PM-USP Special Scholarship Scheme for J&K and Ladakh (SSS J&K / PMSSS)
Ministry of Education (Scholarships Division), implemented through AICTE
Application deadline
Check the official page
Overview
The PM-USP Special Scholarship Scheme for Jammu & Kashmir and Ladakh (SSS J&K, also called PMSSS) helps students from J&K and Ladakh study outside their home UTs. It came out of a 2010 Prime Minister's Expert Group recommendation and has run since 2011, under the Ministry of Education and implemented by AICTE.
5,000 fresh scholarships are given every year — 2,070 for General Degree courses, 2,830 for Professional/Engineering courses and 100 for Medical courses.
The scholarship has two parts. First, your academic fee is paid directly to your college, up to ₹30,000 a year for General Degree, ₹1.25 lakh for Professional/Engineering (including B.Sc Nursing, B.Pharmacy, B.Architecture, HMCT and BA LLB at National Law Universities) and ₹3 lakh for Medical/BDS. Even if your college charges more, it cannot recover the extra from you. Second, you get a fixed maintenance allowance of ₹1 lakh a year in your own bank account for hostel, mess, books and other costs — in the first year as ₹20,000 followed by eight monthly instalments of ₹10,000, and from the second year as ten monthly instalments of ₹10,000.
Who can apply: domiciles of J&K or Ladakh who passed Class 12 from a JKBOSE or CBSE school located in the UTs, with family income of ₹8 lakh or less. You must apply on the AICTE portal and verify your documents at a Facilitation Centre.
Important: students already enrolled on the National Scholarship Portal as a beneficiary, or taking any other government scholarship, are NOT eligible. Management-quota admissions, open-university courses, diploma courses and postgraduate study are also excluded.
At a glance
| Who can apply | UG |
|---|---|
| Streams | Engineering, General Degree, Medical, Professional |
| Category | All, SC, ST, OBC, EWS, PwD |
| Age | — |
| Income limit | up to ₹8,00,000 / year |
| Gender | All |
| States | Jammu and Kashmir, Ladakh |
| Benefit / amount | Academic fee up to ₹30,000 (General) / ₹1.25 lakh (Professional-Engineering) / ₹3 lakh (Medical) per year, plus a fixed ₹1 lakh per year maintenance allowance |
| Duration | For the length of your course, renewed each year on good conduct and attendance |
| Renewable | Yes |
| Last date | See official page |
| Opened | — |
Documents you'll need
- Domicile certificate of J&K or Ladakh
- Class 10 and Class 12 certificates (or Polytechnic Diploma for lateral entry)
- Family income certificate (Tehsildar or equivalent)
- Category certificate (SC/ST/SEBC/EWS) if applying under a reserved quota
- Disability certificate (40% and above) for PwD candidates
- Aadhaar number
- Passport photo and scanned signature
- Aadhaar-seeded savings bank account in the student's own name (not a no-frill, minor, parents' or joint account)
How you're selected
5,000 fresh scholarships a year — 2,070 for General Degree courses, 2,830 for Professional/Engineering and 100 for Medical. A provisional merit list is made from your Class 12 or Diploma result and shown on the student portal; you must attend the online counselling, and seats are allotted by merit and availability. Reservation follows J&K/Ladakh norms — SC 8%, ST 20%, OBC 8%, ALC/IB residents 4%, backward area 10%, EWS 10%, plus horizontal reservation for PwD 4%, children of defence personnel 3%, children of paramilitary/UT police 1% and sports 2%.
FAQs
Who can apply for SSS J&K / PMSSS? Domiciles of Jammu & Kashmir or Ladakh who passed Class 12 from a JKBOSE- or CBSE-affiliated school located in the UTs, with a family income of ₹8 lakh or less per year.
How much do I get? Two parts: academic fee paid straight to your college — up to ₹30,000/year (General Degree), ₹1.25 lakh (Professional/Engineering) or ₹3 lakh (Medical) — plus a fixed ₹1 lakh a year maintenance allowance paid to your own bank account.
How is the maintenance allowance paid? In the first year: ₹20,000 first, then eight monthly instalments of ₹10,000. From the second year: ten monthly instalments of ₹10,000.
How many scholarships are there? 5,000 a year — 2,070 General Degree, 2,830 Professional/Engineering, 100 Medical.
Can I take this along with another scholarship? No. Students already enrolled on the National Scholarship Portal as a beneficiary, or availing any other Central/State/UT scholarship, are not eligible.
Who is NOT eligible? Open-university students, management-quota admissions, admissions through agents or NGOs, diploma students, postgraduate students, families earning over ₹8 lakh, and anyone joining a college outside the prescribed AICTE list.
Where do I apply? Online on the AICTE J&K portal, then verify your original documents at the nearest Facilitation Centre in J&K or Ladakh. Check the portal for the current year's dates.