- The Central Sector Scheme is now branded PM-USP and caps family income at 4.5 lakh rupees, paying 12,000 rupees a year for graduation and 20,000 for post-graduation
- The National Means-cum-Merit Scholarship pays 12,000 rupees a year for Class 9 to 12 with an income limit of 3.5 lakh
- The AICTE Pragati scholarship for girls gives 50,000 rupees a year
- A One-Time Registration number is mandatory on the National Scholarship Portal from 2024-25
- The Maulana Azad National Fellowship was discontinued from 2022-23.
What Is the Merit-cum-Means (MCM) Scholarship?
A Merit-cum-Means scholarship rewards students who combine strong academic marks with a low family income. Merit sets a minimum percentage, while means caps annual family income. Several central and state governments in India run schemes under this name, mostly for professional, technical and higher-education students, and all are paid directly to bank accounts.
MCM is short for Merit-cum-Means, a common design used by many Indian scholarship schemes rather than a single scholarship. The idea is to help students who are both meritorious and needy: you must clear an academic bar (the merit part) and prove that your family income falls below a ceiling (the means part). Because several central ministries and state governments each run their own MCM scheme, the exact marks, income limit and amount change from scheme to scheme.
Most MCM scholarships are delivered through Direct Benefit Transfer, so the money reaches the student's own bank account. The central schemes are applied for on the National Scholarship Portal at scholarships.gov.in, while state schemes usually use a dedicated state portal such as MahaDBT in Maharashtra or the Swami Vivekananda portal in West Bengal.
| Scheme (2026) | Run By | For Whom | Amount Per Year |
|---|---|---|---|
| PM-USP Central Sector Scheme (CSSS) | Ministry of Education | College and university students, top 20 percentile | Rs 12,000 (UG) / Rs 20,000 (PG) |
| National Means-cum-Merit (NMMS) | Ministry of Education | Class 9 to 12, economically weaker sections | Rs 12,000 |
| Merit-cum-Means for Minorities | Ministry of Minority Affairs | Minority students in professional and technical courses | Rs 20,000 course fee plus allowance |
| AICTE Pragati | AICTE | Girl students in technical courses | Rs 50,000 |
| Swami Vivekananda MCM (SVMCM) | Government of West Bengal | West Bengal students, Class 11 to PG | Up to Rs 8,000 per month |
Who Is Eligible for a Merit-cum-Means Scholarship?
Eligibility varies by scheme, but the pattern is the same: you must clear a merit bar and a means bar. Merit usually means 50 to 60 percent marks, or a top percentile in a board or entrance exam. Means usually caps family income between 2.5 and 8 lakh rupees per year.
Every MCM scheme sets two thresholds. The merit threshold is a minimum score, often expressed as a percentage in the previous exam or a percentile in a board or entrance test. The means threshold is a family income ceiling, verified with an income certificate from a competent authority. Miss either one and the application is rejected, so read your chosen scheme's rules before you apply.
| Scheme (2026) | Minimum Merit | Family Income Limit |
|---|---|---|
| PM-USP Central Sector Scheme | Above 80th percentile in Class 12 | Rs 4.5 lakh per year |
| National Means-cum-Merit (NMMS) | Qualify MAT and SAT test, minimum 40 percent (32 percent for SC/ST) | Rs 3.5 lakh per year |
| Merit-cum-Means for Minorities | 50 percent in the last final exam | Rs 2.5 lakh per year |
| AICTE Pragati | Admission to first year, or lateral entry, of a technical course | Rs 8 lakh per year |
How Much Money Do MCM Scholarships Offer in 2026?
Amounts differ widely by scheme. In 2026 the Central Sector Scheme pays 12,000 rupees a year for graduation and 20,000 for post-graduation. The minority Merit-cum-Means scheme covers course fees up to 20,000 rupees plus a monthly allowance, while the AICTE Pragati scholarship for girls gives 50,000 rupees a year.
The minority Merit-cum-Means scheme run by the Ministry of Minority Affairs reimburses course fees up to 20,000 rupees per year, or the actual fee if it is lower, and adds a maintenance allowance of 1,000 rupees a month for hostellers and 500 rupees a month for day scholars for ten months. Students admitted to the notified premier institutes under the scheme can have their full course fee reimbursed.
Which Central Merit-cum-Means Scholarships Can You Apply For?
Four central schemes use merit-cum-means rules in 2026: the PM-USP Central Sector Scheme for college students, the National Means-cum-Merit Scholarship for Class 9 to 12, the Ministry of Minority Affairs scholarship for professional courses, and the AICTE Pragati scholarship for girls in technical education. All are applied for on the National Scholarship Portal.
- PM-USP Central Sector Scheme (CSSS): the Ministry of Education pays 12,000 rupees a year at graduation and 20,000 at post-graduation to students above the 80th percentile in Class 12 with family income up to 4.5 lakh; a maximum of 82,000 fresh scholarships are given each year, half reserved for girls.
- National Means-cum-Merit Scholarship (NMMS): the Ministry of Education awards about 1,00,000 fresh scholarships of 12,000 rupees a year to Class 9 students from families earning up to 3.5 lakh, renewable up to Class 12, selected through a MAT and SAT test.
- Merit-cum-Means for Minorities: the Ministry of Minority Affairs supports the six notified minority communities in professional and technical courses, needing 50 percent marks and income up to 2.5 lakh.
- AICTE Pragati: a girls-only scholarship of 50,000 rupees a year for technical degree or diploma students, with family income up to 8 lakh and up to two girls per family.
What Are the State Merit-cum-Means Scholarships?
Many states run their own merit-cum-means schemes. West Bengal's Swami Vivekananda scholarship pays up to 8,000 rupees a month, Maharashtra funds economically backward and Eklavya students through MahaDBT, and Haryana runs a minority merit-cum-means scheme. Each uses its own state portal, income ceiling and marks cut-off, so check your state's rules.
State merit-cum-means schemes sit alongside the central ones and are applied for separately. In West Bengal the Swami Vivekananda Merit-cum-Means scholarship supports Class 11 to postgraduate students who scored at least 60 percent and whose family income is within 2.5 lakh. Maharashtra runs open merit scholarships for economically backward students and the Eklavya award for postgraduates, while Haryana, Rajasthan and other states run their own minority or girl-child MCM schemes.
Swami Vivekananda ScholarshipRead →How Do You Apply for an MCM Scholarship on the NSP?
Apply on the National Scholarship Portal at scholarships.gov.in. Since 2024-25 a One-Time Registration number, generated with your Aadhaar, is mandatory and reused every year. Create the OTR, log in, pick your scheme, upload your income certificate, marksheet and institute certificate, then submit for institute and state verification before the deadline.
- Generate your One-Time Registration (OTR) number on the National Scholarship Portal using your Aadhaar; it is mandatory from AY 2024-25 and reused every year.
- Log in and choose the central MCM scheme you are eligible for, such as CSSS, NMMS, the minority scheme or AICTE Pragati.
- Fill the online form and upload the required documents: an income certificate from a competent authority, your previous marksheet, and a bonafide or institute certificate.
- Submit the application so your institution and the state authority can verify it before the closing date, and track the status with your registration number.
- For state schemes such as SVMCM or MahaDBT, register separately on that state's own portal instead of the National Scholarship Portal.