Annexure II

FAQ’s for Students for NSP 2023-24

National Fellowship and Scholarship for Higher Education of ST Students (earlier

known as Top Class Scholarship Scheme)

REGISTRATION PROCESS:

Question 1: What are the precautions that I as an applicant need to take while filling
in the application:

Answer 1:

1. Care must be taken to ensure that only correct information is given

2. Spelling and numerical mistakes need to be avoided at all cost
3. For Renewal students : E-KYC is must from 2023-24. While doing E-KYC
after login into application for the year 2023-24, Please note Name, Gender
and Date of Birth should match in application as mentioned in Aadhar. If
there is mismatch in the name, gender data of birth in Aadhar and the details
entered in application form, then student is required to correct his/her details
in the Aadhar. National Scholarship Portal won’t allow any student to make
changes in the application form .
4. Students who are above the age of 18 years on date of registration of
application, Aadhar No is mandatory. If you have applied for Aadhaar,
Please fill EID no in your application initially at the time of filling the
application and later when you get your Aadhaar , please update the
Aadhaar No in your application form. You will not receive the scholarship in
absence of Aadhaar.
5. Keep all documents ready before filling the application
6. Ensure that the certificates to be uploaded are up to date and in the
prescribed formats.
7. Fill in the applications well before the last date of submission. Since a large
number of applicants would be using the portal, you may encounter issues of
slow network and reaction time of the Portal, which may delay your
submission.
8. Cross-verify all the information provided by you with the relevant documents
before final submission of the application.
9. Download and save a digital copy of the application for easy retrieval and
future reference. If necessary, keep a printout of the application.
10. Do note your application ID and password to gain access to the Portal in
future.

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 11. If you are above 18, it is advised that you obtain your Aadhar Number and
create a Aadhar based digi-locker, to enable you to store all your documents
in one digital space. This will help you in future. Neither this Ministry nor NSP
will have access to your dig-locker.
12. After submission of the application, it is advised that you regularly track the
status of your application, so as to ensure that it has been verified and
submitted without defects.
13. Any defects in the application will be brought to your notice. You are advised
to immediately rectify the same and follow instructions in this regard.
14. You are also intimated that the names of the candidates selected for award
of the scholarships is published on this Ministry’s website. You are advised
to regularly visit the website for information regarding the selections.
15. Now NSP will push payment the payment in the account which is latest
Aadhar seeded.

Question 2: Who are eligible to apply for National Fellowship and Scholarship for
Higher Education of ST Students Scheme (earlier known as Top Class Scholarship
Scheme)?
Answer 2:

i. ST students studying in 265 notified Institutions, with annual parental income not
exceeding Rs. 6 lakhs are eligible for the scholarship under the scheme.

You Can get the list of 265 Institutes on below Link

Click:https://tribal.nic.in/downloads/guidelines/Top-Class/Revised265-
InstituteListTopClassScholarship2023-24onwards.pdf

The total family income of the student to be eligible for this scholarship from all
sources should not exceed Rs.6.0 lakh per annum. The family income shall be
computed in the following manner: -

 In case where both father and mother are working, the combined income of
both of them from all sources shall be taken into account in computing total
family income.
 In case any other member of the family, other than father and mother is an
earning member, his or her income shall not be included in computing total
family income.
 In case only one parent is alive, the income of that parent shall be taken into
account for considering total parental income. If other sibling or family member
is an earning member, their income shall not be included in computing total
family income.
 In the case of an orphan, supported by a guardian, income criteria shall not
apply.

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Note 1: Definition of Income - Income means gross income including income from all sources
e.g., Salary, Interest Income, Income from House property, Income from Business,
Agricultural income, and Income from any other Sources etc. It is clarified that Income for
the purpose of scholarship is not the taxable Income as defined in Income Tax Act. The
deductions and exemption available in the Income Tax Act u/s 10, Section 80 or any other
section will not be available in computing gross Income under the scheme.

Note 2: Income certificate is required to be taken once only i.e. at the time of admission to
courses which are continuing for more than one year. Income certificate should be for the
financial year immediately preceding the selection year. For example, for the selection year
2023-24, income certificate for the financial year 2022-23(Assessment year 2023-24) is
admissible. In case of salaried employees Form-16 is accepted. In case of income from
other sources, income certificate issued by the designated authority of the respective
State/UT is accepted.

Question 3: How can I apply online for scholarship?

Answer 3: In order to apply online, please visit the website through URL
www.scholarships.gov.in

Question 4: How to fill the application form or submit the application ?

