MahaDBT Scholarship Maharashtra – How to Apply, Documents & Main Schemes

What is MahaDBT?

• MahaDBT is the Government of Maharashtra's "Aaple Sarkar DBT" portal. Students apply online in one place for scholarships and other benefit schemes of many departments, and the benefit is paid directly into their bank account (DBT).
• It covers schemes of Social Justice, Tribal Development, Higher Education, Technical Education, School Education, OBC/SEBC/VJNT/SBC Welfare, Medical Education, Minority Development, Directorate of Art, Skill Development and more.
• Helpline number (shown on the portal): 022-49150800.

Important notice for 2026-27

• As per the notice on the portal, fresh and renewal applications for Academic Year 2026-27 will be accepted only on the MahaDBT 2.0 portal (mahadbt2.maharashtra.gov.in).
• The old MahaDBT 1.0 portal is open for fresh 2025-26 applications and for re-submitting "Sent Back" applications of 2023-24, 2024-25 and 2025-26.
• ⚠️ Not verified: we could not open the MahaDBT 2.0 portal on 28 October, so the steps below follow the official MahaDBT 1.0 applicant guide. Screens or order may differ a little on 2.0.

How to apply – step by step

Step 1: New applicant registration

1. Click "New Applicant Registration" on the portal.
2. "Do you have Aadhaar?" – choose Yes.
3. If your mobile is linked to Aadhaar, choose OTP; otherwise choose Biometric.
4. Enter your Aadhaar number, click Send OTP, enter the OTP and click Verify OTP.
5. After verification your details are filled automatically from Aadhaar.
6. Create a User Name and Password, enter the Captcha and click Register. You will see "Profile created successfully".

• Without Aadhaar: choose "No" and register with email and mobile OTP verification; the portal also shows an option to book an Aadhaar appointment. If your Aadhaar enrolment is in process (Enrollment ID), there is a separate option.

Step 2: Login

• Log in with User Name, Password and Captcha.
• Forgot your password? Use Forgot User Name / Password – an OTP comes to your registered mobile or email.

Step 3: Complete your profile (most important)

The dashboard shows how complete your profile is. Fill every part:

1. Personal information: Aadhaar, name, mobile, email, date of birth, gender, religion, marital status.
2. Domicile: are you domiciled in Maharashtra, domicile certificate. If the certificate came from an Aaple Sarkar Seva Kendra/portal and has a barcode, enter it.
3. Income: family annual income, income certificate (with barcode if any).
4. Personal eligibility: salaried or not, disability (certificate if any), number of siblings.
5. Caste details: category, caste, sub-caste, caste certificate number.
6. Address: permanent and correspondence address (district, taluka, village, PIN).
7. Parents' details: father's/mother's name, occupation, salaried, ex-armed forces.
8. Qualifications: past exams – board/university, passing year, percentage, attempts; upload mark sheets; mention any gap in studies.
9. Hostel: hosteller or day scholar; if hosteller, hostel details and certificate.
10. Current course: admission year, college, course, year of study, admission date.

Step 4: Choose a scheme and apply

• Once the profile is complete, the home page shows "Suggested Eligible Schemes" based on your profile.
• All Schemes lists every open scheme. You can read each scheme's GR (PDF) – read it before applying.
• Choose the scheme, click Apply and upload the required documents.

Step 5: Track your application

• My Applied Scheme shows your Application ID, department, scheme and status. From there you can view or cancel the application and see the tentative benefits.
• The portal says Granular Application Tracking (see where your application is at every stage) and a Citizen Charter (expected time for approval) are now live.

To receive the money: link Aadhaar to your bank account

• The portal notice says Aadhaar seeding of your bank account is required to receive DBT benefits.
• If your scholarship is not received because of Aadhaar seeding, you can open an India Post Payments Bank (IPPB) account with Aadhaar seeding at the nearest post office. The notice lists: mobile number, Aadhaar number, PAN card (if available) and your scholarship application ID.

