Top Class Education in College for OBC, EBC and DNT Students

What is Top Class Education in College for OBC, EBC and DNT Students?

Top Class Education in College for OBC, EBC and DNT Students is a Central Sector scholarship of the Department of Social Justice and Empowerment, Ministry of Social Justice and Empowerment. The scheme is one of the components of PM-YASASVI, the ministry's umbrella scholarship programme for Other Backward Classes, Economically Backward Classes and De-notified, Nomadic and Semi-Nomadic Tribes.

The purpose is specific: to remove cost as the reason a student from these communities turns down a place at a premier institution. According to the Department of Social Justice and Empowerment, the scheme meets tuition fees and non-refundable charges in full at notified government institutions, and adds a living allowance, a books grant and a computer grant on top.

Top Class Education in College works only at notified institutions; IITs, IIMs, NITs, IIITs, AIIMS, National Law Universities, NIFTs, NIDs and others on the ministry's list. It is not a general college scholarship. Students of the same communities studying elsewhere are covered by the broader Post Matric Scholarship for OBC, EBC and DNT Students, which has a higher income limit and far larger coverage.

Main features

• Central Sector scheme, funded fully by the Government of India.
• Component of PM-YASASVI.
• Income ceiling of Rs 2.5 lakh a year. The tightest of the ministry's scholarship schemes.
• 30% of slots earmarked for female candidates.
• All heads paid by DBT into the student's own account.

Who is eligible for Top Class Education in College for OBC, EBC and DNT students?

You can apply if:

• You are an Indian national belonging to the OBC, EBC or DNT category, with a certificate from a competent state authority.
• Total annual income of your parents or guardian from all sources is up to Rs 2,50,000.
• You have passed Class 12 and secured admission to a full-time course in a notified institution, through that institution's normal selection process.
• You hold a bank account in your own name for DBT.

You cannot apply if:

• Your family income exceeds Rs 2.5 lakh a year.
• Your institution is not on the notified list. Admission to a strong but unnotified college does not qualify, however competitive the entrance.
• Two siblings from your family are already receiving this scholarship, the scheme allows a maximum of two per family.
• You are enrolled in a part-time, distance or correspondence course.
• You belong to a Scheduled Caste or Scheduled Tribe. Those students apply under the corresponding SC and ST schemes, not this one.
• You have failed to progress to the next semester or year, which ends an existing award and blocks renewal.

Scheduled Caste students should read the Central Sector Scholarship of Top Class Education for SC Students instead; Scheduled Tribe students are covered by the National Fellowship and Scholarship for Higher Education of ST Students.

What documents are required?

How to apply for Top Class Education in College for OBC, EBC and DNT students

1. Open the National Scholarship Portal at scholarships.gov.in and register as a fresh applicant with your mobile number and Aadhaar details.
2. Complete Aadhaar-based e-KYC — the application form is released only after identity verification succeeds.
3. Choose the Ministry of Social Justice and Empowerment scholarship list and select PM-YASASVI Top Class Education in College for OBC, EBC and DNT Students.
4. Enter your category, income, institution and course details exactly as they appear on your certificates and admission letter.
5. Upload the caste certificate, income certificate, admission proof, fee receipt, Class 12 marksheet, Aadhaar and bank passbook.
6. Submit the form, note the application ID, and ask your institution's nodal officer to complete institute-level verification.
7. Track the status on the portal, and correct the form within the defective-application window if it is returned.

For the 2026-27 cycle the National Scholarship Portal lists 31 October 2026 as the closing date for fresh applications. Verify on the portal before relying on this date.

How much benefit does the scheme provide?

According to the Department of Social Justice and Empowerment, a selected student receives:

• Tuition fees and non-refundable charges, paid in full at a notified government institution; capped at Rs 2,00,000 a year at a notified private institution and at Rs 3,72,000 a year for notified commercial pilot training courses.
• Living allowance of Rs 3,000 a month.
• Rs 5,000 a year for books and stationery.
• One-time computer or laptop assistance of up to Rs 45,000.

Every head is paid by Direct Benefit Transfer, so the amounts reach the student's account rather than the institution's.

The scholarship continues until the course is completed, subject to satisfactory academic performance and an annual renewal application on the portal.

How to check your application status

1. Log in to scholarships.gov.in with your NSP application ID.
2. Open Check Your Status on the applicant dashboard.
3. Read the stage shown, Applied, Verified by Institute, Verified by Ministry or Defective.
4. If the status stays at Applied near the deadline, contact the institution's nodal officer, since the form cannot move without institutional verification.

Common reasons applications are rejected

• Institution is not on the notified list for the scheme year.
• Income certificate is stale or does not state the figure clearly.
• EBC or DNT certificate replaced by a generic OBC certificate, which the verifying officer will not accept for those categories.
• Institution verification not completed before the portal closes.
• Bank account not in the student's name or not Aadhaar-seeded.
• Two siblings already benefiting from the scheme.

Help and grievance redressal

• National Scholarship Portal helpdesk: 0120-6619540
• Institution nodal officer, for verification delays, the quickest route
• Department of Social Justice and Empowerment scheme pages at socialjustice.gov.in for the current year's guidelines and notified list

There is no application fee, and no agent can obtain this scholarship for a student.