Pradhan Mantri Uchchatar Shiksha Protsahan (PM-USP) Yojana: Central Sector Scheme of Scholarship for College and University Students

11^th Dec 2025...

Published By : Team 811

Pradhan Mantri Uchchatar Shiksha Protsahan Latest News

Student applications for PM-USP yojana have closed on November 30, 2025
Defective application verification is open till December 15, 2025
DNO/SNO/MNO verification is open till December 31, 2025

Pradhan Mantri Uchchatar Shiksha Protsahan Key Takeaways

Pradhan Mantri Uchchatar Shiksha Protsahan Yojana is a merit-cum-means scholarship for college and university students from low-income families
Selected students receive INR 12,000 to 20,000 per annum, depending on their course and year of study
Scholarship is awarded based on Class 12th performance and subject to meeting the eligibility criteria
Applications for both fresh and renewal candidates need to be done online through NSP

Pradhan Mantri Uchchatar Shiksha Protsahan Yojana Central Sector Scheme of Scholarship, or PM-USP CSS, is provided to college and university students. Offered by the Department of High Education, Ministry of Education, it provides financial assistance to meritorious students. It helps fulfill a part of the daily expenses for students pursuing higher studies.

What is Pradhan Mantri Uchchatar Shiksha Protsahan (PM-USP) Yojana?

PM USP CSSS is a scholarship for degree students who belong to poor families and are pursuing higher education. This scholarship, implemented since 2008, is provided as per the results of the Higher Secondary or Class 12th Board Exams. It is the merit-cum-means scholarship that candidates pursuing graduation or post-graduation can receive to meet a part of their daily expenses. Around 82,000 fresh scholarships are granted every year to deserving students.

Who Benefits From the PM-USP Yojana Central Sector Scheme of Scholarship?

The PM-USP yojana scholarship for college students provides benefits to the students who fulfill the following checklist and set eligibility criteria:

Those who belong to minority communities
Those pursuing higher education
Whose income falls within the prescribed annual income limit.

How is the PM-USP Yojana Central Sector Scheme of Scholarship Allocated?

This scholarship for college students is distributed to State Education Boards based on the student population in the 18 to 25 age group. The share of CBSE and ICSE boards is calculated separately based on the number of students passing from these boards.

Reservation: To ensure equal opportunity, 50% of the scholarships are reserved for girls. Further, from the scholarships allotted to Jammu & Kashmir and Ladakh, 3% are reserved for students of Ladakh. The category-wise reservation is 15% for SC, 7.5% for ST, and 27% for OBC. 5% horizontal reservation is given to students with benchmark disabilities (40% or more disability) within each state’s quota.

Subject-wise Distribution: The scholarships given to each state are further divided among academic streams in a fixed ratio. It includes 3 parts for science, 3 parts for humanities, and 1 part for commerce.

If there are not enough applications, unused scholarships for college students can be shifted between categories (general, OBC, SC, ST), genders, and states to ensure no scholarship goes unused. It is applicable from the academic year 2022-23 onwards. The adjustments are done according to the rules of the Ministry of Finance and NITI Aayog, especially for SC/ST fund usage.

Key Features & Benefits of PM-USP Yojana Central Sector Scheme of Scholarship

Direct Benefit Transfer (DBT) to the candidate’s Aadhaar-seeded bank account
Paperless application process with verification via DigiLocker
Since it is a scholarship, the amount does not need to be repaid
It is renewable each academic year till the course completion
The monetary benefits include:
- Graduation: INR 12,000 per annum for the first three years of College and University courses
- Post-graduation: INR 20,000 per annum
- For a 5-year course duration or Integrated courses in the 4th or 5th year of professional courses: INR 20,000 per annum
- For students pursuing technical courses such as B.Tech and B.Engg: INR 12,000 per annum for the first, second, and third year, and INR 20,000 per annum in the fourth year

Availing the benefit of the PM-USP scheme requires a savings account for the applicant. Get yours now from the comfort of your home and with zero investment at the 811 Zero Balance Digital Savings Account.

