Paperwork help
Most girls lose scholarships to paperwork, not marks. These are the steps that trip people up, in the order to do them.
Papers to keep ready
Collect these once and keep photos or scans on your phone. Almost every scholarship asks for them.
- 1
Aadhaar card. Your name and date of birth must match your marksheet and bank account exactly, and the mobile number on it must work.
- 2
A bank account in your own name, not a joint or parent's account, linked to Aadhaar for DBT.
- 3
Income certificate for this financial year, from your state's e-District portal. It takes 1 to 3 weeks, so apply early.
- 4
Domicile certificate, for state schemes.
- 5
OBC certificate if your family is OBC. Many Muslim communities are, such as Ansari, Qureshi, Saifi, Salmani and Mansuri. Central schemes need the central OBC list certificate.
- 6
Marksheets for Class 10, Class 12 and your last exam.
- 7
This year's fee receipt or bonafide certificate from your school or college.
- 8
A passport photo and your signature, scanned at 30 to 500 KB.
Aadhaar eKYC
Most portals check who you are with an OTP sent to your Aadhaar mobile, or with your face on a phone.
- 1
Check that your mobile number is linked on myaadhaar.uidai.gov.in. If not, go to an Aadhaar Seva Kendra.
- 2
Check your name and date of birth. Name and date corrections need a visit to the centre with proof.
- 3
If your biometrics are locked, unlock them in the mAadhaar app. Face authentication fails when they are locked.
- 4
No Aadhaar yet? The scholarship portal accepts your enrolment ID for a month, or a parent's Aadhaar.
Link Aadhaar to your bank so the money arrives
Scholarship money goes to the account linked to your Aadhaar in the NPCI system, not the account you write on the form. This is the most common reason money never arrives.
- 1
Check which account your Aadhaar is linked to: npci.org.in, then Consumer, then Bharat Aadhaar Seeding Enabler, then Get Aadhaar Mapped Status.
- 2
To link or move it, use the same NPCI page with an OTP, or ask your bank branch for "DBT NPCI mapper seeding". Linking Aadhaar for KYC is a different thing.
- 3
No bank account? India Post Payments Bank can open one and link it the same day, at the post office or through your postman.
- 4
Wait 1 to 3 days and check again before you apply.
- 5
Keep the account active with a small deposit now and then. Accounts unused for a year or two stop receiving money.
National Scholarship Portal: One Time Registration
You need a 14-digit OTR number before you can apply for any scholarship on the portal. Make only one, ever. A second one can get you barred.
- 1
On scholarships.gov.in, choose Students, then Apply for One Time Registration. Or use the NSP OTR app.
- 2
Verify your mobile number and Aadhaar with OTPs. You get a reference number by SMS.
- 3
Install AadhaarFaceRD and keep it updated (error 904 means it is old). In the NSP OTR app, choose eKYC with FaceAuth and take your photo in daylight without glasses.
- 4
Your OTR number appears on screen and by SMS. Save it: it is your login from now on.
- 5
Log in, choose 2026-27, fill the form, upload documents, and press final submit. A saved draft is not an application.
- 6
Ask your institute to verify it before their deadline, and log in again to fix anything marked defective.
Tip: A Common Service Centre can do all of this for a fixed ₹30. Never pay an agent more.