In 2026-27 NSP opened on June 1 with post-matric deadlines on October 31; Reliance ran August 14 to October 5; Kotak Kanya July 14 to October 15 (some sites say September 30); HDFC ECSS to October 31; LIC September 1 to 30. An older guide said most windows open July to November. Because first-year scholarships need you to be enrolled in that academic year, students now in Class 12 should plan for June to October 2027 and prepare certificates beforehand.

Central Sector Scheme of Scholarships for College and University Students · Dept. of Higher Education | Govt of India · MoE

Good to know

• The official FAQ confirms the 80th percentile rule, regular course (not distance) and ₹12,000 a year at graduation level for the first three years and ₹20,000 a year at postgraduate level. The scheme is now named PM-USP.
• NSP lists a renewal window to October 31, 2026 with institute verification to November 15; some sources show September 30 and describe the 2026-27 round as renewals only, so confirm fresh-application status on NSP.
• You can hold one merit-based scheme plus welfare schemes.

Updates from 2026-27 NSP sources: SC and ST post-matric income ceiling ₹2.5 lakh; PM YASASVI also uses ₹2.5 lakh; minority post-matric ₹2 lakh and merit-cum-means (professional and technical courses) ₹2.5 lakh. Amounts vary by course group and hostel status. Pre-matric minority scholarships are limited to Classes 9 and 10. Income and amounts change, so read the scheme guideline on NSP.

INSPIRE Scholarship for Higher Education · Department of Science and Technology | Dept. of Science & Tech.

Good to know

• INSPIRE-SHE pays ₹80,000 a year for up to five years (₹60,000 scholarship plus a ₹20,000 mentorship / summer research grant). It applies only to pure and natural science programmes, not as a general scheme.
• The exact 2026 window had not been confirmed, so check the DST site.

Pragati (girls) and Saksham (students with disabilities) · All India Council for Technical Education | AICTE

Good to know

• 2026 guides confirm the family income limit of ₹8 lakh and benchmark disability of 40% or more for Saksham, with applications usually between October and December.
• AICTE norms limit the number of awards per family and the number of seats per year; check the current notice before applying.

Reliance Foundation Undergraduate Scholarships · up to 5,000 scholars a year | Private · Any stream

Good to know

• The official page says up to 5,000 undergraduate scholars, only first-year students of the current academic year, regular full-time courses (2-year and 6-year UG excluded), and a 60-minute, 60-question aptitude test.
• The household income counts parents only.

Kotak Kanya Scholarship · Kotak Education Foundation | Private · Girls

Good to know

• The 2026-27 notices restrict it to first-year professional graduation programmes (engineering, MBBS, architecture, design, integrated LLB, integrated BS-MS or BS-Research at IISER and IISc, and similar) at NIRF or NAAC-accredited institutes.
• Amount: ₹1.5 lakh a year until the professional degree ends (covers tuition, hostel, books, laptop and other costs), subject to renewal.
• Deadline sources vary: the Kotak Education Foundation date is October 15, 2026; other sites list September 30 or August 31.

HDFC Bank Parivartan Educational Crisis Scholarship Support (ECSS) Programme | Private · Crisis support

Good to know

• Amounts by category: Classes 1 to 6 ₹15,000, Classes 7 to 12 and diploma ₹18,000, general UG ₹30,000, professional UG ₹50,000, general PG ₹35,000 and professional PG ₹75,000.
• Minimum 55% in the last qualifying exam; preference to students who faced a personal or family crisis in the last three years.

LIC Golden Jubilee Foundation Scholarship Scheme | LIC · Public sector

Good to know

• Eligible: Class 12 passed with 60% and fresh admission in 2026-27.
• Amounts per recent notices: ₹20,000 for graduation, diploma and vocational courses; ₹30,000 to 40,000 for engineering (BE, BTech, BArch) and ₹40,000 to 50,000 for medicine (MBBS, BAMS, BHMS, BDS), depending on the notice.

The earlier guide lists Aditya Birla (top JEE Advanced, CAT and CLAT entrants, ₹1.75 lakh a year plus mentorship), Tata Trusts (SC/ST/OBC technical students, ₹25,000 to 50,000) and Sitaram Jindal. The Aditya Birla Scholarship is by invitation to top-ranked students at selected institutions (about ₹1.5 lakh for engineering, ₹3 lakh for management); a separate Aditya Birla Capital Scholarship for girls offers up to ₹45,000 for UG. The Tata Trusts scheme and current Sitaram Jindal amounts could not be verified, so confirm on their sites.

Dates are for 2026-27; expect similar windows in 2027. Closing dates come from the official portals where available; a few third-party sites show earlier or later dates. Always confirm on the official site.

Students can match several rows; remember the NSP rule of one merit-based plus welfare schemes, and read each scheme for stacking rules.

Pudhumai Penn is the Moovalur Ramamirtham Ammaiyar scheme (Penkalvi portal; applications go through the college). Both Pudhumai Penn and Tamil Pudhalvan have no income limit and can be combined with other scholarships. The First Graduate concession reimburses tuition for first-generation graduates in professional courses (G.O. 85 of 2010; e-certificate from e-Sevai before counselling); the 7.5% quota gives a complete fee waiver (tuition, hostel and development fees) paid by the State. The TNEA site is tneaonline.org (not tnea.tngov.in).

Income certificates should be current; many portals reject old ones.

Apply early so you have time to fix errors before the deadline and verification dates.

Expect similar windows in 2027 for students who join college that year. Tamil Nadu state schemes are applied through your college after admission.

• Start with NSP: Aadhaar OTR, face authentication and bank seeding. Most schemes close Oct 31 (2026-27); one merit scheme plus welfare schemes is the new rule.
• Check the real numbers: CSSS needs income ≤ ₹4.5 L; HDFC ≤ ₹2.5 L; LIC ≤ ₹4.5 L; Kotak Kanya is for professional courses only.
• Tamil Nadu: Pudhumai Penn and Tamil Pudhalvan (₹1,000 a month), First Graduate concession and the 7.5% quota.
• Most first-year scholarships need admission first; plan for Jun–Oct 2027 and keep certificates ready.