UP Scholarship 2026-27: Last date to apply for UP Scholarship is near, know the complete process of eligibility, income limit and OTR

The online application process for the academic session 2026-27 is going on under the prestigious Uttar Pradesh Scholarship and Fee Reimbursement Scheme (UP Scholarship 2026-27) run by the Social Welfare Department, Backward Classes Welfare Department and Minority Welfare Department of the Government of Uttar Pradesh. Lakhs of meritorious and needy students studying in schools, degree colleges, universities, ITIs, polytechnics and medical-engineering institutes in the state from Lucknow, Prayagraj, Kanpur, Varanasi, Gorakhpur and Agra to rural areas are registering to get financial assistance under this scheme. As the last dates for renewal and fresh applications are fast approaching, the department has given strict instructions to all the students to complete their One-Time Registration (OTR) and application forms without any delay. Students are advised to complete their entries well in time to avoid heavy traffic on the portal and server crash problems in the last days.

According to the revised timeline released on the scholarship portal scholarship.up.gov.in, the application deadline for various categories has been determined as follows:

• Last date for Post-Matric & Other than Inter renewal application: 15 October 2026

• Last date of online application for fresh students: 31 October 2026

• Process for submission and verification of hard copy of the form by the institutions: The process of scrutiny and forwarding of application forms by the concerned educational institutions has been decided to be completed from 25th October to the first week of November.

• Scrutiny and Data Locking by NIC: The forms of eligible students will be locked by the Data Scrutiny and District Scholarship Sanctioning Committee in the third week of November.

• Direct Benefit Transfer (DBT) of scholarship and fee reimbursement: Scholarship and fee reimbursement amounts will start being sent directly to the bank accounts of students found eligible through Aadhaar-based DBT system from December 2026.

The most basic criterion for applying for UP Scholarship is the total annual income of the student’s family. Income certificate must be digitally attested issued by the competent authority (Tehsildar or SDM) of the State Government:

• General, Other Backward Classes (OBC) and Minority Categories: Total annual family income from all sources of the student’s parents/guardians for post-matric and higher education (post-decile) ₹2,00,000 (Rs 2 lakh) Should not exceed.

• Scheduled Caste (SC) and Scheduled Tribe (ST) Categories: Maximum limit of annual family income for SC/ST category students studying in post-matric and higher education courses ₹2,50,000 (Rs 2.50 lakh) It has been determined.

• Validity of Income Certificate: Keep in mind that the income certificate should not be more than 3 years old and its e-verification should be fully active on the Revenue Council portal. This limit is considered fixed only by adding the income of all the members of the family.

The benefit of the scheme is given only to those candidates who fulfill the following mandatory conditions:

1. Domicile of Uttar Pradesh: The applicant must be a permanent resident of Uttar Pradesh. Special rules apply for students of selected courses studying in institutions outside the state.

2. Affiliation of the Institute: The master data of the school, college or university where the student is studying should be registered on the UP Scholarship Portal and verified by the District Social Welfare Officer.

3. Minimum 75% Biometric Attendance: Minimum 75 percent attendance of the student is mandatory at university and college level. The college management will forward the forms only of those students whose attendance is 75% or more.

4. Passing the previous class: The student must have passed the annual examination of the previous class. In case of back paper or failure, the benefit of scholarship will not be given.

It is often seen that students complete all the formalities but due to minor technical errors their money gets stuck. This time the department has made three things completely mandatory:

• One Time Registration (OTR) and Aadhaar e-KYC: Before filling the form on the new portal, the student’s mobile number should be linked to the Aadhar card. OTR number will be generated only after completing Aadhaar e-KYC through OTP.

• Bank Account Aadhaar Seeding (Aadhaar Seeding / NPCI Mapping): Scholarship payment is not sent to any bank account number but directly to the active bank account linked to the Aadhaar number through DBT. Therefore, students must visit their bank to ensure that their account is actively linked to Aadhaar on NPCI Mapper. If the bank account becomes inoperative or de-linked, the transaction will fail.

• Similarity in Name, Date of Birth and Description: There should not be a single letter difference in the spelling of name, father’s name and date of birth in the student’s 10th class certificate, Aadhar card and bank account. If any mismatched data is found, NIC’s scrutiny software directly rejects the form.

Students can fill the application form in these easy steps from their mobile or computer without any hassle:

1. Visit the official website scholarship.up.gov.in.

2. on the homepage ‘Student’ Click on Section. If applying for the first time then select ‘Registration’ and for old students select ‘Renewal Login’.

3. Select your category (General, OBC, SC, ST, Minority) and course level (Post-Matric Intermediate or Post-Matric Other Than Inter).

4. Create password by filling your basic details along with Aadhaar OTP verification.

5. After logging in, enter educational qualification, fee receipt number, enrollment number, application number of caste and income certificate and certificate number.

6. Upload the required documents (passport size photo, mark sheet, fee receipt) and take out the form ‘Print for Verification’.

7. Go to your college and get the drawn draft checked by the concerned clerk or teacher. If there is any error, correct it on the portal.

8. Final lock the form after complete satisfaction. Take out the final print out within three working days of locking and submit it to your institution compulsorily attaching copies of all self-attested documents.