PM-USP Central Sector Scheme of Scholarship for College and University Students (CSSS)

What is PM-USP CSSS?

PM-USP Central Sector Scheme of Scholarship for College and University Students (CSSS) is a scholarship of the Department of Higher Education, Ministry of Education, for meritorious students from lower-income families who are pursuing regular degree courses. The scheme was renamed under the Pradhan Mantri Uchchatar Shiksha Protsahan (PM-USP) umbrella, and older notifications still refer to it simply as the Central Sector Scholarship Scheme.

PM-USP CSSS pays Rs 12,000 per year at graduation level for the first three years of a college or university course and Rs 20,000 per year at post-graduation level. Students in professional and technical courses such as B.Tech or B.E. continue on the same scholarship, Rs 12,000 a year for the first three years and Rs 20,000 a year from the 4th year.

About 82,000 fresh scholarships are awarded every year, with 50% earmarked for girl students and the remaining allocation split state-wise and stream-wise across science, commerce and humanities.

Key objectives

• Give financial support to meritorious students so that a family's income does not decide whether a good Class 12 result turns into a degree.
• Meet part of the day-to-day cost of higher education, fees, books and living expenses.
• Widen participation in higher education across streams, states and genders.

Main features

• Merit route based on the 80th percentile of the Class 12 board and stream.
• Family income ceiling of Rs 4.5 lakh per year.
• Paid by Direct Benefit Transfer into the student's Aadhaar-seeded account.
• Renewable each year subject to marks and attendance conditions.
• Applied for only online, on scholarships.gov.in.

Who is eligible for PM-USP CSSS?

You can apply if:

• You are above the 80th percentile of successful candidates in your own board and stream in the Class 12 examination.
• Your gross family income does not exceed Rs 4.5 lakh a year.
• You are enrolled in a regular, full-time degree course at a recognised college or university.
• You are not already drawing another merit-based central scholarship for the same course.
• You have a One Time Registration (OTR) number on the National Scholarship Portal and an Aadhaar-seeded bank account.

You cannot apply if:

• You are in a correspondence, distance-learning or open-schooling mode programme.
• You are pursuing a diploma course rather than a degree.
• You are below the 80th percentile in your board and stream, even if your absolute percentage looks high, the cut-off is relative to your own board.
• Your family income exceeds Rs 4.5 lakh a year.
• You are already receiving another merit-based central government scholarship; the National Scholarship Portal permits one merit-based scholarship at a time, alongside welfare-based ones.

The percentile rule is the single biggest source of confusion. Being above the 80th percentile means being in the top 20% of successful candidates in your board and stream, not scoring 80% marks. Boards publish the cut-off mark each year, and it varies widely between boards.

What documents are required for PM-USP CSSS?

How to apply for PM-USP CSSS online

1. Open the National Scholarship Portal at scholarships.gov.in and complete One Time Registration (OTR) using your Aadhaar number or Aadhaar Enrolment ID, including the face authentication step.
2. Note the 14-digit OTR number issued to you. It stays valid throughout your academic career and replaces yearly re-registration.
3. Log in with the OTR number and select Ministry of Education, then the PM-USP Central Sector Scheme of Scholarship for College and University Students.
4. Enter your Class 12 board, roll number and marks, your course and college details, family income and bank account details.
5. Upload the Class 12 marksheet, income certificate, bonafide or admission certificate and bank passbook.
6. Preview the application, check that every entry matches your documents, then submit and save the application ID.
7. Ask your college nodal officer to verify your application on the portal. An application not verified by the institute before the window closes is rejected regardless of merit.
8. Track the status under your OTR login until it shows sanctioned, then check the credit in your bank account.

How to renew PM-USP CSSS each year

1. Log in at scholarships.gov.in with the same OTR number during the renewal window. The National Scholarship Portal typically opens fresh and renewal applications together and sets the closing date at 31 October, though the Ministry of Education often extends it by a few weeks: check the portal for the exact deadline of the current cycle rather than assuming last year's date.
2. Select Renewal and upload your latest annual examination marksheet showing at least 50% marks.
3. Submit the attendance certificate from your college confirming at least 75% attendance.
4. Get the college to verify the renewal on the portal before the window closes.

How much benefit does PM-USP CSSS provide?

PM-USP CSSS pays Rs 12,000 per year at graduation level for the first three years of the course and Rs 20,000 per year at post-graduation level. A student in a five-year professional or technical course draws Rs 12,000 a year for the first three years and Rs 20,000 a year in the 4th and 5th year.

Money is credited directly to the student's Aadhaar-seeded bank account through Direct Benefit Transfer. There is no cash component and no payment routed through the college.

PM-USP CSSS is a merit-cum-means scholarship meant to meet part of a student's day-to-day cost of study, books, stationery, travel and living expenses — rather than to reimburse tuition fees. It is paid over and above any fee concession the student may already receive, so a student in a low-fee government college still draws the full annual amount. The scholarship covers recognised degree courses across science, commerce and humanities streams, and professional and technical programmes such as medicine and engineering, provided the course is regular and full-time. A student may hold only one merit-based central government scholarship at a time, so PM-USP CSSS cannot be combined with another central merit scholarship for the same course, though welfare-based scholarships such as post-matric scholarships for reserved categories can run alongside it.

How to check your PM-USP CSSS status

1. Log in at scholarships.gov.in with your OTR number.
2. Open Check Your Status on the dashboard.
3. Read the stage shown: pending at institute, verified, pending at ministry, or sanctioned.
4. For a sanctioned scholarship that has not been credited, track the payment on the PFMS portal.

Common reasons PM-USP CSSS applications are rejected

• Institute verification missed, the application never leaves the college.
• Percentile not met. The Class 12 marks fall below the board and stream cut-off.
• Course not eligible, distance mode or a diploma programme.
• Income certificate above Rs 4.5 lakh or issued by a non-competent authority.
• Bank account not Aadhaar-seeded, so DBT bounces.
• Renewal conditions not met: below 50% marks or below 75% attendance.

Help and grievance redressal

• National Scholarship Portal helpdesk: 0120-6619540, 8:00 AM to 8:00 PM on all days except government holidays.
• NSP helpdesk email: helpdesk@nsp.gov.in
• PFMS payment helpline: toll free 1800 118 111.
• Assisted filing: Common Service Centres offer scholarship services at the notified charge of Rs 30 per application.

Applying for PM-USP CSSS is free on scholarships.gov.in. No agent can get a scholarship sanctioned for a fee, and no official will ask for your OTP.