Answer 4: Please find enclosed the file for step by step procedure to fill the application form

i) Click on www.scholarships.gov.in
ii) Click on Applicant corner from the home page of National Scholarship Portal.

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i) Read out the Guidelines for Registration on National Scholarship Portal.
ii) Click on Undertaking by Applicant or Parent / Legal Guardian (in case of Minor)
and then click on continue button.

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iii) Click on one of below radio button option:

a) If you have Aadhar – Click on I have Aadhar

b) If you don’t have Aadhar but EID - Click on Aadhar not assigned (I have EID)
c) If you don’t have Aadhar and EID - Click on I don’t have Aadhar / EID

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iv) If you have Aadhar, click on I have Aadhar radio button and give your Mobile No
which is active, Aadhar linked. After that you will get OTP on your Mobile. Enter
OTP and enter captcha Code and click on verify button.
- After that you will give your Aadhar No and you will get OTP. Enter OTP and
captcha code and click on verify button.
- Please carefully read out the Consent for providing Aadhar as mentioned in
the screenshot.

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i) By giving the Aadhar, NSP Portal automatically fetch your basic details from your
Aadhar like your Name, Gender, Date of Birth, Address, State of Domicile, Father
Name, Mother Name.
ii) Please enter Scholarship category and your id
iii) Enter captcha code and click on Register button

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i) You will get your Registration Number (Application ID). Password will be sent on
your registered Mobile no.

From home page of National Scholarship Portal do your Fresh registration form
by using your application id and password.
Under Applicant corner > Application submission for AY 2023-24 > Fresh
application

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i) You can change your password:

ii) Login again by using your application id and fill the application form.
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iii) Fill all the mandatory details in the application form very carefully :

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iv) Based on the data filled by you in application form, schemes will be displayed for
apply. Carefully select the scheme in which you need to apply
v) Upload all the mandatory documents or you can fetch your documents from
Digilocker

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vi) Click on Final Submit button.
vii) Save the Application Details for future reference.

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Question 5: What is the last date for submitting applications online?
Answer 5: Opening and closing dates of portal is decided by DBT Mission and the same is
available on National Scholarships Portal. Opening & closing dates are available on website
of Ministry of Tribal Affairs.

Question 6: Students who are studying in 1st year can only submit Fresh application
?
Answer 6: Any student who have not received the scholarship earlier from the Ministry
irrespective of the course year i.e., 1,2,3,4,5) can apply as Fresh .

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Question 7: I am a Renewal student but while applying in NSP under Renewal
category, I have clicked on “Withdraw your application button” by mistake then how
can I again apply for Renewal?
Answer 7: Please note that if by mistake you click on the “Withdraw your application button”,
in this case there is one REVOKE button in your login, you can click on that button and again
you can apply in Renewal provided you have not applied as Fresh.

Renewal students are advised to apply only as renewal candidates, to facilitate early
disbursal of the Scholarship amount.

Question 8: Which fields in the application form are mandatory?

Answer 8: Fields provided with red asterisk (*) mark are mandatory fields.

Question 9: Do I have to fill up the online application in one sitting?

Answer 9: No. You can fill up the online application in as many sittings as you wish,
until you are satisfied that you have entered all fields correctly. The software provides
facility to save your application at every stage.

Question 10: Is there any permanent ID? How will it be communicated to me?
Answer 10: Yes, an Application ID (Permanent ID) will be provided to the candidate once
his/her Registration is done. It will be conveyed to candidates through SMS and e-mail.
Students should memorize their Application ID as it will be required while applying for
Fresh/renewal scholarship in future.

Question 11: How to I check the status of my application?

Answer 11: Student can check the status of Online Application by submitting his/her
Permanent id and Date of Birth in the link “Check your Status”.

Question 12: What is the size of documents to be uploaded in the Scholarship Portal?
Answer 12: The format of the file should be .pdf and .jpeg and the size of each document
should not exceed more than 200 KB. Please upload documents which are clearly visible.

Question 13: Do I need mobile number for applying for scholarship scheme through
National Scholarship Portal?
Answer 13: Yes, mobile number is compulsory for applying for Scholarship Scheme through
National Scholarship Portal and it should remain same throughout the tenure of the
scholarship.

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Question 14: Do I need an email ID for applying for scholarship?
Answer 14: Email ID is required at registration but, it is not compulsory. However, please
note that a mobile number, registered in your name and in your possession, which is also
integrated with your Aadhar number and bank account number (which should also be
Aadhaar-linked) is compulsory for receiving communication such as OTP, registration ID,
notifications on the award of scholarships, payments made etc. It is advised that you
continue with this mobile number for the entire duration of the course of study that you are
pursuing.

