Expertie

Scholarship

Post Matric Scholarship Scheme For The Students Belonging To Scheduled Tribe For Studies In India(POST-ST)

Cash
Eligibility
The scholarships are open to nationals of India.
Region
All India
Award
Cash
By Expertie Editorial Team · Expertie editorial desk

Overview

About POST-ST

The Post Matric Scholarship for Scheduled Tribe students is a centrally sponsored scheme run by the Ministry of Tribal Affairs, Government of India. It is meant for students from Scheduled Tribe (ST) communities who are studying in India, and it covers courses from class XI right through to the postgraduate level.

This is a cash scholarship. Eligible students receive financial assistance towards their higher studies while enrolled at recognised institutions in the country. The purpose is to ease the cost of education past the school-leaving stage, so that more ST students can move on to college and university.

The Ministry of Tribal Affairs is responsible for the education, welfare and development of Scheduled Tribe communities. Eligibility, the income conditions and the rate of assistance are fixed by the Ministry and revised from time to time, so a student should check the current criteria against their own course and category before applying.

Sources: Post Matric Scholarship for ST students (post-st) - myScheme, Government of India · Ministry of Tribal Affairs - Wikipedia · Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes - Wikipedia

Who runs it

Provider

Ministry Of Tribal Affairs

Central Government

Centrally Sponsored Scheme

At a glance

Key details

LevelCentral
Scheme typeCentrally Sponsored Scheme
CategoryEducation & Learning
BeneficiariesIndividual
Benefit typeCash
Application modeOffline

Calendar

Important dates

Across all open application cycles.

Important dates by cycle
CycleStageDate
CurrentApplications open2022-04-01

Who can apply

Eligibility criteria

The scholarships are open to nationals of India.
These scholarships will be given for the study of all recognized post-matriculation post-secondary courses pursued in recognized institutions.
Only those candidates who belong to Scheduled Tribes so specified in relation to the State/Union Territory to which the applicant actually belongs (i.e. permanently settled) and who have passed the Matriculation or Higher Secondary or any higher examination of a recognized University or Board of Secondary Education, will be eligible.
Students studying in Class XI of Higher Secondary Schools which have a continuous school course of 12th class will not be eligible. However, in cases where the X class examination of such courses is treated as equivalent to Matriculation and students after passing the tenth class can join other courses, such students will be treated as post-matric students and will be eligible for the award of scholarships.
Students pursuing post-graduate courses in medicine will be eligible if they are not allowed to practice during the period of their course.
Students who after failing or passing the undergraduate/post-graduate examinations in Arts/Science/Commerce join any recognized professional or technical certificate/diploma/degree courses will be awarded scholarships if otherwise eligible. No subsequent failure will be condoned except for courses in Group ‘I’, and no further change in the course will be allowed.
Students who pursue their studies through correspondence courses are also eligible. The term correspondence includes distant and continuing education.
Employed students who take leave without pay for the entire duration of the course and study as full-time students will be eligible for scholarships.
From the academic year 1980-81, employed students whose income combined with the income of their parents/guardians does not exceed the maximum prescribed income ceiling are made eligible for post-matric scholarships to the extent of reimbursement of all compulsorily payable non-refundable fees.
All children of the same parents/guardians will be entitled to receive the benefits of the scheme.
A scholarship holder under this scheme will not hold any other scholarship/stipend.
If awarded any other scholarship/stipend, the student can exercise his/her option for either of the two scholarships/stipends, whichever is more beneficial to him/her, and should inform the awarding authority through the Head of the Institution about the option made. No scholarship will be paid to the students under this scheme from the date he/she accepts another scholarship/stipend. The student can, however, accept free lodging or a grant or Adhoc monetary help from the State Government or any other source for the purchase of books, and equipment or for meeting the expenses on board and
lodging in addition to the scholarship amount paid under this scheme.
Income CriteriaScholarships will be paid to the students whose parents/guardians’ income from all sources does not exceed ₹ 2,00,000/- per annum.
Income CriteriaNOTE 1: So long as either of the parents (or husband in the case of a married unemployed girl student) is alive, only the income of the parents/husband, as the case may be, from all sources has to be taken into account and of no other member even though they may be earning. In the form of income declaration, income is to be declared on this basis. Only in the case where both the parents (or husband in the case of a married but unemployed girl student) have died, the income of the guardian who is supporting the student in his/her studies is to be taken. Such students whose parental income is affected due to the unfortunate death of one of their earning parents and resultantly comes within the income ceiling prescribed under the scheme shall become eligible for the scholarship, subject to their fulfilling other conditions of eligibility, from the month in which such sad incidence takes place. Applications for scholarships from such students can be considered even after the lapse of the last date of receipt of applications, on compassionate grounds.
Income CriteriaNOTE 2: House rent allowance received by the parents of a student shall be exempted from the computation of ‘income’ if the same has been permitted to be exempted for purpose of Income-tax.
Income CriteriaNOTE 3: Income certificate is required to be taken once only i.e. at the time of admission to courses that are continuing for more than one year.
Income CriteriaNOTE 4: The revised income ceilings account for Consumer Price Index for Industrial workers up to October 2009. The income Ceiling would be revised once every two years linking it with Consumer Price Index for Industrial Workers for the month of October of the year, preceding the year of revision, and will be made effective from April.

