme (NMMSS).
One-time registration mandatory on NSP
Students who are selected will be required to register themselves using One-Time Registration (OTR) via the National Scholarship Portal (NSP) prior to application for the scholarship scheme in 2026-27 project year.
Students can apply for NMMSS scholarship through the NSP after completing OTR.
NMMSS scholarship amount
Selected candidates are provided an amount of ₹12,000 annually under the scheme.
The scholarship fund is directly transferred to the beneficiaries' bank account through the DBT scheme under the Public Financial Management System (PFMS).
NMMSS eligibility criteria
Eligibility conditions are necessary for candidates who want to get the scholarship. Some of these conditions are as follows:
The income of the parents of the student must not be more than ₹3.50 lakh annually.
Students need to secure at least 55% marks or grade equivalent to that in Class VII to take the examination of scholarship.
The minimum percentage of marks is reduced by 5% for SC/ST category students.
Only the students enrolled in State Government/Government-aided/local body schools are eligible for this scholarship.
Candidates need to qualify in the scholarship selection examination organized by the respective state/UT government.
What is NMMSS?
The means cum merit scholarship scheme for students is managed by the department of school education and literacy of the ministry of education. The purpose of this scheme is to decrease the dropout ratio of students after class VIII and motivate those meritorious students from weaker economic backgrounds to pursue studies till higher secondary level.
According to this scheme, one lakh new scholarships are sanctioned annually to the eligible students of class IX on the basis of the selection test that is held by the state or UT government of that concerned student.
The scholarship is renewed every year from class X to XII depending upon the academic criteria.
The Ministry has advised all eligible students to make use of the extended deadline and complete their applications on the National Scholarship Portal within the stipulated period.
