SRINAGAR: The Prime Minister’s Special Scholarship Scheme (PMSSS) has allotted 4,715 scholarships for the 2026–27 academic session to students from Jammu and Kashmir and Ladakh, achieving 94.3 per cent of its annual target of 5,000, according to official details.
The current allotment has already exceeded the total number of beneficiaries recorded in each of the previous three academic sessions, including 3,585 in 2025–26, 3,674 in 2024–25 and 3,627 in 2023–24.
Compared with the previous academic session, the number of scholarships allotted so far has increased by 1,130, representing a rise of around 31.5 per cent.
Under the scheme, 1,894 scholarships have been allotted for general degree courses against a target of 2,070, while 2,741 have been allocated for professional courses against 2,830. Another 80 scholarships have been allotted for medical and BDS courses against a target of 100.
The scheme, implemented through the All India Council for Technical Education (AICTE) counselling process, enables eligible students from Jammu and Kashmir and Ladakh to pursue undergraduate studies at institutions outside the two Union Territories, with financial assistance towards academic fees and maintenance expenses.
It aims to improve access to higher education, strengthen students’ skills and widen employment opportunities.
The Higher Education Department of Jammu and Kashmir has been coordinating the scheme’s implementation in the Union Territory, including the timely commencement of registration and counselling and assistance to applicants through facilitation centres and facilitation-cum-document verification centres.
The department also oversees verification and review through a Union Territory-level committee headed by the Commissioner/Secretary of the Higher Education Department, with the Director of Colleges, Jammu and Kashmir, serving as its Member Secretary.
With nearly 95 per cent of the annual target already achieved, further allotments could increase the number of students benefiting from the scheme during the ongoing academic session.
