SHRESHTA - Scheme for Residential Education for Students in High Schools in Targeted Areas

What is SHRESHTA?

SHRESHTA, the Scheme for Residential Education for Students in High Schools in Targeted Areas: is a scheme of the Ministry of Social Justice and Empowerment that buys places for meritorious Scheduled Caste students in reputed private residential schools. According to the department's scheme page, the objective is to "improve educational and socioeconomic conditions" of Scheduled Castes by filling the gap in service-deficient SC-dominant areas through residential high schools offering high quality education.

SHRESHTA is not a cash scholarship. The Ministry pays a selected student's school fee and hostel fee directly to the school, so the family's out-of-pocket cost for a top private boarding school falls to near zero. About 3,000 students are selected every year, in Class 9 and Class 11 only.

Main features

• Admission into Class 9 and Class 11 at CBSE-affiliated private residential schools.
• Roughly 3,000 seats a year, allotted through centralised counselling.
• Selection through NETS, the National Entrance Test for SHRESHTA, conducted by the National Testing Agency.
• Funding continues through to Class 12.
• Delivered in two modes; through SHRESHTA CBSE schools and through residential schools run by voluntary organisations and NGOs with grant-in-aid from the Ministry.

Who is eligible for SHRESHTA?

You are eligible if:

• You belong to a Scheduled Caste, with a certificate in your own name from the competent authority in your state.
• Your parents' annual income does not exceed Rs 2,50,000.
• You are currently studying in Class 8 (for Class 9 admission) or Class 10 (for Class 11 admission) in a recognised school.
• You register for and sit the NETS examination in the announced window.

You cannot apply if:

• You are not a Scheduled Caste student. There is no SHRESHTA route for Scheduled Tribe, OBC or general category students.
• Your parents' income exceeds Rs 2.5 lakh a year.
• You are in a class other than Class 8 or Class 10; there is no lateral entry into Class 10 or Class 12.
• You do not appear for NETS, or you do not report at the allotted school within the counselling deadline.

Selection is made on merit, combining the marks obtained in Class 8 or Class 10, the parents' income and performance in the NETS entrance test.

What documents are required for SHRESHTA?

How to apply for SHRESHTA admission

1. Watch for the NETS notification from the National Testing Agency, usually released several months before the academic session. Registration for the 2026 cycle ran in October 2025 with the examination on 21 December 2025.
2. Register online on the NTA SHRESHTA portal at exams.nta.nic.in/shreshta with the student's details, category and parental income.
3. Upload the photograph, signature and the documents specified in the information bulletin, and submit the application within the window. Use the correction window if you need to fix an entry.
4. Download the admit card and appear for the NETS examination — a three-hour objective paper of 100 questions covering mathematics, science, social science and general awareness or mental ability.
5. Check the result and scorecard published by NTA, which states whether you have qualified for counselling.
6. Log in to the SHRESHTA admissions portal at shreshta.admissions.nic.in and complete choice filling: list the residential schools you want, in order of preference.
7. Check the seat allotment result, accept the allotted school and pay any non-covered charges the school specifies.
8. Report at the allotted school with the original documents and transfer certificate, and attend the bridge course the school runs for new SHRESHTA entrants.

How much does SHRESHTA cover?

The Ministry of Social Justice and Empowerment meets the school fee, tuition, hostel and mess charges of a selected student, subject to an annual ceiling that rises with the class:

A student admitted in Class 9 who completes Class 12 therefore draws support worth up to Rs 4.7 lakh across four years. A student admitted in Class 11 draws up to Rs 2.6 lakh across two years.

The amounts are paid to the school against the student's enrolment, not to the family. Costs above the ceiling, and personal expenses such as uniforms beyond the school's standard issue, are not automatically covered, ask the allotted school for its written list of non-covered charges before accepting the seat.

How to check your SHRESHTA result and allotment

1. Open exams.nta.nic.in/shreshta and download the NETS scorecard using your application number and date of birth.
2. Move to shreshta.admissions.nic.in for the counselling stage; choice filling, allotment result and reporting status all appear there.
3. If your allotment is not confirmed after reporting, contact the allotted school and the Ministry's SHRESHTA cell through the NTA contact page rather than an intermediary.

Help and grievance redressal

• NTA SHRESHTA contact page: exams.nta.nic.in/shreshta-contact-us
• SHRESHTA admissions portal: shreshta.admissions.nic.in
• Ministry of Social Justice and Empowerment scheme page: socialjustice.gov.in/schemes/41

The Ministry does not publish a single toll-free SHRESHTA helpline, so use the NTA contact page for exam and result queries and the admissions portal for counselling queries. Registration and selection are free of charge; no school, agent or consultant can arrange a SHRESHTA seat outside the NETS merit list.