Organisation : Department of School Education & Literacy
Portal : National Scholarship Portal (NSP)
Scholarship Name : National Means Cum Merit Scholarship 2025-26 (NMMS)
Applicable For : Students Studying in class IX
Application Last Date : 31st August 2025
Website: https://scholarships.gov.in/home
What is National Means Cum Merit Scholarship?
Under the National Means Cum Merit Scholarship scheme (NMMS), it is proposed to award 100,000 scholarships to the gifted or meritorious students whose parental income is not more than Rs.3,50,000/- per annum from all sources at the time of selection of awardees for scholarship. Each state/UT has fixed quota of scholarship for concemed age group of class vii and viii. The scheme will provide reservation to different categories of students as per the state/UT norms as different States/UTs have their own norns of reservation. Last date of application is 31st August 2025.
Eligibility of National Means Cum Merit Scholarship
This scholarship will be provided on yearly basis to the students studying as regular students and entering in class IX in a Govemment, Govemment-aided, local body schools. Thus the scholarship will be for a maximum period of four years. The students studying in âKendriya vidyalayas and Jawahar Navodaya vidyalayas,, are not entitled to get scholarship under this scheme
How To Apply For National Means Cum Merit Scholarship?
The application for the NMMS is done through the official National Scholarship Portal. NSP has implemented the One-Time Registration (OTR) for students, it is mandatory for every student applying for various scholarship schemes under the National Scholarship Portal. In order to move forward with a scholarship application, it is first necessary to register yourself in the portal which will help you generate your unique OTR number. OTR enables students to register once and create a unique profile that can be used for all scholarship applications. The process of application to NMMS is provided below.
Selection Procedure For National Means Cum Merit Scholarship
The selection of candidates for NMMS is based on examinations conducted by each respective state/UT. Each test lasts 90 minutes, and children with disabilities receive extra time if needed. Students must maintain the required academic level to continue receiving the award. The final list of selected candidates is prepared based on their performance in the state-level test. The test follows the pattern as explained below:
Mental Ability Test (MAT):
The Mental Ability Test consists of 90 multiple-choice questions designed to assess the reasoning and critical thinking skills of scholars. Topics include analogy, classification, numerical series, pattern perception, and hidden figures.
Scholastic Aptitude Test (SAT):
It also includes 90 multiple-choice questions on physics, social studies, and mathematics, which are taught in the syllabus of classes 7 and 8.
Important Dates of National Means Cum Merit Scholarship
** Scheme Open from : 02-06-2025
** Student Application Open till : 31-08-2025
** Defective Application Verification Open till:15-09-2025
** Institute Verification Open till:15-09-2025
** DNO/SNO/MNO Verification Open till:30-09-2025