Post-Matric Scholarship for ST Students Documents Required: Complete Checklist

The Post-Matric Scholarship for ST Students requires six mandatory documents, a Scheduled Tribe certificate, an income certificate, the previous-year mark sheet, the institution bonafide certificate and fee receipt, Aadhaar, and a bank passbook — plus two conditional ones. This checklist for the Post-Matric Scholarship for ST Students, run by the Ministry of Tribal Affairs through state governments, explains what each document proves, the mistakes that get it rejected, and how to prepare the scanned copies. The scheme's eligibility and benefit figures are in the parent guide.

Mandatory documents

1. Scheduled Tribe certificate. Proves you belong to a tribe notified as Scheduled for your state. Issued by the competent revenue authority in the applicant's state, in the student's own name.

• Common mistake: certificate in a parent's name, or for a tribe not notified in your state.

2. Income certificate. Proves parental or guardian income from all sources does not exceed Rs 2.50 lakh a year. For courses running more than one year, it is required once at admission.

• Common mistake: an expired certificate, or one from an authority the state does not accept. Remember only a living parent's income is counted; the guardian's income applies only if both parents have died.

3. Previous-year mark sheet. For first-time applicants this is the Class X mark sheet; for renewals it is the latest examination result.

• Common mistake: uploading a provisional result, or a mark sheet showing a fail (renewal is conditional on progress through the course).

4. Institution bonafide certificate and fee receipt. Establishes the course, the compulsory non-refundable fees charged, and whether you are a hosteller or day scholar.

• Common mistake: a receipt that does not itemise the compulsory non-refundable fees the state will reimburse.

5. Aadhaar card. Required for DBT; the Aadhaar must be seeded with the bank account.

• Common mistake: Aadhaar not linked to an active mobile number, blocking OTP verification.

6. Bank account passbook. The scholarship is paid directly to the student's Aadhaar-seeded account, routed through PFMS.

• Common mistake: an account in a parent's name, or Aadhaar-linked but not NPCI-mapped for DBT.

Conditional documents

7. Hostel certificate (if claiming the hosteller rate). Needed to claim the higher hosteller maintenance allowance rather than the day-scholar rate. Note that a residence approved by the head of the institution, shared by at least five students with common mess arrangements, is treated as a hostel.

8. Disability certificate (if applicable). Required only for the additional reader, escort, transport and coaching allowances for students with disabilities.

Document checklist at a glance

#	Document	Mandatory	Proves
1	Scheduled Tribe certificate	Yes	ST status
2	Income certificate	Yes	Income within Rs 2.50 lakh
3	Previous-year mark sheet	Yes	Passed preceding exam
4	Bonafide certificate + fee receipt	Yes	Course, fees, hosteller status
5	Aadhaar card	Yes	Identity and DBT seeding
6	Bank passbook	Yes	Student's own DBT account
7	Hostel certificate	If hosteller	Higher maintenance rate
8	Disability certificate	If applicable	Extra disability allowances

Format and scanning rules

Uploads must meet the portal's file-type and size limits, and illegible or oversized scans are rejected at verification. To avoid a defect:

1. Scan each document as a clear, upright PDF or JPEG within the size limit shown.
2. Ensure the issuing authority's seal and signature are legible.
3. Name each file to match its upload field.
4. Compress large files rather than cropping out the seal or signature.

Common preparation mistakes to avoid

• Names differing across Aadhaar, the ST certificate, the bank account and the mark sheet: make them identical before applying.
• A bank account not correctly Aadhaar-seeded, so PFMS cannot credit the DBT.
• Skipping the hostel certificate and being paid at the lower day-scholar rate.
• An income certificate that will expire before verification completes.

FAQ

Do I need a fresh income certificate every year? For multi-year courses it is required once at admission; confirm your state's renewal rule.

Which documents are needed only for renewal? The latest examination mark sheet and bonafide certificate; the ST certificate and Aadhaar carry forward.

Where do I get the ST and income certificates? From your state's competent revenue authority or e-district service. Applying for the scholarship is free.