The Ministry of Education (MoE) has extended the last date for submission of applications for the National Means-cum-Merit Scholarship Scheme (NMMSS) 2025-26 to September 30, 2025. Selected meritorious students can apply through the National Scholarship Portal (NSP) at scholarships.gov.in/studentFAQs, reported Times Now.  

About the scheme

Implemented by the Department of School Education & Literacy (DoSEL), the NMMSS aims to prevent dropout after Class 8 and encourage students from economically weaker sections to continue their education up to Class 12. 

The scheme awards Rs 12,000 per annum to one lakh fresh Class 9 students each year who pass the qualifying examination conducted by State or Union Territory (UT) governments. Scholarships continue for Classes 10 to 12 based on academic performance. 

The scheme is applicable only to students in state government, government-aided, or local body schools, and funds are disbursed directly into students’ bank accounts via the Public Financial Management System (PFMS) under the Direct Benefit Transfer (DBT) mode.

Eligibility and verification

Students’ parental income must not exceed Rs 3.50 lakh per annum. 

They must have scored a minimum of 55 per cent in Class 7 (relaxable by 5 per cent for Scheduled Caste/Scheduled Tribe (SC/ST) candidates) to appear in the selection test. 

Applications undergo two levels of verification on the NSP portal: Level-1 by the Institute Nodal Officer (INO) and Level-2 by the District Nodal Officer (DNO). The INO verification deadline is October 15, 2025, and the DNO deadline is October 31, 2025.