Question 15: Can I apply for more than one Scholarship Scheme?
Answer 15: A student cannot apply for more than one Scholarship.

Question 16: Do I have to fill Aadhaar Number mandatory?

Answer 16: Aadhaar No.is Mandatory for the Students in order to Register and fill-up the
application form online. If at the time of initial registration in NSP, you do not have the
Aadhaar Number, then you must apply for the same and indicate the Aadhar Enrolment
Number on the Portal. NSP has the provision that at later stage you can give the Aadhaar
Number, when you receive it.

Aadhaar Number could also be used for crediting scholarship amount in the bank account
linked* to your Aadhaar number.

*To link your bank account with Aadhaar number for receiving scholarship, please visit you
bank branch and submit a "bank consent form for receiving DBT". You can check which
bank is linked to your Aadhaar number on NPCI mapper
here https://resident.uidai.gov.in/bank-mapper or through Aadhaar-enabled micro-ATM
machine of any of these banks.

Question 17: Do I have to give same Date of Birth ,My name, Gender in NSP application
as mentioned in the Aadhar Card.
Answer 17: Yes, Please fill same Date of Birth ,your name and gender in NSP application
form as mentioned on Aadhaar Card.

Question 18: How to view the scheme guidelines of National Fellowship and
Scholarship for Higher Education of ST Students?

Answer 18:

a. https://tribal.nic.in/downloads/guidelines/Top-
Class/GuidelinesFellowshipandScholarship2022.pdf
b. https://tribal.nic.in/downloads/guidelines/NFS/AmendmentGuidelinesNFS4highered
ucaton4STstudents_7July2023.pdf

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Question 19: How to overcome the problem of Login even after getting system
generated Application ID and DOB as Password?
Answer 19: The “Forgot Application Id” option may be used and this problem can be
overcome by using Search by Bank Account Number and Search by Mobile Number.

Question 20: What precautions should I take while entering the bank account details
in NSP application form?
Answer 20: The student/applicant must ensure that the Bank Account details (A/c Number,
IFSC Code) submitted is correct and account is in the name of the student. Also keep the
account active (i.e. non-dormant) and functional till the completion of your course to receive
scholarship amount. Any condition imposed on accounts by bank like seeding of AADHAAR,
any limit on receiving credit in account etc., should be complied with so that the credit of the
scholarship amount is not hampered.

Question 21: What is the reason if National Fellowship and Scholarship for Higher
Education of ST Students Scheme is not coming in drop down list?
Answer 21: As per the inputs provided by the student, if these do not fit as per the
Guidelines, then only National Fellowship and Scholarship for Higher Education of ST
Students is not available in the drop-down list.

Question 22: If by mistake I have selected any Institute other than where I am
studying, what should I do?
Answer 22: If by mistake a student/applicant has chosen an institute where he is not
studying, then there are 2 stages i) If applicant selects some other Institute by mistake and
application is finally submitted by the student at Institute level then applicant will have to
approach to Institute which he/she has filled in the application and get their application
marked defective from that Institute and then applicant can correct the name of the Institute,
ii) If applicant selects some other Institute by mistake and if application is not finally
submitted by the student at Institute level then student can change the Institute-name
anytime.

Question 23: If I am applying for the first time (not received scholarship earlier from
the Ministry) in NSP for scholarship which marks and percentage I have to enter?
Answer 23: Students who are applying first time (not received scholarship earlier from the
Ministry) in NSP under Fresh category and have not received scholarship earlier from this
Ministry under “National Fellowship and Scholarship for Higher Education of ST Students”,
irrespective of course year (1, 2, 3, 4, 5), they have to enter 12 th class aggregate marks and
percentage if they are presently studying in Graduation level course and students who are
presently studying in Post-Graduation level course have to enter their Graduation level
aggregate marks and percentage. Please note marks should be in percentage and not in
CGPA. If marks in CGPA kindly convert to percentage using conversion factor as per your
institute norms.

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Question 24: If in previous year I have received scholarship from this Ministry under
the same scheme which marks and percentage should I have to enter in NSP
application form?
Answer 24: You have to upload the semester/year’s marksheet, which is immediately
previous to your current semester/year of study and enter the marks/grades/results
accordingly.

Question 25: Can I fill CGPA marks in NSP application form?

