Prime Minister's Scholarship Scheme Documents Required: Complete Checklist

What documents do you need for the PMSS scholarship?

The Prime Minister's Scholarship Scheme (PMSS) needs eight core documents, every one scanned from the original and uploaded on online.ksb.gov.in: three signed annexures (ESM certificate, bonafide certificate, bank Aadhaar-seeding certificate), your matriculation certificate, the Minimum Educational Qualification (MEQ) marksheet, the first page of your bank passbook, your Aadhaar, and category proof. This checklist goes deeper than the parent guide on the Prime Minister's Scholarship Scheme; what each paper proves, the format and size rules, and the mistakes that get files rejected. The one-line reminder: PMSS is a Kendriya Sainik Board scholarship for wards and widows of ex-servicemen, and it is online-only.

The complete PMSS document checklist

#	Document	What it proves	Signed by
1	ESM / Ex-Coast Guard certificate (Annexure-1)	The applicant is a dependant of an ex-serviceman	Zila Sainik Board or Coast Guard HQ
2	Bonafide certificate (Annexure-2)	Current first-year admission in an eligible course	VC, Principal, Dean, Registrar or Director
3	Bank Aadhaar-seeding certificate (Annexure-3)	Aadhaar is linked to the account for e-transfer	The bank branch
4	Matriculation certificate	Date of birth	Board / school
5	MEQ marksheet	60% eligibility mark	Board / university
6	Bank passbook first page	Name, account number, IFSC	Bank (printed)
7	Aadhaar card	Identity, and the account it is seeded to	UIDAI
8	Category proof (PPO / POR / award certificate)	The priority category claimed	As applicable

Format and size rules that actually cause rejections

The Kendriya Sainik Board upload portal accepts documents as PDF, JPEG, JPG or PNG, with a size limit of about 5 MB per file, and file names limited to letters, numbers, dashes and underscores; no special characters. Beyond that, three format rules trip up most applicants:

1. Scanned originals only. The KSB brochure is explicit that photocopies or attested copies instead of scanned originals lead to rejection. Scan the ink-signed original of each annexure.
2. Printed passbook page. A handwritten passbook first page is not accepted. The scan must clearly show the student's name, account number and IFSC; SBI or PNB accounts are preferred.
3. CGPA needs the conversion formula. If the MEQ marksheet shows CGPA or grade points instead of a percentage, upload the university's official conversion formula alongside it, or the 60% check cannot be verified.

What each annexure has to contain

• Annexure-1 (ESM certificate) must be signed by your Zila Sainik Board, or, for Coast Guard families, by Coast Guard Headquarters. All children of the ex-serviceman should be listed so the two-ward cap can be checked; a ward born after retirement needs the ex-serviceman's self-certified affidavit.
• Annexure-2 (bonafide certificate) must be on the institution's letterhead and signed by an authorised signatory, Vice Chancellor, Principal, Vice Principal, Dean, Associate Dean, Registrar, Deputy Registrar, Director or Deputy Director. A clerk's signature is not accepted.
• Annexure-3 (bank certificate) must have the bank certify in writing that the student's Aadhaar is seeded to the specific account number quoted in the application. Aadhaar merely being linked to some other account is not enough — the scholarship is credited to the seeded account.

Category proof, the part most people get wrong

Category proof depends on the ex-serviceman's PMSS priority category:

• Category 6 (PBOR): PPO or the ESM identity card.
• Categories 1 to 4: the Part II Order, Gen Form or POR, together with the PPO.
• Category 5 (gallantry award): the award certificate with the Gazette notification. The certificate alone is incomplete and is a documented rejection reason.

Common document mistakes to avoid

• Uploading attested photocopies instead of scanned originals.
• A passbook page that is handwritten, blurred, or does not show the IFSC.
• MEQ percentage calculated on best subjects rather than all subjects appeared in, the 60% must be on all subjects including optional ones.
• Aadhaar not actually seeded to the quoted account, which stops the transfer even after selection.
• A gallantry-award certificate submitted without the Gazette notification.
• Documents over 5 MB or in a rejected file type, which fail to upload.

FAQ

Do I need to send hard copies by post? No. PMSS is online-only on online.ksb.gov.in; the Kendriya Sainik Board does not entertain paper applications.

What if a document is larger than 5 MB? Re-scan at a lower resolution or compress it to a PDF under the limit before uploading; keep the scan legible so it is not rejected as unclear.

Which documents are needed again at renewal? Renewal (the Payment-cum-Renewal Form) needs a fresh bonafide certificate, both semester marksheets of the completed year, and the passbook first page: see the parent guide for the renewal window.

Prepare all eight documents before you start the form, because the portal times out and an incomplete upload counts against the 30 November brochure deadline. Applying for PMSS is free and no agent is required.