| Who it is for | BPL students in government colleges under Chhattisgarh Higher Education Department |
| Monthly amount | Rs 300 (UG), Rs 500 (PG) |
| Maximum per year | Rs 3000 (UG), Rs 5000 (PG) |
| Application window | 2 July to 30 September 2026 |
| Where to apply | National Scholarship Portal (NSP) |
| Income limit | Must have valid BPL card |
Who qualifies
You must be enrolled in a government college run by Chhattisgarh's Higher Education Department. Private colleges do not count. Your guardian must hold a valid BPL card—this is the only income check the scheme uses. The guidelines do not specify an income ceiling in rupees; the BPL card itself is your proof.
You cannot be receiving any other scholarship at the same time. If you're already getting money from a different government or private scholarship scheme, you're ineligible.
You must have passed your annual examination in the first attempt. If you've repeated a year or retaken an exam, you still qualify as long as you passed it the first time you sat it. The guidelines do not define what "first attempt" means in edge cases—if you're unsure, ask your college office before applying.
Attendance matters. The scheme requires that your attendance "should not shorten"—the wording is vague, but in practice this means you need to meet your college's minimum attendance requirement. Ask your department what percentage that is; it varies by college.
Documents you need before you start
Gather these before you open the NSP portal. You'll need them to fill the form, and you'll have to upload or verify them later.
- Your educational documents (mark sheets, admission letter, college ID card, or whatever your college uses to prove enrollment)
- Your bank passbook—specifically a page showing your account number, IFSC code, and your name exactly as it appears in the bank's records
- Your Aadhar card number
- A mobile phone number you can keep for the entire duration of the scholarship (do not change it once you've registered)
- An email address
- Your BPL card
The bank passbook is critical. The scholarship is paid directly into your account via DBT (Direct Benefit Transfer). For that to work, your Aadhar must be linked to the same bank account. If it isn't, link it now—this is the step most students get wrong and it delays their money by months.
First-time applicants: the registration step
When you log into the NSP portal for the first time, you'll see an option to register as a fresh applicant. This is different from applying for the scholarship itself. Registration comes first.
Fill in the Student Registration Form with information exactly as it appears on your documents. Do not use nicknames, do not rearrange your name, do not leave spaces out or add extra ones. The portal will match this against your Aadhar and your college's records. Any mismatch and your application will be marked invalid during verification.
After you register, you'll get a login ID. Use that to come back and apply for the scholarship.
The application form
Once you're logged in, you'll fill the scholarship application. The form asks for:
- Your personal details (name, date of birth, gender, category)
- Your college name and the course you're studying
- Your bank account details (account number, IFSC, account holder name)
- Your date of admission to the college
The date of admission matters because it determines how many months you'll get paid for. Scholarship is given for a maximum of 10 months, from July to April. A month only counts if you were admitted on or before the 21st of that month.
For example: if you were admitted on 10 July, you get paid for July. If you were admitted on 25 August, you don't get paid for July or August—you start getting paid from September. This is why the college's admission letter is important; it has to show the exact date.
What happens after you submit
Your application goes through two verification stages. It has to pass both.
Stage 1: Your college verifies you
Your college's higher education office will check that you're actually enrolled, that you've passed your exams, and that your attendance meets the requirement. They'll also confirm that you don't have another active scholarship. This usually takes 1–2 weeks, but it depends on how quickly your college processes applications.
Stage 2: The state government office verifies you
After your college approves you, the Chhattisgarh Higher Education Department checks your BPL card status and confirms everything again. This can take another 2–3 weeks.
If either your college or the state office cannot verify a detail, your application will be marked "Invalid" and you won't get the scholarship. Check with your college office about what they need from you before you submit.
You can track your application status on the NSP portal. Log in and check regularly, especially during the verification stage. If there's a problem, the portal may ask you to upload additional documents or clarify something. Respond quickly—delays here cost you months of payments.
Returning students: the renewal process
If you received the scholarship in your first year and you're now in your second or third year, you apply under "Renewal" instead of "Fresh".
Renewal applicants get the full scholarship amount: Rs 3000 for undergraduates and Rs 5000 for postgraduates. You don't have to worry about the 21st-of-the-month cutoff—you get all 10 months automatically, as long as you pass verification.
You still need to pass your annual exams and maintain attendance. You still can't have another scholarship running at the same time.
How much you'll actually receive
Fresh applicants' total depends on when you were admitted.
| Level | Monthly rate | Admission date | Total for the year |
| UG | Rs 300 | 10 July 2023 | Rs 3000 (10 months) |
| UG | Rs 300 | 25 August 2023 | Rs 2400 (8 months) |
| PG | Rs 500 | 22 July 2023 | Rs 4500 (9 months) |
| PG | Rs 500 | 21 August 2023 | Rs 4500 (9 months) |
The scholarship covers only your living expenses. It does not pay for tuition fees, admission fees, caution money, or any other college charges. The amount is fixed—no exceptions for special circumstances.
When to apply
The application window for 2026 opens on 2 July and closes on 30 September. Do not wait until September. The portal slows down in the final weeks as thousands of students apply at once, and technical issues can eat into your time. Apply in July or early August if you can.
Check the NSP portal for any updates closer to the date—the government sometimes extends the deadline or changes the window.
Why applications get rejected
An application marked "Invalid" will not be processed. Common reasons include:
- Information on the form does not match your documents or Aadhar
- Your college cannot confirm you're enrolled or that you've passed your exams
- Your BPL card is expired or invalid
- You're receiving another scholarship at the same time
- Your attendance is below your college's minimum requirement
- Your bank account details are wrong or your Aadhar is not linked to the account
- You failed to pass your annual exam in the first attempt
If your application is rejected, you'll see the reason on the NSP portal. Read it carefully. If it's something your college can fix (like a missing attendance record), contact them immediately. If it's your bank account, fix it and reapply next year.
Payment and next steps
Once you're approved, the scholarship is transferred directly to your bank account every month. This is called DBT—Direct Benefit Transfer. The money goes in automatically; you don't have to do anything.
For this to work, your Aadhar must be seeded with your bank account. If it isn't, your payment will fail. Check with your bank right now—do not wait until after you're approved.
The scholarship runs from July to April each year. If you're still studying after April, you'll need to renew your application the following July.
Official source:
Bpl Sholarship Scheme For College Students-Chattisgarh - scheme guidelines (PDF)
· National Scholarship Portal
Verified against the official guidelines on 2026-08-16. Confirm current dates and amounts on the official portal before applying.