National Scholarship Portal: OTR, apply and track

Before you start: what NSP asks for

• An active mobile number, and the mobile number linked to your Aadhaar (OTPs go there).
• Aadhaar. Without one, NSP's OTR FAQ accepts the Aadhaar Enrolment ID (EID) slip; for a student who is a minor, a parent's or guardian's Aadhaar. NSP OTR FAQ ↗
• A bank account seeded with your Aadhaar — scholarship money is paid by DBT. NSP's FAQ marks NPCI seeding as "desired"; without it payments can fail (see the payment-delay guide).
• Your Aadhaar biometrics must not be locked: NSP's home page warns that face authentication fails if they are. You can see the lock status in mAadhaar or My Aadhaar.

Step 1 — get your OTR number

1. Open "Apply for OTR" on NSP and complete Aadhaar OTP e-KYC. You get a Reference number; it stays valid until you finish face authentication. NSP OTR login ↗
2. On an Android phone, install two apps from the Play Store: "AadhaarFaceRD" (UIDAI) and the "NSP OTR App".
3. In the NSP OTR App choose "eKYC with FaceAuth", enter the Reference number, tap "Send OTP", enter the OTP and captcha, then "Proceed for Face Authentication" and look at the camera.
4. Your OTR number is generated and sent to you by SMS. Keep it — you log in with it every year.
5. Lost the Reference number or OTR? The OTR page has "Forgot Reference no", "Forgot OTR Number" and "Know your OTR".
6. No smartphone? NSP's home page says a Common Service Centre (CSC) does the whole service — reference number, biometric authentication, OTR and the application — for a fee fixed at ₹30 including taxes. Do not pay anyone more.

Step 2 — apply for a scholarship

1. Log in on NSP with your OTR number. NSP application login ↗
2. Choose Apply (fresh) or renewal, and pick the scheme you are eligible for. NSP's home page says that from academic year 2026-27 a student may apply for one merit-based scheme and one or more welfare-based schemes.
3. Under My Applications fill every part: general information, academic details, the application-specific and scheme-specific details.
4. Upload the documents the scheme asks for, check everything, then Final Submit. NSP's manual warns an application can no longer be edited after final submission.

Step 3 — verification by your institute and the department

1. Level 1: your institute's nodal officer verifies the application on NSP. Then it goes to district, state or ministry level, depending on the scheme.
2. NSP's standard operating procedure says the student must follow up with the institute so it verifies before the deadline. Ask your college's scholarship section the day you submit.
3. If the application is marked defective, log in, correct it and resubmit before the deadline. An application marked rejected is not processed further.

Step 4 — check application and payment status

1. Application status: log in with your OTR; NSP's FAQ says every status is shown there.
2. Payment status: NSP's "Track Your Payment" link goes to PFMS (the government's payment system). PFMS has moved to pfms.gov.in; its DBT status tracker shows the last two years. PFMS ↗
3. Payment shows failed or nothing arrives? Follow the payment-delay guide below — the usual cause is Aadhaar not seeded to an active bank account.

Official help (as printed on NSP, 22 Oct 2026)

• NSP helpdesk: helpdesk@nsp.gov.in, 0120-6619540 — 8:00 AM to 8:00 PM, all days except government holidays. NSP helpdesk page ↗
• PFMS (payments) helpdesk: helpdesk-pfms@gov.in, toll-free 1800 118 111 — same hours.
• Grievance: NSP grievance registration. Register a grievance ↗