Post-Matric Scholarship for Backward Classes - Uttarakhand

What is the Post-Matric Scholarship for Backward Classes?

The Post-Matric Scholarship for Backward Classes - Uttarakhand is a scholarship scheme run by the Department of Social Welfare, Government of Uttarakhand for students belonging to Other Backward Classes (OBC). "Post-matric" means the scholarship supports study after Class 10, that is, Class 11 and above, including intermediate, ITI, diploma, graduate, post-graduate and professional courses.

According to the Uttarakhand Social Welfare Department, the scholarship has two parts: a monthly maintenance allowance and reimbursement of compulsory fees such as admission and tuition. The maintenance allowance ranges from about Rs 160 a month for a Class 11–12 day scholar to Rs 750 a month for a hosteller in a professional degree course. The scheme is aligned with the centrally supported post-matric scholarship framework and is processed through the National Scholarship Portal.

The purpose is to reduce the dropout rate among OBC students at the post-matriculation stage by covering both living costs and course fees, so that a capable student from a backward-class family can continue in higher education.

Who is eligible for the Backward Classes post-matric scholarship?

You can apply if:

• You belong to an Other Backward Class recognised in Uttarakhand and hold a valid OBC caste certificate.
• You are a permanent resident of Uttarakhand.
• You are studying in Class 11 or above as a regular, institutional student in a recognised school, college or institution, in the state or outside it.
• Your family annual income from all sources does not exceed Rs 1,50,000.
• You have passed the previous examination and are not repeating the same class on scholarship.

You cannot apply if:

• You do not belong to an OBC category or cannot produce an OBC certificate.
• Your family income is above Rs 1,50,000 a year.
• You are not a resident of Uttarakhand.
• You study as a private, correspondence or distance-mode candidate rather than a regular institutional student.
• You already receive another scholarship for the same course in the same year.
• You were admitted through a management quota where such admissions are excluded.

How much is the scholarship worth?

The scholarship combines a maintenance allowance with fee reimbursement. Indicative monthly maintenance rates are:

On top of the maintenance allowance, the scheme reimburses compulsory admission and tuition fees charged by the institution. The District Social Welfare Officer transfers the sanctioned amount to a bank account held in the student's own name. Students admitted after the 20th of a month usually receive the allowance from the following month.

What documents are required?

How to apply for the Post-Matric Scholarship for Backward Classes

1. Register or log in on the National Scholarship Portal (NSP) at scholarships.gov.in during the open application window.
2. Select the Uttarakhand post-matric scholarship for OBC / Backward Classes and fill in your personal, academic and bank details.
3. Upload scanned copies of your OBC certificate, income certificate, domicile, previous marksheet, bonafide certificate, bank passbook and Aadhaar.
4. Submit the application and note the application ID.
5. Take the printout to your institution so the college can verify and forward it.
6. The District Social Welfare Officer sanctions the eligible amount, which is credited to your bank account.

Apply from your own account, keep your NSP login safe, and never pay an agent to "get your name added". The process is free.

How do I check my scholarship status?

Log in to the National Scholarship Portal with your application ID and track the stage: institute verification, district verification or disbursement. You can also enquire at your institution's scholarship cell and the District Social Welfare Office, which handle verification and payment respectively. If the status shows "defective" or "rejected at institute level", correct the flagged document and resubmit within the portal's correction window.

Common reasons for rejection and how to fix them

• Income above the limit, the OBC ceiling is Rs 1,50,000; an income certificate showing more will be rejected.
• Invalid or expired OBC certificate: renew the certificate from the competent authority before applying.
• Bank account not in the student's name — the account must belong to the applicant, not a parent.
• Institution did not verify. The college must verify the application on NSP; follow up with the scholarship cell.
• Duplicate scholarship, declaring or drawing another scholarship for the same course leads to rejection.

Fresh application versus renewal

The Post-Matric Scholarship for Backward Classes is not a one-time award, an eligible student can draw it year after year until the course ends, but it must be claimed afresh every academic year on the National Scholarship Portal. There are two application types:

• Fresh, a student applying for the first time, or for a new course, registers as a fresh applicant and completes full KYC on NSP.
• Renewal, a student who received the scholarship in the previous year applies under the renewal option, which carries forward most details and needs the latest marksheet and fee receipt.

Renewal is only possible if the student has passed the previous year and continues in the same or the next class of the same course. A student who fails or takes a gap loses the renewal claim for that year. Because both fresh and renewal windows run on NSP, mark the annual dates and keep your login and Aadhaar-linked mobile number active so a one-time password can be received during verification.

How the scholarship is disbursed

The scholarship is released after a two-stage verification: the institution verifies enrolment and fee details, and the District Social Welfare Officer verifies eligibility and sanctions the amount. The maintenance allowance and reimbursed fees are then transferred to a bank account in the student's own name, generally through Aadhaar-based payment. A frequent cause of delayed or failed payment is an account that is not Aadhaar-seeded or a name mismatch between Aadhaar and the bank record, so a student should confirm both before the window closes.

Key dates and grievance route

The National Scholarship Portal opens the post-matric window annually, typically closing around 30 September, followed by institute and district verification. Confirm the exact dates each year on scholarships.gov.in. For grievances, use the NSP grievance option, contact your institution's scholarship cell, or approach the District Social Welfare Office. The parent department is the Department of Social Welfare, Government of Uttarakhand (socialwelfare.uk.gov.in), which is the final escalation point for OBC post-matric scholarship complaints.