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If you have a disability of 40% or more and have just joined a BTech, a polytechnic diploma or another AICTE-approved degree or diploma course, the Saksham scholarship can help pay for college every year of your course, as long as you pass and renew it. The All India Council for Technical Education (AICTE) runs it, and you apply on the National Scholarship Portal (NSP).
The NSP scheme list shows that both Saksham schemes for 2026-27, degree and diploma, opened on 1 June 2026, and student applications close on 31 October 2026. Institutes have until 15 November 2026 to verify applications, and district, state and ministry nodal officers have until 30 November 2026.
Who is eligible for the AICTE Saksham scholarship?
The rules are in the Saksham degree guidelines, the matching diploma guidelines and the official Saksham FAQ. You qualify only if all of these are true:
You have a disability of at least 40%, with a disability certificate from a competent authority.
This academic year you were admitted to the first year of a degree or diploma, or to the second year through lateral entry, at an AICTE-approved institution.
Your family's income from all sources is not more than ₹8 lakh in the current financial year, shown on a State or UT income certificate.
No more than two years have passed between your qualifying exam and your admission.
You are not getting any other Central, State or AICTE-sponsored scholarship, including PMSSS.
There is no fixed number of awards: every eligible student admitted that year gets one.
How much does Saksham pay, and for how long?
Saksham pays ₹50,000 a year as a lump sum towards college fees, a computer, books, stationery, equipment and software, according to the degree guidelines. No extra grant is paid for hostel or medical costs.
If you pass and renew every year, it adds up to:
Degree from first year: up to 4 years, so up to ₹2,00,000.
Degree through lateral entry: up to 3 years, so up to ₹1,50,000.
Diploma from first year: up to 3 years, so up to ₹1,50,000.
Diploma through lateral entry: up to 2 years, so up to ₹1,00,000.
The FAQ says AICTE pays by Direct Benefit Transfer into a general savings account in your own name. No-frills, minor and joint accounts are not accepted, and you must have Aadhaar and an Aadhaar-seeded bank account. Our guide to seeding Aadhaar to your bank account for scholarships explains how. If you fail a year or drop out, the scholarship stops.
What documents do you need for Saksham?
This checklist comes from question 22 of the Saksham FAQ, plus the disability and Aadhaar rules above:
Class 10 certificate and mark sheet.
Class 12 certificate and mark sheet for a degree; for lateral entry, your ITI certificate (diploma) or diploma certificate (degree) with mark sheets.
Disability certificate from a competent authority.
This year's family income certificate, signed and stamped by a Tehsildar, District Magistrate or similar officer. Our income certificate guide covers how to get one.
Study or bonafide certificate from your principal or director, on the format given in the FAQ.
Category certificate, if it applies to you.
Aadhaar and your Aadhaar-seeded bank account details.
Register on NSP before asking for the bonafide certificate, because its format asks for your NSP application ID.
How do you apply for Saksham on the National Scholarship Portal?
Get your One Time Registration (OTR) number on the National Scholarship Portal. NSP says the OTR is made with your Aadhaar, and face authentication can fail if your Aadhaar biometrics are locked, so check in mAadhaar that the lock is off first.
Log in and choose the AICTE Saksham scheme for Degree or Diploma.
Fill in the form, upload the documents and submit before the closing date.
Check every detail; the FAQ says to report any error to your institute at once.
Your institute verifies the application, then your state's Department of Technical Education checks it again.
NSP says Common Service Centres can do the whole process, from OTR to full form, for a fixed ₹30.
On the day you submit, send your college's scholarship officer a short message: "I have applied for the AICTE Saksham scholarship on NSP (application ID [number]). Could you please verify it before the institute deadline?"
Why do Saksham applications get rejected?
The FAQ lists common reasons: a course or institute not AICTE-approved this year, a dual-degree or postgraduate course, another scholarship, a missing disability certificate, an old or unsigned income certificate, and blurred Class 10 or 12 certificates. For help, it gives saksham@aicte-india.org and 011-29581118, and helpdesk@nsp.gov.in for portal problems. Girls can also compare our AICTE Pragati scholarship guide; you can hold only one.
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