Documents usually needed

Each scheme has its own list (scheme-wise lists below). Documents that appear again and again on the portal's scheme pages:

• Aadhaar card and an Aadhaar-linked bank account
• Income certificate (from the competent authority / Tahsildar)
• Domicile certificate
• Caste certificate (for backward-class schemes); for some professional courses a caste validity certificate
• Mark sheets of SSC/HSC and the last exam
• School leaving certificate (some schemes)
• Gap certificate / self-declaration if there is a gap in studies
• Hostel certificate if you live in a hostel
• CAP admission documents if admitted through CAP; attendance certificate (some schemes)

Main schemes for students (from the official scheme pages)

1. Government of India Post-Matric Scholarship (Social Justice Dept.)

• For: Scheduled Caste or Navbouddha students, residents of Maharashtra, who have passed SSC.
• Income limit: parents' annual income not more than ₹2,50,000.
• Documents: income certificate (Tahsildar), caste certificate, mark sheets of the last exam and SSC/HSC, gap declaration and hostel certificate if needed.

2. Post Matric Scholarship to OBC Students

• For: OBC students, residents of Maharashtra, in government-approved post-matric courses.
• Income limit: parents' annual income not more than ₹2.50 lakh.
• Other conditions: 75% attendance in the current year; CAP admission for professional courses; for boys, at most 2 children of the same parents (no such limit for girls).
• Documents: caste certificate, income certificate, caste validity (for professional degree/PG courses), mark sheets, leaving certificate, ration card, parents' declaration on number of children, gap certificate if any.

3. Rajarshi Chhatrapati Shahu Maharaj Shikshan Shulkh Shishyavrutti (Higher/Technical Education)

• For: students domiciled in Maharashtra admitted through CAP in the general (open) category to professional/technical degree or PG courses (deemed and private universities excluded).
• Income limit: family annual income not more than ₹8 lakh.
• Other conditions: only 2 children from a family; no other scholarship; at least 50% attendance in the previous semester; no gap of more than 2 years.
• Documents: HSC and later mark sheets, domicile certificate, income certificate, undertaking that there are not more than 2 beneficiaries in the family, CAP documents, attendance certificate.

4. Dr. Panjabrao Deshmukh Vasatigruh Nirvah Bhatta (Hostel Maintenance Allowance)

• For: students domiciled in Maharashtra who live in a hostel, rented room or as a paying guest, admitted in the open or SEBC category.
• Income condition (as on the scheme page): for professional courses – child of a registered labourer or small landholder (alpabhudharak), or family income up to ₹8 lakh; for non-professional courses – family income up to ₹1 lakh.
• Documents: domicile certificate, registered labourer/small landholder certificate or income certificate, proof of staying in a hostel, family declaration about two children, attendance certificate, previous mark sheet.

5. Open Merit Scholarship in Junior College

• For: students in Class 11 or 12 who scored at least 60% in SSC in the first attempt – all categories.
• To continue: at least 50% marks at the end of Class 11.
• Documents: SSC mark sheet; for renewal, the Class 11 mark sheet.

Other schemes (names from the portal)

The portal has many more, e.g. Post-Matric Tuition and Exam Fee (Freeship), Post-Matric Scholarship for persons with disability, Post-Matric Scholarship and Freeship for tribal students, scholarships for VJNT and SBC students, Eklavya Scholarship, scholarships for minority students, education concession for children of ex-servicemen, and a stipend for trainees in Government ITIs. Check each one's eligibility on its scheme page and GR.

Tips while applying

1. Make your profile 100% complete – an incomplete profile hides the right schemes.
2. Get your income, domicile and caste certificates in advance – the barcode on certificates from Aaple Sarkar Seva Kendra helps on the portal.
3. Your name should be the same on Aadhaar, bank account and certificates.
4. Note your Application ID after submitting and check the status regularly. If in doubt, ask your college scholarship desk.
5. If your application is "Sent Back", read the reason, correct it and re-submit.
6. Never share your password or OTP. Beware of unofficial agents who "guarantee" a scholarship.