| Who qualifies | Scheduled Tribe students from Sikkim, studying post-matric courses in India |
| How much per month | Rs 550–1,200 maintenance allowance, plus fees and other costs |
| Family income limit | Rs 2,00,000 per year, from all sources |
| Application window | 1 June to 31 August 2026 |
| Where to apply | scholarships.gov.in (national portal) |
The money: what you actually receive
The scholarship is not a single lump sum. It pays different amounts depending on what you are studying and where you live.
Maintenance allowance – the monthly stipend – ranges from Rs 550 to Rs 1,200. A student in a hostel studying engineering gets Rs 1,200 a month. A day scholar studying a diploma course gets Rs 550. The guidelines list seven different course groups, each with its own rate.
On top of that, the scheme reimburses all compulsory, non-refundable fees that your college charges: tuition, examination fees, library charges, union fees. You do not pay these out of pocket and claim later. The institution submits the bill directly.
You also get:
- Rs 1,600 per year for study tours (if your college says the tour is essential for your course)
- Rs 1,600 for thesis typing or printing, if you are doing research
- Rs 200 per year for books, if you are studying by correspondence
- Extra allowances if you have a disability: Rs 240–1,200 for a reader if you are blind, Rs 160 for transport if you cannot walk to campus, Rs 160 for an escort if you have severe physical disability
The maintenance allowance is paid from the month you are admitted (or from when the scholarship is approved, whichever is later) through the month your final exams end, including holidays.
Who is eligible
You must be a Scheduled Tribe student. The caste certificate must be issued by a revenue officer not below the rank of tahsildar, and it must be original.
You must have passed your matriculation or higher secondary exam. If you are studying a professional or technical course (engineering, medicine, law, chartered accountancy, nursing), you qualify as a post-matric student even if the course itself starts at the 12th-standard level.
Your family income from all sources – salary, business, rent, pensions, everything – must not exceed Rs 2,00,000 in the financial year. This is a hard ceiling. If your parents earn Rs 2,00,001, you do not qualify.
The guidelines define "family" as your parents or guardians. If both parents are alive, only their combined income counts. If one parent has died, only the surviving parent's income is considered. If both have died, your guardian's income is used instead. You cannot add in earnings from siblings or other relatives.
House rent allowance that your parents received and claimed as tax-exempt is not counted as income.
Who does not qualify
You cannot hold this scholarship and another scholarship at the same time. If you win two scholarships, you choose one and inform the college. Once you accept a different scholarship, this one stops immediately.
If you are switching subjects or colleges mid-course without permission, your scholarship is cancelled. You cannot change from B.Sc to B.A, or move to a different engineering college, without written approval from the State of Sikkim first.
If you are studying a course you have already completed, you are not eligible. You cannot take a scholarship for a second bachelor's degree or a second master's degree in the same field.
Students repeating a class because they failed are not eligible for the scholarship in that year. You can reapply once you pass and move to the next class. The one exception: if you were sick and missed the exam, your college can certify that you would have passed, and the scholarship may continue.
If you obtained the scholarship by providing false information, it is cancelled immediately and you must repay the full amount. You will be blacklisted from all government scholarships forever.
Income certificate: the document that matters most
You will need an income certificate. This is not optional and not something you can skip.
The certificate must come from the current financial year (April 2025 to March 2026 for applications in June 2026). A certificate from last year will not be accepted.
If your parents are salaried, ask their employer to issue the certificate on company letterhead, signed by an authorized officer. If they are self-employed or have other income, you will need to file an affidavit on non-judicial stamp paper (Rs 10 or Rs 20, depending on your state) declaring the income. The affidavit must be notarized.
If your parents earn from multiple sources – a salary plus rental income, for example – you need to declare both. The employer gives you the salary certificate, and you file an affidavit for the rent.
Do not submit an old income certificate or one from the wrong financial year. The application will be rejected, and you will lose your place in the queue.
Other documents you need
- Caste certificate (original, issued by a revenue officer not below tahsildar rank)
- Copies of all certificates and diplomas for exams you have passed
- Passport-size photograph with your signature on it (for fresh applications only)
- Income declaration by your parents (on stamp paper if self-employed)
- If you got a scholarship last year: a receipt or acknowledgement from your college showing you received it
All documents must be attested copies, except the caste certificate, which must be original.
How to apply
Applications open on 1 June 2026 and close on 31 August 2026. The portal is scholarships.gov.in, the national scholarship portal run by the Government of India.
- Register on scholarships.gov.in if you do not already have an account. You will need your email and a mobile number.
- Log in and select "Post Matric Scholarship Scheme for ST Students" and choose Sikkim as your state.
- Fill in the form. It will ask for your personal details, parents' income, the college you are attending, and the course you are studying.
- Upload scanned copies of all documents in the formats the portal accepts (usually PDF or JPG, under 1 MB per file).
- Submit the application. You will get a reference number. Save it.
- Print the completed form and take it to your college principal, along with the original documents. The principal will verify the information and forward it to the State of Sikkim's scholarship office.
Do not submit the application directly to the state office. It must go through your college. If you are studying in another state, your college will still handle the submission, but the scholarship money comes from Sikkim because that is where you belong.
What happens after you apply
The state office will check your income certificate, caste certificate, and college details. If everything matches, your scholarship is approved and the money is transferred to your college account. The college then credits it to your bank account or uses it to pay your fees directly, depending on the college's system.
The first payment can take 2–3 months after approval. Do not expect money in your account the week after you submit the form.
Once approved, the scholarship is renewed every year automatically, provided you:
- Pass your exams and move to the next class
- Maintain regular attendance
- Do not change your course or college without permission
- Do not get another scholarship
- Stay within the income limit (your parents' income is checked again each year)
If you fail an exam, the scholarship stops for that year. You can reapply after you pass and are promoted to the next class. If you fail twice in the same course, the scholarship is unlikely to be renewed.
The income limit revision
The income ceiling of Rs 2,00,000 was set in 2010. The guidelines say it will be revised once every two years, linked to the Consumer Price Index for industrial workers. The last revision happened in October 2009. The documents do not specify when the next revision will take effect, so check the portal closer to the application window for any updates.
Book banks and other support
Sikkim also runs a Book Bank scheme for ST students in professional and technical courses. Your college may provide you with a set of prescribed textbooks for the entire course, free of cost, if it participates in the scheme. You return the books at the end of each term. Ask your college whether this is available.
If your application is rejected
Common reasons for rejection:
- Income certificate is from the wrong financial year or missing
- Caste certificate is a photocopy instead of original
- Family income exceeds Rs 2,00,000
- You are studying a course you have already completed
- You are holding another scholarship
- Documents are not attested or are illegible
If your application is rejected, you can appeal. Contact the Grievance Redressal Officer (GRO) at your district or state level. The guidelines do not specify the appeal process or timeline, so ask your college for the correct officer's contact details.
Key dates for 2026
| Applications open | 1 June 2026 |
| Applications close | 31 August 2026 |
Mark these dates in your calendar now. The portal often slows down in the final week. Do not wait until August to start gathering documents.
Official source:
Post Matric Scholarship Scheme For ST Students-Sikkim - scheme guidelines (PDF)
· National Scholarship Portal
Verified against the official guidelines on 2026-08-18. Confirm current dates and amounts on the official portal before applying.