Answers 25: Please note marks should be in percentage and not in CGPA. If marks in
CGPA kindly convert to percentage using conversion factor as per your institute norms.

Question 26: Do I have to upload all the documents which is being asked in NSP
application form ?
Answer 26: Please note you have to mandatorily upload below documents in your
application form:

a. Mandatory Documents:

i. Student Photograph

ii. Income Certificate: Fresh applicants should upload latest family Income certificate for the
year 2022-23 (Issued for the period from 1st April 2022 to 31st March 2023). Income
Certificate should be issued by a competent authority designated by the respective State/UT
Government (Certificate signed by Notary is not valid).

iii. Community/Caste Certificate signed and stamped by Competent Authority (Certificate

signed by Notary is not valid).

iv. Scanned Copy of the Passbook clearly showing the account number and name of the
student

v. Scanned Copy of Marksheet of Last Academic Qualification: Upload Marksheet as per

criteria mentioned below:

 If you are applying as Fresh Student (irrespective of course year i.e. 1, 2, 3, 4, 5)

and if you have not received scholarship earlier from this Ministry and if you are
applying for Graduate level course then under Previous Class/Course
Name you should mention12th. Also, under column “Previous Passing Year” you
should mention the Year of their Previous course like 12th and upload your
12th class aggregate marksheet. If You are applying as Renewal Student with
previous year application id then you have to upload previous year/semester
course Marksheet attested by the Institute (in which you are presently studying)

 If you are applying as Fresh Student (irrespective of course year i.e. 1, 2, 3, 4, 5)

and if you have not received scholarship earlier from this Ministry and if you are
applying for Post-Graduation level course then under Previous Class/Course
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 Name you should mention Graduate. Also, under column “Previous Passing
Year” you should mention the Year of your Previous course as Graduate and
upload your Graduate level aggregate marksheet. If You are applying as Renewal
Student with previous year application id then you have to upload previous
year/semester course Marksheet attested by the Institute (in which you are
presently studying)

vi. Bonafide Student of the institution (as per the format given by NSP in application
form)

vii. PVTG (Particularly Vulnerable Tribe Group): PVTG (Particularly Vulnerable

Tribe
Group) Certificate (this document is Mandatory if student falls under this category) :
If student comes under PVTG category (as per the PVTG list available on Ministry of
Tribal Affairs Website then student have to upload this document mandatory.

Question 27: For every year while applying in NSP should I have to upload Income
Certificate signed by Competent Authority?

Answer 27: For the first year the Income certificate should have been issued by the
competent authority. For Renewal students Income certificate is not called for.

Question 28: If in Ist year when I have applied and received scholarship, my parental
annual family income is less then 6 lakhs. But in 2nd year parental annual family
income increase. Am I eligible for scholarship now?
Answer 28: Yes, you are eligible.

Question 29: If I am living outside the hostel premises or in rented accommodation,

will am I eligible to receiving Stipend?
Answer 29: Stipend will be paid to all students irrespective of hostellers or Day Scholars.

Question 30: If I have not applied in NSP 2022-23 for 2022-23 scholarship can I apply
in NSP 2023-24 for 2022-23 scholarship?
Answer 30: The student can fill the form to avail the scholarship for 2023-24 only and not
for any previous year.

Question 31: How many students are eligible to receive scholarship during 2023-24?
Answer 31: All eligible students who have taken admission on merit to the identified premier
institutes, and are verified by Institute and Ministry as per the norms of the scheme are
eligible to receive scholarship. There is no Institute- wise/ State wise/ stream wise ceiling of
slots. However, students admitted in Management quota in a private Institute will not be
entitled to scholarship.

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Question 32: Can I change my Institute?

Answer 32: Change of the Institution is permissible if student changes the Institute after 1
year of his/her course and not after subsequent year. For example, change from IIIT to NIT
may be permissible but the scholarship would be eligible only for remaining period. Also
subject to the condition that in total only four years’ or upto course duration, scholarship will
be given and that one-time assistance for laptop, if already availed, will not be repeated.

Question 33 : If in AY 2022-23, I have not finally submitted the application, can I apply
in NSP for AY 2023-24 with old application id.

Answer 33 : If last year 2022-23 you have not finally submitted your application then in AY
2023-24 you have to register again as Fresh in NSP with new application id. Old Application
id of 2022-23 is already deactivated by NSP.