Eligibility Criteria of PM-USP Yojana Central Sector Scheme of Scholarship

The CSSS eligibility to receive this government scholarship scheme includes:

Students must be above the 80th percentile of successful candidates in the relevant stream from the respective Board of Examination in Class XII of the 10+2 pattern or equivalent
Applicant should be enrolled in regular degree courses
Applicant must be pursuing courses at a college or institution recognised by the All India Council for Technical Education and the respective Regulatory Bodies concerned
Students should not be receiving benefits from any other scholarship schemes, including state-run scholarship schemes/fee waivers, and reimbursement schemes
Maximum annual family income should not exceed INR 4.5 lakh per annum
Students can continue to receive the benefit or renew if the course of study and institution has a valid AISHE code. The AISHE code can be checked on the portal.
Students who missed applying for renewal retain eligibility for renewal in the next year on the NSP portal if they meet the eligibility conditions. These include:
- Score at least 50% marks in the annual examination
- Maintain a minimum 75% attendance
- Any complaint related to indiscipline, criminal behaviour, or ragging will lead to cancellation of the scholarship

Exclusions

Students enrolled in correspondence or distance courses
Applicants pursuing diploma courses
Students who have taken drop after the 12th class (for fresh candidates)
Applications submitted offline or sent directly to the Ministry of Education

Documents Required For PM-USP Yojana Central Sector Scheme of Scholarship

Applying for the scholarship for degree students requires the presence of the following documents:

Fresh Applicants

Mark sheet of 12th class
Family income certificate
Category or caste certification for reserved category students
Disability certificate (if applicable)

Renewal Applicants

Previous year marksheet

Application Process of PM-USP Yojana Central Sector Scheme of Scholarship

The degree scholarship applying involves an online procedure. Note that the verification of credentials of students needs to be done through the DigiLocker facility provided by the MeITY, Government of India. The document verification includes caste, educational qualifications, and others. For the application procedure, here are the steps to follow:

One Time Registration

Visit the National Scholarships Portal (NSP) One Time Registration page. Click on the ‘Apply for OTR’.
Guidelines on how to apply for OTR will appear. Read them and the undertaking thoroughly. Accept the terms and click ‘Next.’
Enter your active mobile number in the OTR (all updates will be notified through this number or email)
Complete Aadhaar e-KYC using the Aadhaar number of the student/parent/guardian and verify with OTP
Fill in the required details and click Finish
You will get a reference number. Download the NSP OTR App and Aadhaar FaceRD App to complete face verification.
After successful face verification, your 14-digit OTR number will be generated and sent by SMS.

Application Process

Visit the Applicant Login page on NSP
Select OTR login and enter your OTR number and password
Enter the captcha and login
Enter the OTP sent to your mobile and create a new password
You will reach the Applicant Dashboard
Click on ‘Application Form’, fill in all required details, and upload documents
Your details will be automatically verified through DigiLocker
Click ‘Save as Draft’ to submit later or ‘Final Submit’ to apply

Check the Status of PM-USP Yojana Central Sector Scheme of Scholarship

Students can track their payment status under the PM-USP yojana from the ‘Know Your Payment’ section in the Public Financial Management System (PFMS) portal. Simply fill in any one of the following to know the status:

Aadhaar number
Bank account number
NSP application ID

Benefit Disbursal of PM-USP Yojana Central Sector Scheme of Scholarship

The scholarship disbursal under the PM-USP Yojana is directly done into the Aadhar-seeded bank account through Direct Benefit Transfer (DBT).

Conclusion

Pradhan Mantri Uchchatar Shiksha Protsahan (PM-USP) Yojana Central Sector Scheme of Scholarship for college and university students is a financial assistance scheme from the Indian government. It offers a part of the daily expenses for the meritorious graduate and postgraduate candidates belonging to low-income families. It is the merit-cum-means scholarship, and the application details and form are available on NSP.

FAQs on Pradhan Mantri Uchchatar Shiksha Protsahan

1. Whom to contact for a grievance regarding the PM-USP scheme?

If any candidate has a grievance or complaint regarding the scheme, they may contact via telephone at 011-20862360. Candidates can also connect with the Nodal Officer whose email will be available on the NSP portal.

2. Where can I check the opening and closing dates of applications under the PM-USP scheme?

Application start and end dates are posted on the NSP website. Students must regularly check the same to remain updated.

3. What happens if I miss the renewal deadline of the PM-USP government scholarship scheme?

In case you miss applying for renewal, you will not get the scholarship for that year. However, if eligible, you can renew the application next year.

4. What is an Aadhaar-seeded bank account?

Aadhaar-seeded bank account means that the bank account is linked with the Aadhaar holder’s unique 12-digit Aadhaar number.

5. How to check the Aadhaar seeding status?

The Aadhaar seeding status can be checked on the Bharat Aadhaar Seeding Enabler (BASE) platform of NPCI. Students simply need to follow the mentioned steps to check the status:

Go to the BASE website
Click on the ‘consumer’ tab
Select ‘Bharat Aadhaar Seeding Enabler (BASE)’
Use the dropdown menu to check your Aadhaar mapping status or history