15% and 7.5% of every central institution's seats respectively — with no creamy-layer income cap, unlike OBC-NCL.
Both categories share one crucial feature: reservation applies regardless of family income, since there is no creamy layer concept for SC/ST anywhere in the system.
| Aspect | Detail |
|---|---|
| Who qualifies | Caste listed in the SC list of the relevant state (Constitution — Scheduled Castes Order, 1950 + amendments); must be Hindu, Sikh, or Buddhist by religion |
| Certificate required | SC certificate from Tahsildar — no income criterion |
| Benefit | 15% of central institution seats; lower cutoff marks; NEET qualifying at 40th percentile vs. 50th for General |
| PwD sub-quota | SC-PwD — horizontal reservation within SC seats for physically disabled SC students |
| Aspect | Detail |
|---|---|
| Who qualifies | Tribe listed in the ST list of the relevant state — primarily tribal communities |
| Certificate required | ST certificate from Tahsildar — no income criterion |
| Benefit | 7.5% of central seats; lower cutoffs; NEET qualifying at 40th percentile |
No — this is a key distinction from OBC-NCL. There is no creamy layer criterion for SC/ST at all; students of any family income level qualify for SC/ST reservation as long as their caste/tribe is listed in the relevant Constitutional Schedule.
Rarely, in urban areas specifically. Tamil Nadu's notified Scheduled Tribes are primarily Hill Tribes (Irula, Toda, Kota, Kurumba, Paniyan, Malayali, and others) — verify carefully whether your specific community is listed before assuming ST eligibility.
A counsellor can map your category rank to realistic outcomes.