Pre-Matric Scholarship — SC/ST Students
About This Scholarship
The Pre-Matric Scholarship for SC/ST students is a flagship central government scheme designed to reduce the dropout rate among students from Scheduled Caste and Scheduled Tribe communities at the critical Class 9–10 transition stage. It provides a monthly maintenance allowance and a book grant to cover basic educational expenses so that economic hardship does not interrupt a student's schooling. The scheme is jointly administered by the Ministry of Social Justice & Empowerment (for SC students) and the Ministry of Tribal Affairs (for ST students), ensuring dedicated oversight for both communities.
Eligibility Criteria
- Student must belong to a Scheduled Caste or Scheduled Tribe as certified by a competent authority
- Currently enrolled in Class 9 or Class 10 at a recognised school
- Annual family income must not exceed ₹2.5 lakh from all sources
- Must not be availing any other central or state pre-matric scholarship simultaneously
- Day scholars and hostellers are both eligible; hostellers receive a higher maintenance allowance
How Much You Get
This scheme provides Up to ₹750/month to eligible students. Income must not exceed ₹2.5 lakh/year from all sources, as certified by a competent authority. Scholarship money is disbursed directly to your Aadhaar-linked bank account via PFMS — no institution or intermediary handles the funds.
Amounts may vary between day scholars and hostellers in schemes that have both categories. Always check the official scheme guidelines on scholarships.gov.in for the current year's amount structure, as rates are subject to periodic revision by the government.
Documents Required
- Caste certificate issued by a Tehsildar or equivalent authority
- Income certificate from a competent authority (not older than one year)
- Current year school enrolment / bonafide certificate
- Previous year marksheet (Class 8 or 9)
- Aadhaar card (mandatory for DBT)
- Bank account passbook (student's account linked to Aadhaar)
All documents must be uploaded in the format specified by NSP (usually JPG or PDF, under 200KB per file). Ensure scans are clear and legible — blurry uploads are a common cause of application defects.
Get your caste certificate and income certificate renewed at the same time — both are needed and both expire. Use the same bank account every renewal year; changing it mid-cycle causes payment delays because DBT re-verification takes extra time.