Ishan Uday Scholarship 2026-27: UGC Scheme for North Eastern Region Students

What the Ishan Uday scholarship covers

UGC has set aside 10,000 scholarships under this scheme, split evenly by discipline: half for Arts, Humanities, Social Sciences, Law and Management, and half for Science, Engineering & Technology, medical, technical, agriculture and forestry programmes. Selection is done purely on state-wise merit among the students of each North Eastern state who apply through the National Scholarship Portal (NSP) — there is no separate application form outside NSP. Results are usually declared in November or December of the same year, and candidates check their status on NSP with the user ID and password created at the time of application.

Ishan Uday scholarship eligibility

The guidelines lay out ten specific conditions a student must meet:

• Passed Class XII or an equivalent examination from a school situated within the North Eastern Region, through a recognised board such as CBSE, ICSE or NIOS.
• Currently pursuing a UGC-recognised undergraduate degree programme.
• Already admitted to the first year of that UG programme — a student who joined in one academic year is only eligible for selection in that same year, not later.
• This is for a student's first UG degree only; anyone who already holds a degree cannot apply.
• Studying through regular/full-time mode — open, distance, correspondence, private or part-time students are not eligible.
• Not admitted through a management quota seat.
• Family (parental) income below Rs. 4.50 lakh a year.
• Holds a valid Domicile Certificate or Permanent Resident Certificate from any state of the North Eastern Region.
• Not receiving any other scholarship or monetary benefit at the same time — a student already getting one must declare it and, if selected here, give up the other.
• Studying at a UGC-recognised university, college or institute with a valid AISHE code, or an institution of national importance, or one fully funded by the central or state government and empowered to award degrees.

Use the age calculator if you need to confirm dates against your admission year, though the scheme's eligibility turns on year of passing Class XII and year of UG admission rather than a fixed age band.

How much the scholarship pays

The scholarship is Rs. 8,000 per month, paid for 10 months in a year, directly to the student's Aadhaar-linked bank account through Direct Benefit Transfer via PFMS. It continues for the full duration of the UG programme, provided the student maintains good conduct and the attendance required each year, and reapplies for renewal on NSP every year — renewal applications are verified by the institution the same way fresh applications are.

For integrated or dual-degree programmes, the scholarship covers only the undergraduate component of the course. A student who fails to get promoted to the next year, or who changes their course or institution, forfeits the scholarship from that point.

How to apply for Ishan Uday scholarship

Applications are accepted only online, once a year, through the National Scholarship Portal. Students do not need to upload certificates or affidavits at the time of applying on NSP, but they must submit supporting documents — Domicile/Permanent Resident Certificate, Income Certificate and any required affidavits — directly to their institution, which verifies the application within the portal's given time frame. An application that the institution does not verify in time is not considered.

Keep your Class X and XII mark sheets, domicile certificate and income certificate scanned and ready before your institution asks for them; the compress PDF tool and resize image tool can help bring these documents down to a size your institution's upload system will accept.

A student must have a KYC-compliant bank account in their own name with correct details entered on NSP — even a selected student's payment can fail to be generated if the name, account number or IFSC code do not match. No correspondence is entertained about an application once the institution has verified it, so check every field carefully before submission.

What happens after applying

Once a student submits the online application, the institution verifies eligibility against the submitted documents and uploads a verification certificate to NSP. UGC then decides the merit list state-wise. In case of a tie at the bottom of the merit list, Class X marks are used as the tiebreaker, and if candidates are still tied, older candidates are given preference over younger ones. Furnishing false information at any stage can lead to recovery of the paid scholarship with interest and other action against the student, and the institution can be held responsible — including blacklisting — for verifying an ineligible application.

For more scholarships open to Assam and North East students, browse the Scholarship section on AssamJobDesk, including the related SIRISH Scholarship 2026-27 for Tea Tribes and Adivasi students and the NMMS Scholarship 2026.

How much does the Ishan Uday scholarship pay?

Rs. 8,000 per month for 10 months a year, paid directly to the student's Aadhaar-linked bank account through Direct Benefit Transfer, for the full duration of the UG programme subject to renewal each year.

Who is eligible for the Ishan Uday scholarship?

Students who passed Class XII from a school within the North Eastern Region, are in the first year of a recognised UG degree programme through regular/full-time mode, come from a family with annual income below Rs. 4.50 lakh, and hold a valid Domicile Certificate of an NER state.

How do I apply for the Ishan Uday scholarship?

Only online, through the National Scholarship Portal, once a year. There is no offline application. Supporting documents go to your institution for verification, not uploaded directly on NSP.

Can a second-year or repeat student apply?

No. Only students already admitted to the first year of their UG programme in the current academic year are eligible for fresh selection; the scholarship, once awarded, is then renewed each subsequent year on request.

Is there an income limit for the Ishan Uday scholarship?

Yes. Parental income must be below Rs. 4.50 lakh a year. Students whose parents' income is Rs. 4.50 lakh or more are not eligible.

How many Ishan Uday scholarships are given each year?

10,000 scholarships nationwide, split 50:50 between Arts/Humanities/Social Sciences/Law/Management and Science/Engineering/Technology/medical/technical/agriculture/forestry streams, selected state-wise on merit.