PM-USP Special Scholarship for J&K and Ladakh: renew on NSP by 30 November
Renewal applications for the Special Scholarship Scheme for the students of Jammu & Kashmir and Ladakh (SSS J&K and Ladakh, under PM-USP) are open on the National Scholarship Portal. The portal shows the window opened on 22 October and student applications close on 30 November 2026. If your family already receives this scholarship, renew before the deadline to keep the fee support and the Rs 1 lakh yearly maintenance allowance.
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.
What is it?
SSS J&K and Ladakh is a central scheme run by AICTE for the Ministry of Education, running since 2011. It supports students domiciled in the Union Territories of Jammu & Kashmir and Ladakh who pass Class 12 from JKBOSE or CBSE schools located in the UTs and take up degree seats outside the UTs through AICTE counselling, on supernumerary seats. Family income must be up to Rs 8 lakh a year. There are 5,000 fresh scholarships each year: 2,070 for general degree courses, 2,830 for professional courses such as engineering, B.Sc Nursing, B.Pharm, B.Arch, hotel management and BA LLB, and 100 for medical and BDS.
How much does it pay?
From the official scheme specifications on NSP:
- Academic fee, paid to the institution: up to Rs 30,000 a year for general degree courses, up to Rs 1.25 lakh a year for professional courses, and up to Rs 3 lakh a year for medical and BDS.
- Maintenance allowance, the same for every stream: a fixed Rs 1.00 lakh a year, paid directly to the student in ten instalments by DBT through PFMS.
Renewal rules
From the official scheme specifications: the scholarship is renewed in later years subject to good conduct and the attendance prescribed by your institution. If you fail and are not promoted, the scholarship can continue in the following year, but a second failure ends it. If you miss the annual exam because of illness or another unforeseen reason, it can be renewed on a medical certificate accepted by the head of your institution. The scholarship is not paid twice for the same year of study.
Renewal deadline: 30 November 2026
Checked on the live National Scholarship Portal on 24 October 2026. The NSP homepage announcement says renewal applications for this scheme (together with PM-USP CSSS) are currently open, with student applications closing 30 November 2026, institute verification closing 15 December 2026 and L2 verification closing 31 December 2026. The scheme's own entry under All Scholarships shows the window opened 22 October 2026, with the same closing dates and defective-application verification until 15 December 2026. Do not confuse the student submission date with the later verification dates. No personal account was accessed.
How to renew on NSP: step by step
Checked on the live National Scholarship Portal on 24 October 2026.
- Open scholarships.gov.in (Academic Year 2026-27 is live) and log in with your OTR ID. If you have never registered, complete One Time Registration first from the Students section: register your mobile number, then finish eKYC with the NSP OTR app and Aadhaar face authentication. Registration is free.
- In your dashboard, open the Renewal application for Academic Year 2026-27.
- Choose the PM USP Special Scholarship Scheme for Jammu Kashmir and Ladakh.
- Fill the form and upload the documents it lists.
- Submit before 30 November 2026. Track the application in the same dashboard; institute and district/state verification happen after you submit.
Steps inside your own NSP login are not shown as screenshots. Generating an OTR alone is not an application - you must still log in and submit the renewal.
Fresh applicants
The current NSP window is described by the portal as renewal applications. Admission-year applications for this scheme happen earlier through AICTE counselling for the supernumerary seats; check the scheme entry on NSP and the AICTE J&K scholarship pages when the next admission round opens.
Video guides
We searched YouTube on 24 October 2026 for a step-by-step renewal 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. |
|---|---|
| Amounts | Fee up to Rs 30,000 / Rs 1.25 lakh / Rs 3 lakh a year by stream, plus a fixed Rs 1.00 lakh a year maintenance allowance. |
| Who | Existing scholars: J&K or Ladakh domicile students admitted under the scheme's supernumerary seats outside the UTs. |
| Renewal conditions | Good conduct, prescribed attendance, promotion to the next class; a second failure ends the scholarship. |
Stay safe
- Apply only on scholarships.gov.in.
- Never pay an agent.
Frequently asked questions
What is the renewal deadline?
30 November 2026 for student submission, per the live NSP pages checked on 24 October 2026. Later dates are verification deadlines.
How much is the scholarship?
Academic fee up to Rs 30,000 a year (general degree), Rs 1.25 lakh (professional courses) or Rs 3 lakh (medical/BDS), paid to the institution, plus a fixed Rs 1.00 lakh a year maintenance allowance paid to you.
I failed this year. Do I lose the scholarship?
Not immediately. The specifications allow the scholarship in the following year after one failure, but a second failure ends it.
Can I apply fresh now?
The portal describes the current window as renewal. Fresh applications happen with the admission-year AICTE counselling round.
Sources: National Scholarship Portal, NSP All Scholarships (dates), SSS J&K and Ladakh scheme specifications. Checked 24 October 2026.