Karnataka Government Scholarships for OBC Students 2026: Schemes, Amount, Eligibility and Last Date

Karnataka Government Scholarships for OBC Students 2026 cover five main schemes. The Backward Classes Welfare Department (BCWD) runs all five. They are the Post-Matric Scholarship, the Fee Concession scheme and Vidyasiri. The Pre-Matric Scholarship and a PhD fellowship complete the list.

Applications for 2026-27 post-matric schemes close on November 30, 2026. This date covers Post-Matric, Vidyasiri, Fee Concession and the NT/SNT scheme. The Class 9 and 10 Pre-Matric window closed on September 30, 2026.

Income is the first filter. Category 1 families can earn up to INR. 2.50 Lakh a year. Category 2A, 3A and 3B families must stay within INR. 1.00 Lakh. Students apply on the State Scholarship Portal (SSP). NSP One Time Registration comes first.

Karnataka OBC Scholarships 2026-27 List

The table below lists each BCWD scheme and its yearly benefit. All amounts come from the department's official scheme pages.

What Is SSP Karnataka?

SSP stands for State Scholarship Portal. It is the single online portal for Karnataka government scholarships. OBC students select the Backward Classes Welfare Department schemes on it. The money goes straight to the student's Aadhaar-linked bank account.

Karnataka OBC Scholarship 2026 Eligibility Criteria

Every scheme needs the student to be a permanent resident of Karnataka. The student must belong to a notified backward class. The college must be government, aided or recognised private. It must come under a Karnataka university.

Income limits are the same across the main college schemes. The table shows the yearly family income cap.

Minimum Marks for Each Scheme

Each scheme sets its own marks bar. It applies to the previous year's annual exam.

Example: A Category 2A student with 66% misses Post-Matric. The same student still qualifies for Vidyasiri and Fee Concession.

Who Cannot Apply?

The department lists clear exclusions. A student who falls under any of these loses eligibility.

• Students on management quota, private seats or COMEDK seats.
• Students repeating a course of the same level, such as B.A. after B.Com.
• A third son in the family. Only two sons get the benefit, but daughters have no limit.
• PG medical students who practise medicine during the course.

Professional seats count only through government counselling like KCET. A seat taken through COMEDK UGET does not qualify for Post-Matric.

Karnataka OBC Post-Matric Scholarship Amount 2026

The Post-Matric Scholarship pays two parts. One is an educational allowance. The other is a tuition fee share.

Example: A Category 3B B.E. student on a KCET seat falls in Group 1. The student has 72% marks and family income under Rs. 1 Lakh. This student gets Rs. 20,000.

The department targets this scheme at day scholars. These students lack a hostel seat or Vidyasiri support.

BCWD Fee Concession Scheme for OBC Students

The Fee Concession scheme pays back college fees for government quota students. It covers five fee heads. BCWD pays the actual fee or its fixed rate, whichever is lower.

• Tuition fee
• Laboratory fee for compulsory courses
• Exam fee
• Sports fee
• Library fee

It cannot be combined with a centrally sponsored post-matric scholarship. SC, ST and minority students apply under their own departments.

Note: BCWD extended the 2026-27 Fee Concession deadline to November 30, 2026.

Vidyasiri Food and Accommodation Scholarship 2026

The Vidyasiri scheme helps OBC students without a government hostel seat. It pays Rs. 1,500 a month for 10 months. That adds up to Rs. 15,000 a year.

The student's home must be at least 5 km from the college. Students from one city studying in another city or town also qualify. Changing courses more than once makes the student ineligible.

Example: A Category 1 student from a village in Mandya joins B.Sc in Mysuru. The student rents a room and scored 58%. This student qualifies for Vidyasiri.

Other BCWD Scholarships for OBC Students

Two more schemes sit outside the college-level group. One is for school students and one for PhD scholars.

Pre-Matric Scholarship for Class 9 and 10

The Pre-Matric Scholarship pays INR. 4,000 a year. It covers Category 1, 2A, 3A and 3B students in government schools. Family income must stay below INR. 2.50 Lakh. The previous year's grade must be A+, A, B+ or B.

PhD Fellowship for Backward Classes

The PhD fellowship pays INR. 10,000 a month for up to 3 years. The scholar needs at least 55% in the PG degree. The age limit is 35 years.

The PhD registration must fall within two years before the application deadline. Government employees and those with another monthly stipend cannot apply.

How to Apply for Karnataka OBC Scholarship 2026-27?

The whole process runs online. Students complete these steps in order.

• Create the NSP One Time Registration (OTR) on scholarships.gov.in. It gives a 14-digit OTR number.

• Get the bank account seeded with Aadhaar at the bank branch.
• Create a student account on the SSP portal.
• Enter Aadhaar, the Class 10 registration number and certificate RD number.
• Add college, course and university registration details.
• Choose day scholar or hosteller, and add counselling details for professional courses.
• Submit the application before the BCWD last date.

After submission, the college verifies the application. The university uploads the student's marks to the National Academic Depository (NAD). The department approves the scholarship only after this step.

Important: SSP rejects the application if the bank account lacks Aadhaar seeding.

Documents Required

Students keep these details ready before starting the form.

• Aadhaar number, mobile number and email ID
• SSLC registration number
• RD number of the caste and income certificate
• College enrolment or university registration number
• UDID number for students with disabilities
• Hostel details, if staying in a hostel
• Counselling details for professional courses

Karnataka OBC Scholarship 2026-27 Last Date

The SSP portal lists these dates for BCWD schemes in 2026-27.

A student who misses the date cannot apply for that year. Deadlines in earlier cycles were sometimes extended by notice.

Why OBC Scholarship Payments Get Delayed?

Students report that payment delays are common after applying. Most cases trace back to a few fixable problems.

• The bank account is not seeded with Aadhaar, so payment fails.
• The name on Aadhaar does not match the caste or income certificate.
• The college has not verified the application on SSP.
• The university has not uploaded marks to NAD.

Students can check the application status by logging in to SSP. The BCWD helpline also handles payment complaints.

Quora Discussion 

Uma Jayachandran a Former Deputy Registrar (Retired) at the Indian Institute of Science (IISc), Bengaluru asks: Can undergraduate students above 20 years of age who have lost their father apply for scholarships in Karnataka?

Students can explore the following options:

• Karnataka OBC Post-Matric Scholarship: Students belonging to eligible OBC categories can apply if they meet the prescribed family income, course and academic requirements.
• Merit-based scholarships: Students with good academic records can look for financial assistance offered by universities, colleges and scholarship providers.
• Need-based financial assistance: Students facing financial difficulties after the loss of a parent can approach their college or university to enquire about fee concessions and student welfare assistance.
• Private trusts and charitable organisations: Some charitable institutions and trusts support students from financially disadvantaged families. Applicants should check whether they offer assistance to students who have lost a parent.

What should students do?

• Check their eligibility for government scholarships on the Karnataka State Scholarship Portal (SSP).
• Contact their college's scholarship or student welfare office for information about fee concessions and financial assistance.
• Keep relevant documents ready, such as income and caste certificates (where applicable), academic records, Aadhaar details and bank account information.
• Enquire with charitable trusts about their application process and whether they consider applications from students who have lost a parent.

Important: There is no universal age restriction of 20 years across all scholarship schemes. Students should check the age limit and other eligibility conditions of each scheme before applying.