| Scholarship amount | Rs 4,000 per year |
| Who it is for | OBC, EBC, DNT students in class IX and X |
| Income limit | Rs 2,50,000 per annum from all sources |
| Application window | 1 June to 28 August 2026 |
| Where to apply | Online portal (scholarships.gov.in) |
| School type | Government schools only |
The money: Rs 4,000 a year, paid to your bank account
You get Rs 4,000 per year as a consolidated academic allowance. This is not a one-time amount—it renews each year you stay in the scheme, as long as you meet the conditions.
The entire amount—both the central government's share and your state's share—goes directly into your bank account or your parents' account through DBT (Direct Benefit Transfer). The government prefers to use Aadhaar Payment Bridge (AePS), which links to your Aadhaar number. You won't see cheques or vouchers. The money lands in the account you register.
Payment happens on a fixed timeline each year. According to the scheme calendar, the state government releases scholarships by 30 September of the financial year. In practice, this means if you apply in June 2026, you could see the first payment by September 2026—though delays happen. Do not count on the money before it arrives.
Who qualifies: the four walls you must fit inside
You need to tick four boxes. Miss one and you won't get the scholarship.
1. Your caste or community
You must belong to one of these groups:
- OBC (Other Backward Class)
- EBC (Economically Backward Class)
- DNT (De-notified, Nomadic and Semi-Nomadic Tribes)
Your certificate must be valid and issued by the government. The state will verify this using its own database of caste certificates, so do not worry about uploading a copy—they will check it themselves.
2. Your family's income
Your parents' or guardians' income from all sources must not exceed Rs 2,50,000 per annum. This includes salary, business income, agricultural income, rent—everything.
You need an income certificate. Get it from your tehsil or block office in the district where your family is registered. The certificate must be from the current financial year (April 2025 to March 2026 for applications in 2026). Do not use an old certificate.
The state will cross-check this certificate against income records in its database. If there is a mismatch, your application will be rejected. If you cannot produce the certificate at all, you cannot apply.
3. Your class and school
You must be studying in class IX or X. Full-time students only—no part-time or distance learning.
Your school must be a government school. Private schools, even if they are affordable, do not count. The guidelines are clear on this.
4. Your citizenship
You must be a national of India. The scholarship is for Indian citizens only.
Documents you need before you apply
Gather these before opening the application form. The portal will ask for them, and without them you cannot submit:
- Aadhaar number or Aadhaar EID (if you have one), or another form of ID as approved by the Ministry of Social Justice
- Income certificate from the current financial year, issued by your block or tehsil office
- Caste certificate (OBC, EBC, or DNT), issued by your state government
- Bank account details—account number, IFSC code, account holder's name
- Your domicile certificate or proof of where you live
- Proof that you are studying in class IX or X (your school admission letter or roll number)
The portal will auto-verify most of these by linking to government databases. You will not need to upload physical copies of income or caste certificates if the system can pull them automatically. But if it cannot find your certificate in the database, you will have to upload a scanned copy.
Aadhaar is mandatory at renewal time if you did not provide it when you first applied. If your Aadhaar authentication fails, the government allows you to establish your identity by other means, but this slows things down. Provide Aadhaar on day one if you have it.
How to apply: the steps
Applications open on 1 June 2026 and close on 28 August 2026. The portal is scholarships.gov.in.
- Go to scholarships.gov.in and log in or create an account.
- Search for "PM YASASVI" or find it under the OBC/EBC/DNT schemes section.
- Select the state where you are domiciled (where you live and are registered).
- Fill in your personal details: name, date of birth, Aadhaar number (if you have it), caste, community.
- Enter your parents' income and upload or link your income certificate.
- Provide your bank account details and domicile information.
- Upload your school admission letter or proof of enrollment in class IX or X.
- Review everything. The form will show you what it has auto-verified and what is still pending.
- Submit. You will get a confirmation number. Save it.
The entire process is online. No paper forms, no visiting an office. Everything happens on the portal.
After you submit, the state government has until 15 August to verify your eligibility. The central government then releases the scholarship amount by 31 August. In theory, money reaches your account by 30 September. In practice, add two to four weeks.
Do not wait until late August to apply. The portal slows down in the final week, and if there is any issue with your documents, you will not have time to fix it.
What happens after you get the first payment
The scholarship renews automatically each year if you meet the conditions. You do not have to apply again.
The conditions are simple:
- You must be promoted to the next class (from IX to X, or pass class X).
- You must have attended school at least 75% of the time in the previous year.
- You must still be studying in a government school.
The school will report your attendance and promotion status to the scholarship portal automatically. The system will then auto-renew your scholarship. You do not need to do anything.
If you repeat a class—say you fail class IX and have to do it again—you will not get the scholarship for that class a second time. You can only receive it once per class level.
The scholarship continues until you pass class X. Once you move to class XI or XII (or leave school), the scholarship stops.
What can get you rejected or disqualified
Your application will be rejected if:
- Your family income exceeds Rs 2,50,000 per annum.
- Your income certificate cannot be verified or is older than the current financial year.
- Your caste certificate is not valid or does not match government records.
- You are not studying in a government school.
- You are not a full-time student in class IX or X.
- You are not an Indian citizen.
- You have already received a pre-matric scholarship for the same class under any other scheme.
If you are found to have obtained the scholarship by false statements—lying about your income, caste, or school—the government will cancel it immediately. You will have to return the money. You will also be blacklisted from all scholarship schemes forever.
If you violate school discipline or break the rules of the scheme, your scholarship can be suspended or cancelled. The school can recommend cancellation, and the state government will decide.
One more rule: boys and girls are treated differently
Only two boys from the same parents or guardians can receive this scholarship. If you are the third or later son, you cannot apply.
This rule does not apply to girls. Girls can all receive the scholarship regardless of how many sisters they have. And if a family has both boys and girls, the girls' scholarships do not count against the two-boy limit. A family can have two boys and any number of girls all receiving scholarships at the same time.
Additionally, at least 30% of all scholarships under this scheme must go to girls. The state government prioritizes girls' applications to meet this target.
If something goes wrong: how to complain
The portal has a grievance system. If your application is rejected unfairly, or if your renewal payment is delayed, or if you spot an error, you can lodge a complaint.
Every school has a Grievance Redressal Officer (GRO). You can file a complaint through the scholarship portal or through a mobile app. The GRO at your school will look into it and try to resolve it within a set timeframe.
If the school does not resolve it, your complaint automatically moves to the district level, then to the state level. You do not have to escalate it yourself—the system does it.
Money from two places: centre and state
The scholarship is funded by both the central government and your state government. The central government pays 60% and the state pays 40% in most states. In North Eastern states, Uttarakhand, and Himachal Pradesh, the split is 90-10 in favour of the centre. Union Territories get 100% central funding.
This does not affect you. You get the full Rs 4,000 either way. The split matters only for budgeting and administration.
One last thing: the state decides the exact process
These are national guidelines. Your state government can add its own rules as long as they do not contradict these guidelines. For example, your state might ask for additional documents, or it might have its own way of identifying the poorest students first.
Check your state's scholarship website or portal for any state-specific instructions. The national portal will direct you to your state's portal when you apply.
If you have questions that the state portal cannot answer, contact your state's Backward Classes Welfare Department or Department of Social Justice & Empowerment. They administer this scheme at the state level.
Official source:
PM YASASVI Pre Matric Scholarship Scheme For OBC EBC DNT-Punjab - scheme guidelines (PDF)
· National Scholarship Portal
Verified against the official guidelines on 2026-08-09. Confirm current dates and amounts on the official portal before applying.