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PM YASASVI (PM Young Achievers Scholarship Award Scheme for Vibrant India) is a group of scholarships, not one. If you are from an Other Backward Class (OBC), an Economically Backward Class (EBC) or a Denotified Tribe (DNT), the question is which part fits you and where to apply.
Who does PM YASASVI cover?
The Ministry of Social Justice and Empowerment runs PM YASASVI for OBC, EBC and DNT students, according to a Press Information Bureau explainer from October 2024. It has five sub-schemes:
Pre-Matric Scholarship for OBC, EBC and DNT students
Post-Matric Scholarship for OBC, EBC and DNT students
Top Class School Education for OBC, EBC and DNT students
Top Class College Education for OBC, EBC and DNT students
Construction of hostels for OBC boys and girls
The common income test is a total annual family income of up to ₹2.5 lakh, with extra conditions for each sub-scheme (PIB).
The Pre-Matric Scholarship pays a consolidated allowance of ₹4,000 a year to students in Classes 9 and 10 in government schools only, and is awarded by the state or union territory where you are domiciled, according to the scheme guidelines on the National Scholarship Portal. The Post-Matric Scholarship pays allowances of ₹5,000 to ₹20,000 depending on the course, and Top Class College Education covers tuition, living costs and study materials at top institutions (PIB). Top Class School Education pays up to ₹75,000 a year for Classes 9 and 10 and up to ₹1.25 lakh a year for Classes 11 and 12, towards actual school and hostel fees, according to the ministry's 2023-24 notice.
Is there still a YASASVI entrance test?
In 2023, Top Class School students were selected by merit in the YASASVI Entrance Test (YET), a pen-and-paper exam run by the National Testing Agency, according to the ministry's YET 2023 notice.
The ministry's 2023-24 notice changed the route: students in Class 9 or 11 of a Top Class School needed 60% or more in Class 8 or Class 10, and merit was prepared on those marks through the National Scholarship Portal. The National Scholarship Portal, open for 2026-27, says the Top Class School scheme is accepting fresh applications, while students from Rajasthan, Keralam and Karnataka must wait a little longer. Read that year's notice before relying on any rule here: the guidelines were written for 2021-22 to 2025-26 and say the government can change the provisions at any time.
Which PM YASASVI scholarship fits your class?
Ask these three questions:
Do you have a valid OBC, EBC or DNT certificate?
Is your family's annual income ₹2.5 lakh or less on a current income certificate?
Which class are you in, and is your school a government school, a listed Top Class School, or neither?
Four worked examples, with amounts from the PIB explainer and the 2023-24 notice:
Class 9 in a government school, family income ₹1.8 lakh: Pre-Matric, ₹4,000 a year, through your state's process.
Class 11 in a listed Top Class School, 72% in Class 10: Top Class School, up to ₹1.25 lakh a year towards fees.
Class 11 in a school that is not on the list: Post-Matric, an allowance of ₹5,000 to ₹20,000 depending on the course.
First year of college: Top Class College if your institution is in that scheme, otherwise Post-Matric.
One family rule matters for Pre-Matric: only two boys of the same parents can receive it, and there is no such limit for girls, according to the guidelines.
How do you apply on the National Scholarship Portal?
Get your One Time Registration (OTR). The National Scholarship Portal describes it as a 14-digit number issued from your Aadhaar or Aadhaar Enrolment ID that lasts your whole academic career. See our step-by-step guide to applying on the NSP.
Collect your documents: Aadhaar, a passport-size photo, domicile, caste and income certificates, marksheets, bank details and a disability certificate if it applies (PIB). If the income certificate is the slow one, start with how to get an income certificate for a scholarship.
Link Aadhaar to your bank account. Top Class School money goes by direct benefit transfer to an Aadhaar-seeded account only (2023-24 notice); here is how to fix Aadhaar bank seeding.
Apply for the right sub-scheme. Your state runs Pre-Matric and may use its own portal if it shares data with the NSP, so check your state's scholarship site too (guidelines).
Ask your school or college to verify your application on the portal.
What can make you lose the scholarship?
The Pre-Matric guidelines list the traps:
Attendance below 75% in an academic year.
Repeating a class: it is paid once per class.
Holding another pre-matric scholarship at the same time.
False information: the award is cancelled, the money can be recovered, and the student is barred from every scholarship scheme for good.
Pre-Matric renewal is meant to be automatic once your school confirms you were promoted and met the attendance rule (guidelines).
If your school marks will matter for a Top Class School application, the Fermi Concept Library has a lesson for each concept in physics, chemistry, biology and mathematics, so you can go back over the topics you found hard.
Next step: create your OTR on the National Scholarship Portal and read this year's notice for your sub-scheme.
