The Scheme of Free Coaching for SCs, OBCs and beneficiaries of the PM CARES Children Scheme pays the full coaching fee for competitive exams – up to Rs 75,000 for UPSC, State PSC, JEE, NEET or GATE – plus a stipend of Rs 4,000 a month and an extra Rs 15,000 if you clear the mains stage of the civil services exam. The 2026-27 application on the National Scholarship Portal closes on 31 October 2026.
It is run by the Ministry of Social Justice and Empowerment through the Dr. Ambedkar Foundation, and the coaching itself happens at Dr. Ambedkar Centres of Excellence (DACE) inside empanelled central universities. That detail matters more than any other: you cannot pick a private coaching institute and claim the fee back. You apply to the scheme, the university shortlists you, and the money goes to you by DBT for the course running at its own centre.
About 3,500 students are selected every year. This page gives the exact fee ceiling for every covered exam, the income and marks conditions, the seat and quota rules, the attendance rules that can cancel your candidature, and the portal dates. Every figure comes from the scheme’s FAQ and guideline PDFs hosted on the National Scholarship Portal.
Free coaching scheme 2026-27 at a glance
Quick facts2026-27
| Scholarship from | Ministry of Social Justice and Empowerment, Government of India – implemented by the Dr. Ambedkar Foundation (DAF) |
| Last date to apply | 31 October 2026 (student application on the National Scholarship Portal); defective application and institute verification 15 November 2026; DNO/SNO/MNO verification 30 November 2026 |
| Official website | National Scholarship Portal, all schemes and 2026-27 closing dates (official) |
What the scheme pays
Three separate payments, all released to the student’s own bank account:
- Course fee up to the ceiling fixed for your exam (table below). The fee is paid to you and you must remit it to the university within 15 days.
- Stipend of Rs 4,000 per month for the full duration of the course, capped at 12 months.
- Rs 15,000 interview incentive for students who clear the mains stage of the Central Civil Services or State Civil Services exams for Class 1 and Class 2 posts.
The fee and the stipend are released in two instalments of 50 per cent each – the first at the start of the course and the second after more than 75 per cent of the course duration is over. You do not have to wait for the first instalment to start classes: the guidelines tell central universities to let eligible students join even before the money is released.
Fee ceiling and duration for each exam
| UPSC / State PSC civil services (Group A and B) | Rs 75,000, 12 months |
| SSC / RRB | Rs 40,000, 6 to 9 months |
| Banking, insurance, PSU officers’ grade and CLAT | Rs 50,000, 6 to 9 months |
| JEE / NEET | Rs 75,000, 9 to 12 months |
| IES | Rs 75,000, 9 to 12 months |
| CAT / CMAT | Rs 50,000, 6 to 9 months |
| GRE / GMAT / SAT / IELTS / TOEFL | Rs 35,000, 3 to 6 months |
| CA-CPT / GATE | Rs 75,000, 9 to 12 months |
| Commercial Pilot Licence (CPL) | Rs 30,000, 6 to 9 months |
| NDA / CDS | Rs 20,000, 3 to 4 months |
A minimum of 16 hours of physical coaching per week is mandatory for every course. Stipend is paid for the actual months of coaching or the maximum prescribed duration, whichever is less – a university that runs the batch longer than the ceiling does not get the student extra stipend.
Who is eligible
- SC or OBC with total annual family income of Rs 8 lakh or less from all sources.
- PM CARES Children Scheme beneficiary holding the Central Government certificate with beneficiary ID – no income and no caste condition applies.
- For exams where the qualifying stage is class XII: you must have passed class XII or be studying in class XII, and you must have at least 50 per cent marks in class X.
- For exams where the qualifying stage is graduation: you must have completed the degree or be in its final year, with at least 50 per cent marks in class XII.
- A valid Aadhaar number and an Aadhaar-seeded bank account. If Aadhaar is not yet issued, the Enrolment ID is accepted at application stage, but payment is released only after Aadhaar is obtained and linked.
Income proof has a fixed shape. For self-employed parents the income certificate must come from a Revenue Officer not below the rank of Tehsildar; for employed parents you need an employer certificate plus a consolidated certificate from the Revenue Officer covering any other source of income. An SC or OBC candidate who belongs to a minority community is told to apply under the Ministry of Minority Affairs or the state government’s equivalent scheme instead – this scheme does not cover that category.
