Terms & Conditions

1.1. These Terms & Conditions ("Terms") govern participation in examinations, scholarship programmes, prize competitions, merit awards and related activities conducted or administered by National Skill Development Board ("NSDB").

1.2. By registering for or participating in any NSDB programme, the candidate confirms that they have read, understood and accepted these Terms, together with the applicable Programme Schedule, eligibility requirements, examination rules, privacy policy and other published instructions.

1.3. NSDB may publish programme-specific rules in addition to these Terms. Where a Programme Schedule contains specific provisions for a particular examination or award, those provisions shall apply to that programme.

2.1. Registration does not constitute a guarantee of any scholarship, cash prize, award, rank, employment opportunity or other benefit.

2.2. You must provide accurate, complete and genuine information during registration and throughout the selection process.

2.3. NSDB may require identity verification, educational-document verification, photograph verification, interview, undertaking, declaration or any other reasonable verification before announcing a final award.

2.4. You may be disqualified if any information submitted by you is found to be false, misleading, incomplete or materially inaccurate.

3.1. Rankings shall ordinarily be determined on the basis of the candidate's performance in the applicable examination and the published ranking methodology.

3.2. NSDB may publish a National Rank List, Merit List, Shortlist, Finalist List or other category-wise list.

3.3. In the event of equal scores, NSDB may apply the published tie-breaking criteria, which may include subject-wise performance, accuracy, completion time or other objective criteria specified for the particular examination.

3.4. A rank is a representation of examination performance and does not by itself constitute an unconditional entitlement to any scholarship, prize or cash award.

3.5. NSDB may identify reserve candidates where required.

4.1. Where a programme provides for a major scholarship or award for the highest-ranked candidate, the candidate securing Rank 1 shall be considered for the award subject to all applicable conditions.

4.2. For programmes offering a scholarship of up to ₹1,00,00,000 (Rupees One Crore) , the maximum amount shall be subject to the applicable Scholarship Corpus Threshold and the programme-specific award rules.

4.3. The maximum award shall not become payable solely because a candidate has secured Rank 1.

4.4. The Rank 1 candidate must successfully complete all prescribed interview, eligibility, identity, document and other verification requirements.

4.5. If Rank 1 is found ineligible, fails the prescribed verification/interview, fails to submit required documents within the prescribed period, withdraws, or is disqualified, NSDB may consider the next eligible ranked candidate in accordance with the published selection procedure.

5.1. Any scholarship or major cash award described as being subject to a Scholarship Corpus Threshold shall be conditional upon the availability and achievement of the applicable corpus.

5.2. Where the programme specifies a ₹10,00,00,000 (Rupees Ten Crore) minimum corpus threshold for a maximum ₹1,00,00,000 award , the ₹1 crore amount shall be treated as a maximum award and not as an unconditional guarantee.

5.3. Unless a programme-specific schedule expressly states otherwise, NSDB may determine the applicable award amount based on the eligible corpus available for that programme.

5.4. For illustration, where the programme expressly adopts a proportional formula, an award may be calculated according to the published corpus-to-award ratio, subject to the applicable maximum.

5.5. If the required minimum corpus is not achieved by the applicable deadline, NSDB may defer, reduce, restructure or discontinue the relevant scholarship or major award in accordance with the programme-specific rules.

5.6. No candidate shall acquire an unconditional right to the maximum advertised scholarship merely by participating in the examination or securing a particular rank.

5.7. The applicable corpus condition, award methodology and relevant deadlines shall be disclosed in the Programme Schedule and/or official programme communication.

6.1. NSDB may provide additional cash prizes, merit awards, recognition awards or other benefits to candidates across multiple ranks.

6.2. Such awards may include, for example, prizes for Rank 2 onwards, category-wise ranks, state/district merit positions, special achievement categories or other published categories.

6.3. A prize amount of ₹1,000 or more , or any other amount specified in the applicable Programme Schedule, shall be governed by these Terms and the specific award rules.

6.4. A candidate's eligibility for a smaller prize does not create any entitlement to the major scholarship.

6.5. The number of prize recipients, prize amounts and categories may differ between examinations and shall be stated in the applicable Programme Schedule.

6.6. Where a prize is subject to verification, the prize shall be released only after successful completion of such verification.

7.1. NSDB may require shortlisted candidates, including major scholarship candidates, to participate in a short interview or interaction before final award confirmation.

7.2. The interview may be used to verify identity, eligibility, submitted information, academic background, communication, programme understanding and other criteria published for the relevant programme.

7.3. Failure to attend a mandatory interview within the prescribed period may result in disqualification from the relevant scholarship or award.

