✅ Applications Open till 31 October 2026

Ishan Uday Scholarship 2026-27 – Apply Online, Eligibility, Last Date

UGC's ₹8,000/month special scholarship for North Eastern Region students admitted to first-year UG degree courses. Here's everything you need to apply on the National Scholarship Portal (NSP).

Note: The application window commonly referred to as "Ishan Uday Scholarship 2025" (last date 31 October 2025) is already closed. The scheme is currently open for the 2026-27 academic session, and this article covers that live cycle.

📌 Application window: 16 September 2026 to 31 October 2026 on the National Scholarship Portal (scholarships.gov.in).

What is Ishan Uday Scholarship?

Ishan Uday is a special scholarship scheme run by the University Grants Commission (UGC) to promote higher education among economically weaker students of the North Eastern Region (NER). Every year, UGC awards 10,000 fresh scholarships of ₹8,000 per month for 10 months to NER students who have just passed Class 12 and secured admission into the first year of a recognized undergraduate (UG) degree programme — general, technical, medical, or paramedical.

Slots are split equally: 50% for Arts, Humanities, Social Sciences, Law and Management, and 50% for Science, Engineering, Technology, Medical, Technical, Agriculture and Forestry programmes.

Important Dates – Ishan Uday Scholarship 2026-27

Event	Date
Online application start	16 September 2026
Last date to submit application	31 October 2026
Last date for defective/correction verification	15 November 2026
Last date for Institute-level verification	15 November 2026
Result declaration	Normally November/December 2026 (via NSP)

Dates are as notified on NSP/UGC as of publishing. Institutions and students should re-check scholarships.gov.in for any extension.

Scholarship Amount

Detail	Amount
Monthly scholarship	₹8,000 per month
Duration	10 months per academic year
Total slots	10,000 fresh scholarships per year
Disbursement mode	Direct Benefit Transfer (DBT) via PFMS to Aadhaar-linked bank account

Eligibility Criteria

Must have passed Class 12 (or equivalent) from a school situated within the North Eastern Region, from a recognized board (CBSE, ICSE, NIOS, or state board).
Must be a domicile of a North Eastern state — Arunachal Pradesh, Assam, Manipur, Meghalaya, Mizoram, Nagaland, Sikkim or Tripura — with a valid Domicile/Permanent Resident Certificate.
Must already be admitted to the first year of a recognized UG degree programme (regular/full-time mode only) in an eligible institution anywhere in India.
This must be the student's first UG degree — those who already hold any degree are not eligible.
Family income from all sources must not exceed ₹4.5 lakh per annum.
Institution must be a UGC-recognized university/college (Section 2(f) or Deemed University under Section 3, with valid NAAC accreditation from AY2025-26 onward), an Institution of National Importance, or a government-funded degree-awarding institution with a valid AISHE code.

Who Cannot Apply

Students pursuing courses through Open/Distance/Correspondence universities or part-time mode
Students admitted through "management quota"
Students already holding any UG or higher degree
Diploma or certificate courses not leading to a degree
Students availing another scholarship for the same UG programme (unless they formally relinquish it if selected here)

Documents Typically Required for Institute Verification

Students don't upload certificates on NSP itself, but institutions verify applications against these documents — so keep them ready:

Domicile/Permanent Resident Certificate (NER state)
Income Certificate of parents/guardian (below ₹4.5 lakh/annum)
Class 10 and Class 12 mark sheets and pass certificate
Aadhaar card (Aadhaar-seeded bank account is mandatory for DBT)
Bank passbook / account details in the student's own name
Proof of current UG admission (admission receipt/ID card) from the institution
Passport-size photograph

How to Apply for Ishan Uday Scholarship 2026-27

Visit the National Scholarship Portal: scholarships.gov.in
If you don't already have one, complete One Time Registration (OTR) using your Aadhaar number or Aadhaar Enrolment ID — OTR is valid for your entire academic career, so returning students should log in directly.
Log in with your OTR-generated User ID and password.
Select "Ishan Uday – Special Scholarship Scheme for North Eastern Region" from the list of schemes.
Fill in personal, academic, income, domicile and bank account details carefully.
Submit the application and note your application number for tracking.
Inform your college/institute nodal officer so they can verify your application on NSP before the institute verification deadline.

Apply on NSP →

Selection Process

Selection is purely merit-based on Class 12 marks — there is no separate entrance exam.
Merit lists are prepared state-wise, with slots distributed among NER states based on population.
Ties are broken first by Class 10 marks, then by age — older candidates get preference.
If a state doesn't have enough eligible applicants to fill its slots, the unfilled seats are redistributed among other NER states.
Reservation for Persons with Disability (PwD) applies as per Government of India norms.

⚠️ The scholarship is renewed automatically only if you apply for "Renewal" on NSP each year and maintain good academic conduct and attendance — it is not paid out for subsequent years automatically.

Frequently Asked Questions

Can students from any NER university apply, or only NER-domiciled students?

Domicile matters more than location of study. Only students who hold a domicile certificate from a North Eastern state are eligible, even if they are studying in a college outside the NER.

Is there an income limit for parents?

Yes. The combined annual family income from all sources must be under ₹4.5 lakh to qualify.

Can a student who already completed one UG degree apply again for a second UG course?

No. The scholarship is available only for a student's first undergraduate degree.

Can distance or open-university students apply?

No, only students enrolled in regular, full-time UG programmes are eligible.

Can I hold another scholarship along with Ishan Uday?

You can only receive one scholarship at a time for the same purpose. If you're already receiving another scholarship and get selected for Ishan Uday, you'll have to give up one of them.

How will I receive the scholarship money?

Selected students receive the amount directly in their Aadhaar-linked bank account through Direct Benefit Transfer (DBT), routed via PFMS.