PM-USP CSSS scholarship: who gets Rs 12,000 a year and how to renew
PM-USP CSSS is a central scholarship for college and university students with high Class 12 marks and limited family income. Renewal for 2026-27 is on NSP. The two current NSP pages do not agree on the dates (checked 4 November 2026): the student page at scholarships.gov.in/Students shows 31 October for student applications, while the scheme entry on All Scholarships shows 30 November. Check your own NSP dashboard and read the submission and verification dates separately.
Scoped update: 2 November 2026. The live NSP scheme list now shows this scheme with student applications till 30 November 2026, defective application and institute verification till 15 December 2026 and nodal verification till 31 December 2026. Our earlier version said 31 October, 15 November and 30 November. Original publication date unchanged.
Scoped update: 4 November 2026. The two public NSP pages differ. The scholarships.gov.in/Students page still shows 31 October (student applications), 15 November (institute verification) and 30 November (nodal verification). The All Scholarships scheme entry shows 30 November, 15 December and 31 December. We cannot tell which is final; the earlier 2 November note above covers the scheme entry only.
Official publisher artwork, cropped by AiCoN to omit the national emblem. Original: https://scholarships.gov.in/. Independent guide, not affiliated or sponsored.
What is it?
The PM-USP Central Sector Scheme of Scholarship for College and University Students (CSSS) is a merit-cum-means scholarship of the Department of Higher Education. You apply on the National Scholarship Portal (NSP), scholarships.gov.in.
Who can get it? (fresh applicants)
From the official guidelines and FAQ:
- You are above the 80th percentile of successful candidates in your stream from your Class 12 board.
- You study a regular degree course. Correspondence or distance mode is not allowed.
- Your college is recognised by AICTE or the regulator for your course.
- Family income is up to Rs 4.5 lakh a year. An income certificate is needed only for fresh applicants.
- The CSSS guidelines and FAQ say no other scholarship, fee waiver or reimbursement. NSP separately announces merit plus welfare combinations subject to scheme eligibility; do not assume that portal-wide statement overrides CSSS-specific restrictions.
How much?
From the guidelines: Rs 12,000 a year at graduation level for the first three years, and Rs 20,000 a year at post-graduation level. For technical courses such as B.Tech, the scholarship is up to graduation level only: Rs 12,000 a year for the first three years, and Rs 20,000 in the fourth year.
Renewal rules
To renew in each year of study you need at least 50 percent marks in the annual exam. The official guidelines and FAQ set attendance of at least 75 percent.
Renewal deadline: sources differ (31 October or 30 November 2026)
Checked on 2 November 2026: the exact PM-USP CSSS renewal entry on All Scholarships shows student applications until 30 November 2026, institute/defective verification until 15 December and L2 verification until 31 December. Update 4 November 2026: the scholarships.gov.in/Students page still shows 31 October, 15 November and 30 November, so the two sources disagree. We cannot confirm which is final. The earlier 30 September versus 31 October discrepancy noted on 7 October is no longer present on the All Scholarships entry. Do not confuse submission with later verification dates. No personal account was accessed.
How to apply on NSP: step by step
Checked on the live National Scholarship Portal on 19 October 2026. NSP now uses One Time Registration (OTR) - do this first if you have never registered.
- Open scholarships.gov.in (Academic Year 2026-27 is live), click Students → Apply now, then Register. Registration is free - no fee is required.
- Read the OTR guidelines, tick the consent boxes and click Next. Register your active mobile number and verify it with the OTP; a reference number is sent to your mobile.
- Complete eKYC: install the NSP OTR app and the Aadhaar Face RD app on an Android phone and do face authentication with the reference number. Your OTR ID is then generated. Aadhaar is required; a minor without Aadhaar can register with a parent's or legal guardian's Aadhaar.
- Log in on NSP with your OTR ID, open the Renewal application for Academic Year 2026-27 and choose the PM-USP Central Sector Scheme of Scholarship (CSSS). (Fresh applicants choose Fresh Application instead.)
- Fill the application form and upload the documents it lists.
- Submit as early as you can: one NSP page shows 31 October and another 30 November, so do not wait for the later date. Track the application in the same dashboard; institute and district/state verification happen after you submit.
Steps 4-6 happen inside your own NSP login, so they are not shown as screenshots. Generating an OTR alone is not an application - you must still log in and submit the scholarship application.
Video guides
We searched YouTube on 19 October 2026 for a step-by-step application video for this scheme on the current NSP OTR portal in English and in Malayalam. The videos we found cover older portal versions or could not be verified to match the current portal, so we are not linking any rather than risk outdated or unrelated instructions.
Cost, eligibility and limits
| Cost to apply | Free. |
|---|---|
| Rate | Rs 12,000 a year (graduation), Rs 20,000 a year (post-graduation), per the guidelines. |
| Who | Class 12 toppers above the 80th percentile, family income up to Rs 4.5 lakh. |
| Limits | Scholarships are allotted to state boards by quota. Not every eligible student gets one. |
Stay safe
- Apply only on scholarships.gov.in.
- Never pay an agent.
Frequently asked questions
What is the income limit?
Rs 4.5 lakh a year, from the guidelines.
How much is the scholarship?
Rs 12,000 a year at graduation level and Rs 20,000 at post-graduation level.
What is the renewal deadline?
The sources disagree (checked 4 November 2026). The All Scholarships scheme entry shows 30 November 2026 for student renewal submission; the scholarships.gov.in/Students page still shows 31 October. Confirm in your NSP dashboard. Later dates are verification deadlines.
Can I get it with another scholarship?
The checked CSSS guidelines prohibit another scholarship or fee reimbursement. NSP also has a broader merit/welfare announcement subject to scheme eligibility. Resolve any proposed combination with the scheme authority before relying on it.
I study B.Tech. What do I get?
Rs 12,000 a year for the first three years and Rs 20,000 in the fourth year.
Sources: National Scholarship Portal, NSP All Scholarships (dates), CSSS guidelines, CSSS FAQ. Checked 6 October 2026; application steps and video search re-checked 19 October 2026.