7.4. NSDB may require additional documentation where reasonably necessary to establish eligibility.

7.5. The final scholarship or award shall be confirmed only through an official NSDB award communication.

NSDB may cancel a candidate’s registration, result, rank, shortlist status, scholarship, prize or award if the candidate:

• submits false, forged or misleading information;
• uses unfair means or attempts to manipulate the examination;
• impersonates another person;
• permits another person to participate on their behalf;
• uses prohibited examination assistance;
• tampers with examination systems or records;
• attempts to obtain an award through fraudulent means;
• fails mandatory verification;
• fails to provide required documents;
• violates examination instructions or these Terms; or
• engages in conduct that materially compromises the integrity of the programme.

9.1. NSDB reserves the right to cancel or withhold an award where the candidate does not satisfy the applicable eligibility or verification requirements.

9.2. If a selected candidate becomes ineligible after provisional selection but before award release, NSDB may withdraw the provisional selection.

9.3. If an award has been released on the basis of fraudulent or materially false information, NSDB may take appropriate steps for cancellation and recovery, subject to applicable law.

10.1. The number of scholarships, prizes and awards may vary for each examination.

10.2. No statement concerning a previous or other NSDB examination shall be interpreted as creating an automatic entitlement in another examination.

10.3. The applicable Programme Schedule shall specify the number of award recipients, ranks/categories covered, award amounts and applicable conditions.

10.4. Where a programme describes an award as "up to" a particular amount, the stated amount shall be the maximum possible amount and not a guaranteed minimum.

11.1. Cash prizes and scholarships shall be released only after completion of the applicable verification and award process.

11.2. NSDB may specify the mode, schedule and documentation required for payment.

11.3. Applicable taxes, statutory deductions, banking charges or other legally required deductions, if any, may be dealt with in accordance with applicable law.

11.4. A candidate must provide correct payment and identification information where required.

12.1. NSDB may use reasonable technical, administrative and procedural measures to protect examination integrity.

12.2. NSDB may investigate suspected malpractice, fraud, impersonation, collusion, manipulation or technical abuse.

12.3. Pending investigation, NSDB may temporarily withhold a result, rank or award.

12.4. A candidate may be required to cooperate with an investigation.

13.1. NSDB may make reasonable changes to examination dates, registration deadlines, examination format, eligibility requirements, award categories, prize amounts or other programme arrangements where necessary.

13.2. Material changes shall be communicated through the official NSDB communication channels where reasonably practicable.

13.3. No change shall be used to unlawfully deprive an already-finalised award recipient of an award that has formally vested, except where permitted by applicable law or where the award was obtained through fraud or misrepresentation.

NSDB shall not be responsible for delay, interruption, postponement or inability to conduct or complete a programme caused by circumstances beyond its reasonable control, including natural disasters, government restrictions, technical infrastructure failure, cyber incidents, public emergencies, network outages or other circumstances of a similar nature.

15.1. Participation in an NSDB examination or receipt of a scholarship, prize, rank or certificate does not by itself constitute an offer or guarantee of employment.

15.2. Any employment, internship, placement or career opportunity shall be governed by the separate terms of the relevant employer or programme.

16.1. Candidates are responsible for maintaining an accurate email address, mobile number and other required contact information.

16.2. NSDB may communicate examination, interview, verification, result and award information through its official website, registered email address or other officially announced communication channels.

16.3. A candidate is responsible for checking official communications within the prescribed time.

17.1. Examination papers, question banks, videos, study materials, logos, designs, systems, software and other programme materials remain subject to applicable intellectual-property rights.

17.2. Candidates shall not reproduce, distribute, sell, upload, publish or commercially exploit examination materials without appropriate authorization.

18.1. Candidate information may be collected and processed for registration, examination administration, identity verification, ranking, communication, scholarship/prize processing, fraud prevention, compliance and related legitimate programme purposes.

18.2. Personal information shall be handled in accordance with NSDB's applicable privacy policy and applicable law.

19.1. Subject to applicable law and the programme's privacy/consent requirements, NSDB may publish selected information relating to final award recipients for programme recognition, including rank, category and award.

19.2. Any use of photographs, testimonials or other personally identifiable promotional material should be subject to the appropriate consent or legal basis.

20.1. Ranking alone shall never be treated as an unconditional promise of a scholarship or cash award.

20.2. A candidate becomes a final scholarship/prize recipient only after satisfying all applicable conditions and receiving official confirmation from NSDB.

21.1. These Terms shall be read together with the Programme Schedule, examination instructions and other official programme notices.

21.2. In case of an inconsistency between these Master Terms and a programme-specific provision, the programme-specific provision shall govern that particular examination to the extent of the inconsistency.

Subject to applicable law, NSDB shall administer the examination and award process in accordance with the published rules and may make reasonable administrative determinations necessary to maintain the integrity, fairness and proper operation of the programme.

By completing registration, submitting an examination application, participating in an examination or accepting a scholarship/prize, the candidate acknowledges that they have read and accepted these Terms and the applicable Programme Schedule.