October 2026 Scholarship Calendar India: What Is Closing and What to Prepare Next

Published 26 September 2026 | Scholarlify | Education level: school to postgraduate | Region: India

The October 2026 scholarship calendar at a glance

A quick note on how to read this table. These are the dates published at the time of writing, and providers do change them. If you are close to a deadline, open the official page again before you submit.

Reliance Foundation: the first deadline of the month

Reliance Foundation opened its 2026-27 applications on 14 August 2026, and both the undergraduate and postgraduate tracks close on 5 October 2026. The undergraduate award is meant for students in the first year of a regular, full-time degree in any stream. You need at least 60% in Class 12 and a household income below Rs 15 lakh, and the foundation says it can support up to 5,000 undergraduates, with awards of up to Rs 2 lakh over the length of the degree.

The postgraduate track is much smaller. Up to 100 scholars are chosen from select engineering and life sciences courses, and the award goes up to Rs 6 lakh over the programme.

The part students most often miss is the aptitude test. Submitting the form is not enough, because the application counts as complete only once the test is done. The Reliance Foundation Undergraduate Scholarships 2026-27 page on Scholarlify lists the documents to keep ready: a passport size photograph, address proof, Class 10 and 12 marksheets, a bonafide certificate from your current college, and family income proof. Education websites also report that PG reference letters are accepted until 12 October 2026 and that selected scholars will be announced in December 2026. Treat both as reported dates and confirm them in your applicant portal.

PNB Housing Finance Pehel Shiksha: 9 October 2026

The PNB Housing Finance Pehel Shiksha Scholarship is a CSR programme of PNB Housing Finance Limited for children of construction workers, run with Scholarlify as the implementation partner. The scholarship page lists 9 October 2026 as the closing date. That date has been revised before, so look at the PNB Pehel Shiksha Scholarship page on Scholarlify once more on the day you apply.

Eligibility is straightforward. You should have scored at least 60% in the previous academic year, your family income from all sources should be up to Rs 5 lakh a year, and your parent should work in construction. The award is Rs 12,000 a year for Classes 6 to 10, Rs 18,000 for Classes 11 and 12, and Rs 30,000 for undergraduate courses.

NSP 2026-27: 31 October, and the dates after it

The National Scholarship Portal opened on 1 June 2026, and for most central schemes the student application deadline is 31 October 2026. What gets less attention is what comes next. The portal lists 15 November 2026 for institute verification and 30 November 2026 for district or state verification for most schemes.

That second part is out of your hands, which is exactly why you should not wait until the last week. If your college is slow to verify, an application you submitted on time can still go nowhere. Complete your registration, pick the right scheme, and then ask your institute who handles verification. The NSP Scholarship 2026-27 registration and apply guide on Scholarlify walks through the One-Time Registration and the common reasons forms get rejected.

Not every NSP scheme runs to 31 October. Shiksha's scheme table, for example, shows PM-USP CSSS closing on 30 September 2026. If your scheme had an earlier date, check the portal for any extension rather than assuming.

What is opening in October?

This is the part of the calendar we cannot fill in honestly yet. No specific opening date for a new scholarship has been confirmed, and guessing would only send students to a page that is not live. What we can say is that most CSR scholarships open between July and October each year, as explained in the CSR scholarships in India guide on Scholarlify, so new programmes can appear at short notice. Many state portals also run on their own calendars, so check yours directly.

A sensible order for October

1. Finish the Reliance Foundation application and the aptitude test first, since 5 October 2026 is the earliest date.
2. Submit the PNB Pehel Shiksha application before 9 October 2026 if your parent works in construction and you meet the marks and income limits.
3. Register on NSP and submit your form well before 31 October 2026, ideally in the first half of the month.
4. Message your institute's scholarship nodal officer so verification is not left until 15 November.
5. Keep checking your email and each portal. Several programmes contact applicants only by email.

Mistakes that cost students a scholarship

• Treating the NSP deadline as the end of the process. Verification still has to happen.
• Leaving a form in draft status. A draft is not a submitted application.
• Skipping the Reliance aptitude test and assuming the form is enough.
• Using a bank account that is not linked to Aadhaar or whose name does not match your records.
• Reading a date from last year's article. Deadlines change from one cycle to the next.

If none of these programmes fit you, the full scholarship list on Scholarlify shows what else is live for your class, category and course.

Frequently asked questions

Which scholarship deadline comes first in October 2026?

The Reliance Foundation Undergraduate and Postgraduate Scholarships 2026-27 come first, with a closing date of 5 October 2026. After that, the PNB Housing Finance Pehel Shiksha Scholarship is listed for 9 October 2026, and most NSP schemes close on 31 October 2026.

Do all NSP scholarships close on 31 October 2026?

No, most do but not all. The student deadline for the majority of central schemes on the National Scholarship Portal is 31 October 2026, while a few schemes carried earlier dates, such as PM-USP CSSS on 30 September 2026. Check the date shown against your own scheme on scholarships.gov.in.

Is applying on NSP enough, or does something else have to happen afterwards?

Applying is only the first step. After you submit, your institute has to verify the application, and the portal lists 15 November 2026 for institute verification and 30 November 2026 for district or state level verification for most schemes. Ask your college or school nodal officer early so your form is not stuck.

When will Reliance Foundation announce the 2026-27 scholars?

Education websites report that selected scholars will be announced in December 2026. Reliance Foundation controls that date, so watch your applicant email and the official scholarship portal for confirmation.

Which scholarships are opening in October 2026?

No specific opening date for a new scholarship has been confirmed for this calendar. Providers announce new cycles on their own schedule, and many CSR programmes open between July and October, so the Scholarlify scholarship list is the place to check for new additions.

Sources / Official References

• Reliance Foundation Undergraduate Scholarships (official portal)
• Reliance Foundation Postgraduate Scholarships (official portal)
• National Scholarship Portal (scholarships.gov.in)
• Buddy4Study: NSP 2026 last dates and verification schedule
• Shiksha: National Scholarship Portal 2026-27 scheme dates
• Careers360: Reliance Foundation Scholarship 2026-27
• Swami Dayanand Education Foundation: India Scholarship 2026-27

PNB Pehel Shiksha details (amounts, eligibility and the 9 October 2026 closing date) come from the scholarship page published by Scholarlify, the implementation partner.