Mukhyamantri Uchcha Shiksha Protsahan Chhatravriti Yojana (CM Higher Education Scholarship)

What is the Uchcha Shiksha Protsahan Chhatravriti Yojana?

Mukhyamantri Uchcha Shiksha Protsahan Chhatravriti Yojana; also called the Chief Minister Higher Education Scholarship Scheme or, on the state's Samarth system, CMHEISS, is a merit scholarship run by the Department of Higher Education, Uttarakhand. According to the department, the scheme rewards the best-performing students in government colleges and universities with monthly scholarships and, for overall toppers, one-time lump-sum awards, to encourage students to stay in higher education within the state.

The scheme applies from the 2023-24 academic session onward. It is a merit-only scheme: it does not aim to cover every student, but to recognise the top three rank-holders in each stream and year. Science, Commerce and Arts are treated as separate streams, so each stream produces its own first, second and third position holders.

Who is eligible for the CM Higher Education Scholarship?

A student can apply if:

• They are a permanent resident of Uttarakhand.
• They are enrolled in a government college or government university in the state.
• They are pursuing graduation or post-graduation.
• They secured the first, second or third position in their stream and year.
• For first-year applicants, they scored at least 80% in Class 12; for later years, at least 60% in the previous year's examination.

A student cannot apply if:

• They study in a private college rather than a government institution.
• They did not rank in the top three of their stream.
• They are a first-year student below 80% in Class 12.
• They are not a permanent resident of Uttarakhand.

How much does the scheme pay?

According to figures published for the scheme, the benefit has two parts:

Monthly scholarship (rank-holders in each stream and year):

• Graduation: Rs 3,000 / Rs 2,000 / Rs 1,000 per month for 1st / 2nd / 3rd position.
• Post-graduation: Rs 5,000 / Rs 3,000 / Rs 2,000 per month for 1st / 2nd / 3rd position.

One-time lump sum (overall stream toppers):

• Graduation overall toppers: Rs 35,000 / Rs 25,000 / Rs 20,000 for 1st / 2nd / 3rd.
• Post-graduation overall toppers: Rs 60,000 / Rs 35,000 / Rs 25,000 for 1st / 2nd / 3rd.

All amounts are paid by Direct Benefit Transfer into the student's Aadhaar-seeded bank account. Because these are the officially reported figures, confirm the exact current-year amounts on the Samarth portal before you rely on them.

What documents are required?

How to apply for the scholarship

The scheme is applied for online on the state's Samarth scholarship portal.

1. Open the Higher Education scholarship portal at he.uk.gov.in/scholarship-portal/, which links to the Samarth system at cmheiss.samarth.ac.in.
2. Register as a new student with your name, mobile number and email, then log in.
3. Select the CM Higher Education Scholarship scheme from the list.
4. Fill the application form with your college, stream, year, rank and bank details.
5. Upload the domicile certificate, Aadhaar, marksheets, bonafide certificate and passbook.
6. Submit the form. It then goes to your college for verification.
7. Note your application number and track it until the college forwards it to the department.

How to check your application and payment status

1. Log in to the Samarth portal with your registered credentials.
2. Open your application dashboard to see whether it is Submitted, Verified by the college, or Forwarded to the department.
3. Once forwarded and approved, the scholarship is credited by DBT; check your bank account and the portal's payment status.

Verification happens at the college level, so if your status is stuck at "Submitted", the fix is usually with your college scholarship nodal officer, not the directorate. For the last cycle, the department extended the verification deadline to 31 December 2025, which shows the window can be extended; watch the portal for the current session's dates.

How the merit and payment work

The scheme is deliberately rank-based rather than need-based. Every stream, Science, Commerce and Arts: is assessed on its own, and within each stream the first, second and third position holders for each year of graduation and post-graduation are the ones rewarded. This is why two students with similar marks in different streams can both win: they compete only within their own stream and year, not against the whole college.

Two distinct rewards flow from this structure. The year-wise rank-holders receive the monthly scholarship (Rs 1,000 to Rs 5,000 depending on level and position) through their course. Separately, the overall stream toppers, the single best performer across the full programme — receive the one-time lump sum (up to Rs 35,000 for graduation and Rs 60,000 for post-graduation). A student who tops both their year and their overall stream can therefore receive both the monthly amount and the lump sum.

All payments are made by Direct Benefit Transfer into the student's own Aadhaar-seeded bank account. There is no cash handout and no cheque; if the account is not seeded with Aadhaar, the payment fails even after approval. Because the scheme depends on annual results, continuing students effectively re-establish eligibility each year by maintaining the required rank and the 60% floor. A student who slips out of the top three in a later year stops receiving the scholarship for that year.

Common reasons applications get rejected

• Not in the top three of the stream. The scheme is rank-based, so only the first three positions per stream and year qualify.
• Below the marks cut-off: under 80% in Class 12 for first-year applicants, or under 60% in the previous year for continuing students.
• Private-college enrolment: only government colleges and universities qualify.
• College did not verify in time: chase your college nodal officer before the verification window closes.
• Bank account not Aadhaar-seeded, which blocks the DBT payment even after approval.

Where to get help

A useful habit for continuing students is to apply again each academic session as soon as results are declared, because the scheme is re-assessed every year against that year's stream ranks and the 60% floor. Keep your domicile certificate, Aadhaar-seeded bank account and the latest marksheet ready in advance, so a short verification window does not catch you out, the last cycle's verification ran up to 31 December 2025, and windows like this can be tight. Watch both he.uk.gov.in and the Samarth portal for the current session's opening date, since there is no single fixed statewide last date and the department announces the window each year.

For scholarship queries, contact the Directorate of Higher Education, Uttarakhand at 05946-240555 (Haldwani directorate) or through he.uk.gov.in. For portal and login problems, use the contact details on the Samarth scholarship portal. Your own college scholarship cell is the fastest route for verification delays, because that is where each application is checked before it reaches the department.