NMMSS scholarship application deadline extended to September 30
The Ministry of Education has extended the deadline for NMMSS 2026-27 scholarship applications to September 30, giving eligible students more time to complete applications and verification.
The revised schedule also extends the deadline for Institute Nodal Officer (INO) verification to October 15 and District Nodal Officer (DNO) verification to October 31.
NEW DELHI: The Ministry of Education has extended the deadline for applications under the National Means-cum-Merit Scholarship Scheme (NMMSS) for 2026-27 to September 30, 2026, giving selected meritorious students additional time to complete their applications on the National Scholarship Portal (NSP).
The revised schedule also extends the deadline for Institute Nodal Officer (INO) verification to October 15 and District Nodal Officer (DNO) verification to October 31.
The NSP has been accepting applications for the 2026-27 academic year since June 1. Students selected for the scholarship are required to complete a one-time registration (OTR) on the portal before applying for the scholarship scheme.
₹12,000 annual scholarship
The NMMSS is implemented by the Department of School Education & Literacy to support meritorious students from economically weaker sections and reduce school dropouts after Class VIII.
The scheme provides one lakh fresh scholarships every year to eligible Class IX students who clear the qualifying examination conducted by their respective state or union territory government. The scholarship continues through renewal from Classes X to XII, subject to academic performance.
Each selected student receives ₹12,000 a year. The scholarship is available to students studying in state government, government-aided and local body schools.
Scholarship payments are transferred directly to beneficiaries’ bank accounts through Direct Benefit Transfer (DBT) using the Public Financial Management System (PFMS).
Eligibility criteria
Students seeking the scholarship must meet prescribed eligibility conditions, including a parental annual income of not more than ₹3.50 lakh.
Students must also have secured at least 55% marks, or an equivalent grade, in the Class VII examination to appear for the selection test. The minimum marks requirement is relaxed by 5 percentage points for SC and ST students.
The scheme is administered through the National Scholarship Portal, which serves as the government’s central platform for scholarship applications.
As of August 31, 2026, the portal had received 79,398 fresh applications and 1,87,208 renewal applications under NMMSS.
Students urged to complete verification
The Ministry has advised eligible students to submit their applications within the extended deadline. Students who have already applied have also been asked to ensure that their applications are verified by the concerned institute and district authorities.
The verification process has two levels. Level-1 verification is carried out by the Institute Nodal Officer, while Level-2 verification is undertaken by the District Nodal Officer.
The revised deadlines are:
- Application submission: September 30, 2026
- INO/L1 verification: October 15, 2026
- DNO/L2 verification: October 31, 2026
The extension is intended to provide eligible students additional time to complete the application process and enable institutions and district authorities to complete verification within the revised schedule.