Who cannot apply

Exclusions

  • Candidates who complete a course in one stream will not be eligible to take diploma/degree course of different stream. For example, student will not be eligible for scholarship for pursuing B. Com after completing B.A or BSC or MBBS after doing B.Tech.

What you get

Award & benefits

  • Stipend: The student will be entitled to stipend as per rates listed below.
  • CoursesHostellersDay ScholarBachelor, Master Degree, MPhil/PhD degree leading to Degree, PG Diploma, in professional courses in various streams Monthly: 1200 ; Annually: 12000Monthly: 500 ; Annually: 5500All non-professional recognized courses leading to a Bachelor, Master Degree, MPhil/PhD degree not covered under Group I in Arts, Science and Commerce like BA/B.Sc/B.Com or MA/MSc/M.Com Monthly: 820 ; Annually: 8200Monthly: 530; Annually: 5300Vocational stream, ITI courses, 3 year diploma courses in Polytechnics, etc.Monthly: 570; Annually: 5700Monthly: 300; Annually: 3000All post-matriculation level non-degree courses for which entrance qualification is High School (Class X), e.g. senior secondary certificate (class XI and XII).Monthly: 380; Annually: 3800Monthly: 230; Annually: 2300
  • Note 1: It needs to be clarified that the stipend is a sort of incentive provided to a student for pursuing a particular course and in no way meant to provide for reimbursement of boarding and lodging charges like mess, hostel or other similar charges.
  • Note 2: Additional Disability Allowance: -In addition to stipend provided above, an additional Stipend of Rs. 800/-per month (Rs. 9600 annually) will be given to the Divyangjan student who is hosteller and Rs.600 (Rs 7200 annually) to Day scholar. The disability as defined under the relevant ‘Disabilities Act’ has to be certified by competent medical authority of the State Govt./UT Administration. The provisions of Disability allowance will also apply to leprosy-cured and students having sickle cell Anemia or Thalassemia as notified by Ministry of Social Justice and empowerment
  • Note 3: Under “National fellowship & Scholarship for Higher Education of ST students” Scheme [Top class Scholarship], MoTA is providing Scholarships to students for pursuing graduation and post-graduation courses in Top Class Institutes (currently 252) across India. To avoid duplicity, students pursuing courses in such Institutes will not be entitled for benefit under Post Matric Scholarship. Scholarship holder under this scheme can hold only one scholarship/stipend at a time.
  • A centrally sponsored scholarship scheme by the Ministry of Tribal Affairs for students from scheduled tribes pursuing post-matriculation or post-secondary stages to enable them to complete their education.
  • Components of the Scheme: The scholarship has two components: Component 1: Payment of compulsory fees charged by educational institutions subject to the limit fixed by the concerned State.
  • Component 2: Payment of Maintenance amount varying from ₹230/- to ₹1200/- per month, depending upon the course of study pursued by the student.

What to prepare

Documents required

An application for a scholarship should comprise:
One copy of the application for scholarship in the prescribed form (separate application forms have been prescribed for ‘fresh’ and renewal scholarships by concerned States/UTs).
One copy of the passport-size photograph with signatures of the student thereon (for fresh scholarship).
One attested copy of certificates, diplomas, degrees, etc. in respect of all examinations passed.
A certificate (in original) of Caste duly signed by an authorized Revenue Officer not below the rank of Tahsildar.
An income declaration by the self-employed parents/guardians, stating definite income from all sources through an affidavit on nonjudicial stamp paper. Employed parents/guardians are required to obtain an income certificate from their employer and for any additional income from other sources, they would furnish a declaration by way of an affidavit on non-judicial stamp paper.
A receipt in acknowledgment of the scholarship in the previous year on the form attached to the application only duly counter-signed by the Head of the Institution concerned if the applicant was in receipt of a scholarship under this scheme in the preceding year.

Step by step

How to apply

  1. 1
    Apply offline

    See the official links below for the application portal.

Questions

POST-ST – FAQ

Disclaimer

Scheme details are compiled from myScheme, the Government of India’s official scheme-discovery platform, and are reproduced without alteration. Amounts, deadlines and eligibility change between cycles — always confirm on the official links above before applying. Expertie does not process applications or charge fees.

Written by

Expertie Editorial Team

Expertie editorial desk

Published 8 Jul 2026 Last updated 8 Jul 2026verified data

Sources & References

  1. 1.myScheme (MeitY, Government of India) official-site· accessed 2026-07-08