Seats, quotas and women’s reservation
- 3,500 students a year across all empanelled central universities.
- Up to 100 seats per central university, excluding PM CARES beneficiaries.
- Seats are split 70:30 between SC and OBC. The SC share will not go below 70 per cent; DAF can relax it only in exceptional cases and never below 50 per cent.
- 30 per cent of the seats in each category are reserved for women.
- No central university runs a batch smaller than 50 students, and no more than 4 courses are assigned to one university, with at least 25 students per course.
- Every eligible PM CARES beneficiary is admitted over and above the 100 seats and is exempt from the merit selection process.
Documents and how to apply
- Register on the National Scholarship Portal and select the Free Coaching for SCs, OBCs and PM CARES beneficiaries scheme.
- Fill your personal, academic and bank details. Only online applications are accepted – no central university entertains an offline form, and incomplete applications are rejected outright.
- Upload the caste certificate, the income certificate in the prescribed form, your class X or class XII marksheet as applicable, the Aadhaar-linked bank details, and for PM CARES beneficiaries the certificate with the beneficiary ID.
- Submit before 31 October 2026 and let your university verify the application by 15 November 2026.
- Watch for the shortlist from the Dr. Ambedkar Centre of Excellence you selected – the university prepares its own merit list for SC and OBC candidates and then forwards it to the Ministry through DAF.
A rejected candidate is not barred forever: the guidelines say such a student can apply again in a later year of selection.
Rules that can cancel your benefit
- The benefit can be taken only twice in your lifetime, whatever the exam or the number of attempts.
- You cannot hold this benefit along with any other central or state coaching scheme at the same time, and you have to declare it in the application.
- Attendance is recorded through Aadhaar-based biometric authentication. Absence of more than four days in a month without a medical or household emergency can cancel your candidature.
- False information or a forged document leads to cancellation, recovery of the amount with 15 per cent compound interest, and administrative or criminal proceedings.
Important dates 2026-27
| Portal opened for applications | 3 August 2026 |
| Last date for students to apply | 31 October 2026 |
| Defective application correction | 15 November 2026 |
| Institute verification | 15 November 2026 |
| DNO / SNO / MNO verification | 30 November 2026 |
Frequently asked questions
The student application window on the National Scholarship Portal closes on 31 October 2026. Defective applications can be corrected and institutes can verify until 15 November 2026, and the DNO, SNO and MNO verification closes on 30 November 2026.
The course fee up to the ceiling for your exam (Rs 75,000 for UPSC, State PSC, JEE, NEET, IES, GATE and CA-CPT; Rs 50,000 for banking, CAT and CLAT; Rs 40,000 for SSC and RRB; Rs 35,000 for GRE, GMAT, SAT, IELTS and TOEFL; Rs 30,000 for CPL and Rs 20,000 for NDA and CDS), a stipend of Rs 4,000 a month for up to 12 months, and Rs 15,000 for interview coaching after clearing the mains stage of the civil services exam.
Yes. Total annual family income from all sources must be Rs 8 lakh or less for SC and OBC candidates. PM CARES Children Scheme beneficiaries have no income or caste condition, but they must hold the Central Government certificate with a beneficiary ID.
No. The coaching is delivered only at Dr. Ambedkar Centres of Excellence in empanelled central universities. A university may admit extra students at its own cost, but the Ministry pays nothing for those students.
About 3,500 students are selected every year, with up to 100 seats per central university in a 70:30 SC to OBC ratio. Thirty per cent of the seats in each category are reserved for female candidates, and PM CARES beneficiaries are admitted over and above the 100 seats.
You can use the scheme a maximum of two times, regardless of the exam or the number of attempts, and you cannot hold it simultaneously with any other coaching scheme run by the Central or a State Government.
Official links
Official FAQ of the free coaching scheme, scheme guidelines PDF with the fee and duration Annexure-A, National Scholarship Portal.
Browse more: SC, ST and OBC Scholarships, National Scholarships, Class 12 Scholarships.
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