| Scholarship amount | Rs 4,000 per year |
| Who qualifies | Class IX–X students in OBC, EBC, DNT categories |
| Schools covered | Government schools only |
| Family income limit | Rs 2,50,000 per annum |
| Application window | 2 June to 30 September 2026 |
| Apply on | scholarships.gov.in |
| Offered by | State of Uttarakhand |
The money and when you get it
The scholarship is Rs 4,000 per year. That is the total amount for the entire academic year, paid as a consolidated academic allowance. It goes directly into your bank account through Direct Benefit Transfer (DBT), not handed over in cash or through the school.
The government aims to disburse this by 30 September of each financial year, once your application is verified and approved. In practice, delays happen. The timeline in the guidelines shows the state government has until 15 August to verify all applications, and then until 30 September to transfer the money. If you do not receive it by October, contact your school's Grievance Redressal Officer.
Are you eligible?
You must meet all of these conditions at the same time:
- You are an Indian citizen.
- You are studying in Class IX or Class X on a full-time basis.
- You study in a government school (not private).
- Your parents' or guardian's income from all sources does not exceed Rs 2,50,000 per annum. This includes salary, business income, agricultural income, rent, pension—everything.
- You belong to the OBC, EBC, or DNT category and have a valid certificate to prove it. The certificate must show you are not already covered under SC or ST.
- You have attended school regularly. The guidelines require at least 75% attendance in the previous year.
The income limit is firm. If your family's annual income is Rs 2,50,001, you do not qualify. The school or the state will not make exceptions.
The OBC, EBC, DNT categories
OBC stands for Other Backward Class. EBC is Economically Backward Class. DNT means Denotified, Nomadic, or Semi-Nomadic Tribes. Your caste certificate must clearly state which of these you belong to. If it says you are SC or ST, you are not eligible for this scheme—you would apply for SC/ST scholarships instead.
The certificate must be issued by the state or district administration and should be current. The guidelines do not specify how old a certificate can be, but treat it as a live document. If you have not obtained one yet, contact your district administration office or Tehsil office.
Documents you need
You will need to upload or link these through the online portal:
- An income certificate issued by the state or district administration, showing your parents' or guardian's income for the current financial year.
- Your caste certificate (OBC, EBC, or DNT), issued by the state or district administration.
- Proof of domicile in Uttarakhand (or the state where you are applying).
- Your Aadhaar number or Aadhaar e-ID. If you do not have Aadhaar, you can use another form of ID as per the ministry's guidelines, but Aadhaar is preferred.
- Your bank account details (account number, IFSC code, bank name). The scholarship will be transferred here.
The portal will try to verify these documents automatically by linking to government databases. You do not need to upload physical copies of certificates if the system can pull them from the state's digital records. If automatic verification fails, the state has 30 days from the date you apply to verify manually. If they do not complete verification within 30 days, your application is treated as approved anyway.
The income certificate must be from the current financial year (April to March). An old certificate will not work. Take this seriously—many applications are rejected because the income certificate is outdated.
How to apply
Applications open on 1 April 2026 and close on 30 September 2026. You must apply online; there is no paper application.
- Go to scholarships.gov.in (the National Scholarship Portal).
- Register or log in with your details.
- Search for "PM YASASVI Pre-Matric" or the Uttarakhand variant.
- Fill in your personal information: name, date of birth, Aadhaar or alternative ID, school name, class, contact number.
- Enter your parents' or guardian's annual income and provide the income certificate details.
- Upload or link your caste certificate, domicile certificate, and bank account information.
- Submit the application.
The best time to apply is within the first two weeks of the window opening. The portal tends to slow down in August and September when thousands of students apply at once.
What happens after you submit
Your school will receive a notification that you have applied. The institution must verify on the portal that you are a genuine student of that school. This verification should happen on or shortly after the day you apply—ideally on the same day. If your school does not verify you within a reasonable time, follow up with the school office or the Grievance Redressal Officer.
