Home / Posts / ST Top Class scholarship: full fees plus Rs 3,000 a month, apply on NSP by 30 November

SCHOLARSHIP

ST Top Class scholarship: full fees plus Rs 3,000 a month, apply on NSP by 30 November

By AiCoN | Published 19 October 2026 | Sources checked 19 October 2026, deadlines re-checked 2 November 2026

The National Fellowship and Scholarship for Higher Education of ST Students - the scholarship component, earlier called Top Class Education for ST students - pays the full admission and tuition fees of Scheduled Tribe students studying at 252 premier institutes notified by the Ministry of Tribal Affairs, plus a Rs 3,000 monthly stipend, a yearly book grant and a one-time Rs 45,000 laptop grant. Applications for 2026-27 are open on the National Scholarship Portal and close on 30 November 2026.

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.

Good to knowThere is no fixed number of slots - every eligible ST student admitted on merit to a notified institute, and verified by the institute and the Ministry, receives the scholarship. But family income must be within Rs 6 lakh a year, management-quota seats in private institutes are not covered, and you cannot hold any other Central or State scholarship for the same course, including the Ministry's own Post-Matric Scholarship.

Who can apply

Scheduled Tribe students with an ST certificate issued by the designated authority of their State/UT
Admitted on merit to a graduate or postgraduate course at one of the 252 premier institutes notified by the Ministry of Tribal Affairs (the list is Annexure I of the scheme guidelines; it covers institutes in fields like engineering, medicine, management, law, humanities and social sciences)
Total family income up to Rs 6 lakh a year (gross income from all sources)
Not admitted through management quota in a private institute
Not receiving any other Central/State scholarship for the same study

What you get

Full admission fee, tuition fee and other non-refundable charges - paid in full at government institutes, and up to Rs 2.5 lakh a year at private institutes
Stipend: Rs 3,000 a month
Books and stationery: Rs 5,000 a year, no bills needed
Computer/laptop with accessories: Rs 45,000 one-time during the course, no bills needed
The scholarship continues till you finish the course, subject to satisfactory performance certified by your institute

How to apply: step by step

NSP homepage for Academic Year 2026-27 showing the Students entry point — Step 1 - Open the National Scholarship Portal (scholarships.gov.in) and tap Students. Applications for Academic Year 2026-27 are open.

Keep documents ready: ST certificate, income certificate (up to Rs 6 lakh), admission proof and fee details from your institute, mark lists, Aadhaar, and your own Aadhaar-linked bank account.
Complete One Time Registration (OTR) on NSP: Students, then Register. OTR needs an active mobile number and Aadhaar-based eKYC, and it is free.

NSP OTR registration page showing the Guidelines step of One Time Registration — Step 2 - The OTR registration flow on NSP. OTR is mandatory before you can apply to any scheme.

Log in on NSP with your OTR number and password, fill in your personal, academic and bank details, and choose "National Fellowship And Scholarship For Higher Education Of ST Students - Scholarship".

NSP schemes page showing the ST students scholarship scheme card with application dates — Step 3 - The scheme card on the NSP schemes page: student applications close 30 November 2026.

Upload the documents and submit. Note your application ID.
Your institute verifies on NSP by 15 December 2026; defective applications can be corrected and re-verified by the same date; nodal verification runs till 31 December 2026.

Watch: apply step by step

English: How to Generate OTR Number on NSP OTR App - Step by Step Guide - Buddy4Study, 2025. Walks through the mandatory OTR registration that comes before this application.
Malayalam: we could not find a reliable, current Malayalam video covering this scheme's 2026-27 application. The official pages below carry the full details.

These videos are by independent education channels, not the government - always cross-check details on the official pages linked below. Dates on the NSP scheme list (checked 2 November 2026): student applications close 30 November 2026; defective application verification and institute verification close 15 December 2026; nodal verification closes 31 December 2026. Benefits, the income limit and institute coverage are from the Ministry of Tribal Affairs guidelines published on NSP.

Sources: NSP scheme list, scheme guidelines (PDF), official FAQ (PDF), Ministry of Tribal Affairs Top Class page. Checked 19 October 2026. This is an AiCoN explainer, not a government publication.