VERIFICATION PROCESS BY INSTITUTE / MINISTRY

Question 1: If my application has been marked by my Institute / Ministry in Defective

mode then how again I have to submit my application at Institute / Ministry level?
Answer 1: Please note as under:

i. If your application has been marked in Defective mode by your Institute, then your
application is available at your level, you have to do the necessary updation in your
application form and click on SUBMIT Button and application will go online at your
Institute level for verification. After verification of application done by your institute,
application comes at Ministry level for final verification.
ii. If your application is marked in Defective mode by Ministry, then your application is
available at your level, you have to do the necessary updation in your application form
and click on the SUBMIT Button and application will go online at your Institute level.
After verification of application done by your institute, application comes at Ministry
level for final verification.

Question 2: How do I know the deadline for verification of

application at Institute/Ministry level?
Answer 2: Deadline of verification of application at Institute/Ministry level is available on the
NSP portal. Ministry communicates the same to your institute and you can check from your
institute also.

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SELECTION PROCESS

Question 1: What is the slot for Fresh scholarship every year?

Answer 1: All eligible students who have taken admission on merit to the identified premier
institutes, and are verified by Institute and Ministry as per the norms of the scheme are
eligible to receive scholarship. There is no Institute- wise/ State wise/ stream wise ceiling of
number of slots. However, students admitted in Management quota in a private Institute
will not be entitled to scholarship.

PAYMENT PROCESS ISSUES (Bank Account details)

Question 1: My registered bank account (in NSP) is closed by me due to some

reasons; I want to change my Bank account details So please give me option to
change in Bank details.
Answer 1: NSP will give the chance for Bank Account updation when NSP will do account
validation at the time of payment. If any discrepancy is found by NSP in your bank account
details, then NSP will give only one option in your NSP application login to update the bank
account details and even after that your payment got failed then no other chance will be
given to you to make the correction.

Question 2: If I have done mistake in entering some bank account details in my

application form in NSP, do updation of account details option is available in
application form?
Answer 2: The student / applicant shall note that NSP provides only one chance for updating
bank account details if payment failed (only in case when bank accounts details are not
validated by PFMS). Applicants should be cautious to exercise this option, failing which the
application will not be considered for scholarship.

IMP NOTE : From 2023-24, Aadhar based payments will be made by NSP so your
account should be Aadhar seeded / linked.

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FINANACIAL ASSISTANCE

Question 1: What is Financial Assistance provided by the Ministry under “National

Fellowship and Scholarship for Higher Education” (Top Class Scholarship Scheme)?
Answer 1: Please find below the Financial Assistance details provided by Ministry of Tribal
Affairs under “National Fellowship and Scholarship for Higher Education (Top Class
Scholarship Scheme)”:

Sr. No. Component Details Remarks

1. Tuition Fees Full Admission fee, tuition There will be a ceiling of

and Admission fee and other non- Rs.2.50 lakhs per annum per
fee refundable dues in respect student for private sector
of Institutes.
Government/Government-
funded Institutes.

2. Books & @ Rs.5000/- per annum per annum per student without
Stationery bills/vouchers.

3. Stipend @ Rs.3000/-per month -

4. Computer & Rs.45000/- (One time Computer & accessories may

Accessories assistance during the be Desktop/Laptop etc.
course tenure)
(Without bills/vouchers)

Question 3: If I have received the computer charges earlier from the Ministry am I
eligible to receive the same in next year if I have lost my computer?
Answer 3: No, Computer allowance is a one-time payment.

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HANDLING GRIEVANCES (Technical Issues OF NSP)

Question 1: If we are facing any technical issue in filling the application form in NSP
or any other issue where we can contact?
Answer 1: Students who are receiving scholarship from this Ministry can send the
grievance of in the Grievance portal of Ministry of Tribal Affairs (tribal.nic.in/grievance) and
steps to register on grievance portal as given below. You can call to Scholarship Division of
this Ministry: 011-23345179 (This number is only to give solution pertaining to “National
Fellowship and Scholarship for Higher Education of ST Students Scheme (earlier known as
Top Class Scholarship)”

Step -1: Open URL of Grievance-

URL: -https://tribal.nic.in/Grievance/

Step -2: Register Yourself with proper information [for new user only]

 Click “Register Yourself” button to get registration. It will open Registration Form for
Student.
 On Registration Form, select “Student” and “Top Class” option and fill all required
information.

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Note: - Your given email id is your USER ID for Login in Grievance.

Step -3: - Login [for registered user only]

 After successful registration, you can login with your given EMAIL ID and
PASSWORD.
 Once you get login, you can send your Query/ Grievance and you will see the
response of Query/ Grievance also after login.

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