The state government then verifies your eligibility documents. If everything checks out, your application is approved and the scholarship is disbursed to your bank account.
If you are applying on the day of admission to Class IX, apply for the scholarship that same day. The system is designed to work this way, and delays in applying can push your verification and payment back by weeks.
Renewal in the next year
Once you receive the scholarship in Class IX, you do not need to apply again for Class X. The system will auto-renew you based on three things:
- You have been promoted to the next class (Class X).
- You have attended at least 75% of school days in the previous year. The school uploads this to the portal.
- You have joined back the school for the new academic year.
The school confirms these details, and your scholarship continues automatically. You do not fill out a fresh application form.
If you fail a class and have to repeat it, you will not receive the scholarship for that repeated year. The scheme covers each class only once.
What disqualifies you or gets the scholarship cancelled
Your scholarship will be cancelled or suspended if:
- You violate school discipline or breach the terms of the scholarship. The school can recommend cancellation to the state.
- You transfer to a private school or move to a school outside Uttarakhand (unless there are exceptional circumstances).
- You obtain the scholarship by submitting false statements or forged documents. In this case, the amount will be recovered, and you will be blacklisted from all scholarship schemes forever.
- You fall below 75% attendance in any year.
- You fail to sit for the annual examination, except if you provide a medical certificate from a prescribed authority and the school accepts it.
If you are found to have lied on the application, the consequences are severe. The state will recover the money and bar you permanently from any government scholarship. Do not risk it.
A note on the two-boys rule
Only two boys from the same parents or guardian can receive this scholarship. If you have three brothers and all three are eligible, only two can be awarded. However, there is no limit on girls. If you have three sisters, all three can receive the scholarship. This rule exists to encourage families to educate girls and to prevent one family from taking a large share of the scholarship pool.
Reservations and special provisions
The state must reserve at least 30% of scholarships for girl students. It must also cover at least 5% of beneficiaries with disabilities. If you have a disability, you are encouraged to apply and mention it in your application.
If something goes wrong
Every school has a Grievance Redressal Officer (GRO). If your application is rejected, your payment is delayed, or you have any other issue, lodge a grievance with the GRO. You can do this through the scholarship portal or via a mobile app (if the state has one). The GRO will investigate and resolve it.
If the school does not resolve it within a set timeframe, the grievance automatically escalates to the district level, then to the state level. You do not have to escalate manually—the system does it.
Income certificate: get it now
The single biggest reason applications are delayed or rejected is a missing or outdated income certificate. Do not wait until June to apply and then discover you need an income certificate that takes three weeks to obtain. Visit your Tehsil or district administration office now and apply for one. Tell them it is for a scholarship application and you need it for the current financial year (2025–26 if you are applying in 2026).
The certificate is usually free or costs a small fee (under Rs 100). It typically takes 3 to 7 days to issue, depending on how busy the office is.
Key dates for 2026
| Portal opens | 1 April 2026 |
| Portal closes | 30 September 2026 |
| Schools verify applications | By 31 July 2026 |
| State verifies applications | By 15 August 2026 |
| Scholarship disbursed | By 30 September 2026 |
These are the government's target dates. In practice, some states finish earlier; others take longer. But if you have not received your scholarship by mid-October, it is fair to follow up.
One more thing: do not hold two scholarships
If you are awarded another pre-matric scholarship (from a different scheme or your state government), you must choose one. You cannot receive both. Inform the school and the awarding authority which one you want to keep. If you try to hold two, both can be cancelled and you may face recovery action.
The application window for 2026 runs until 30 September. Apply early, get your income certificate sorted, and keep your school in the loop. The money is real and the rules are strict, but if you meet the conditions, the scholarship is yours.
Official source:
PM YASASVI Pre Matric Scholarship Scheme For OBC EBC And DNT -Uttarakhand - scheme guidelines (PDF)
· National Scholarship Portal
Verified against the official guidelines on 2026-08-30. Confirm current dates and amounts on the official portal before applying.