Fellowships in India are meant to encourage students in the field of research. Unlike scholarships, which offer financial assistance for school and college levels of education, fellowships offer financial aid to students to get ahead in their careers after completing their graduation or post-graduation. These can be short-term or long-term depending on the requirement of the programme applied for. Both government and private organisations offer fellowships to allow students to get deeper insights into their respective fields of interest.
What types of fellowships are available in India? Who is offering these fellowships? When and how can students apply for these fellowships? What are the eligibility conditions for these fellowships? The answers to all these questions are covered in this article. Read more to know every significant detail related to fellowships in India.
Updates:
- The last date of application for the Ashoka University’s Young India Fellowship 2022 was March 15, 2022.
- The last date of application for the Fulbright-Nehru Postdoctoral Research Fellowships 2023-24 was September 15, 2022.
Table Contents
Fellowships in India – Complete List
There are a variety of fellowships in India offered by government departments, private organizations and reputed colleges/institutions of higher education. These can be broadly categorized into Junior Research Fellowships (JRF), Senior Research Fellowships (SRF), and Post-Doctoral Fellowships. Besides these, various short-term fellowships are also offered to students. Institutions like IITs, IIMs, IISERs, etc., offer fellowships for different research projects they conduct. The table given below highlights the list of key fellowships in India along with their provider detail and tentative application period.
Complete List of Fellowships in India
Name of the Fellowship | Provider Detail | Application Timeline* |
Tata Innovation Fellowship | Department of Biotechnology, Ministry of Science and Technology, Government of India | Between October and November |
SBI Post-Doctoral Research Fellowship | State Bank of India | Between September and October |
IDEX Fellowship | IDEX Accelerator | Between August and November |
Azim Premji Foundation Fellowship | Azim Premji Foundation | Between August and September |
CSIP Research Fellowship | Ashoka University’s Centre for Social Impact and Philanthropy (CSIP) | Between August and September |
The Institute of Mathematical Sciences Post-Doctoral Fellowships (PDF) | Institute of Mathematical Sciences, Chennai | Runs throughout the year |
Prime Minister’s Research Fellowship (PMRF) | Ministry of Human Resource Development, Government of India | Runs throughout the year |
National Fellowship and Scholarship for Higher Education of ST Students | Ministry of Tribal Affairs, Government of India | Between September and November |
UGC National Fellowship for Scheduled Caste Students (NFSC) | University Grants Commission (UGC) | Between May and July |
Tata Institute of Social Science (TISS) Post-Doctoral Research Fellowship | School of Habitat Studies, Tata Institute of Social Sciences (TISS) | Between April and May |
HSCST Fellowship Programme | Haryana State Council for Science, Innovation and Technology (HSCSIT) | Between May and June |
National Fellowship for Persons with Disabilities | University Grants Commission (UGC) | Between January and February |
Abdul Kalam Technology Innovation National Fellowship | Indian National Academy of Engineering (INAE) | Between May and June |
Google PhD Fellowship India Program | Google India | Between May and June |
SERB Ramanujan Fellowship | Science and Engineering Research Board (SERB) | Runs throughout the year |
CSIR Nehru Science Postdoctoral Research Fellowship | Council of Scientific and Industrial Research (CSIR) | Runs throughout the year |
CSIR Bhatnagar Fellowship | Council of Scientific and Industrial Research (CSIR) | Runs throughout the year |
SBI Youth for India Fellowship | State Bank of India (SBI) | Between March and April |
UGC-NET Junior Research Fellowship | University Grants Commission (UGC) | Between March and April |
Ashoka University Young India Fellowship | Ashoka University, Haryana | Between March and April |
Ravi Sankaran Fellowship Program | Inlaks Shivdasani Foundation | Between March and April |
Fulbright-Nehru Doctoral Research Fellowships | United States-India Educational Foundation | Between March and July |
New India Foundation Fellowships | New India Foundation | Between July and August |
ICTS – S.N. Bhatt Memorial Excellence Fellowship Program | International Center for Theoretical Sciences, Tata Institute of Fundamental Research, Bengaluru | Between December and January |
Raman Research Fellowship | Council of Scientific and Industrial Research | Between November and February |
*The application timeline mentioned above is tentative and may change at the discretion of the fellowship provider.
Fellowships in India – Eligibility Criteria
Each fellowship comes with a pre-defined set of eligibility conditions that students must fulfil to avail their benefits. These conditions are primarily based on the academic qualification of the students. Students having an undergraduate, postgraduate or PhD degree can avail benefits under different scholarship schemes. The table below provides in-depth information on the eligibility criteria for different fellowships in India.
Detailed Eligibility Criteria of Fellowships in India
Name of the Fellowship | Eligibility Criteria |
Tata Innovation Fellowship |
|
SBI Post-Doctoral Research Fellowship |
|
IDEX Fellowship |
|
Azim Premji Foundation Fellowship |
|
CSIP Research Fellowship |
|
The Institute of Mathematical Sciences Post-Doctoral Fellowships (PDF) |
|
Prime Minister’s Research Fellowship (PMRF) |
|
National Fellowship and Scholarship for Higher Education of ST Students |
For Fellowship:
For Scholarship:
|
UGC National Fellowship for Scheduled Caste Students (NFSC) |
|
Tata Institute of Social Science (TISS) Post-Doctoral Research Fellowship |
|
HSCST Fellowship Programme |
|
National Fellowship for Persons with Disabilities |
|
Abdul Kalam Technology Innovation National Fellowship |
|
Google PhD Fellowship India Program |
|
SERB Ramanujan Fellowship |
|
CSIR Nehru Science Postdoctoral Research Fellowship |
|
CSIR Bhatnagar Fellowship |
|
SBI Youth for India Fellowship |
|
UGC-NET Junior Research Fellowship |
|
Ashoka University Young India Fellowship |
|
Ravi Sankaran Fellowship Program |
For Master’s Degree –
For Internship –
For Small Grants Program –
|
Fulbright-Nehru Doctoral Research Fellowships |
|
New India Foundation Fellowships |
|
ICTS – S.N. Bhatt Memorial Excellence Fellowship Program |
|
Raman Research Fellowship |
|
Fellowships in India – Award Details
What kind of financial assistance is being offered under different fellowships in India? How can students avail these benefits? The answers to these questions are covered in this section. Candidates who are awarded a fellowship in India generally receive a fixed monthly stipend and a contingency grant for research purposes. However, it may vary from fellowship to fellowship. Find a detailed overview of the award offered under different fellowships in India in the table given below.
Award Details of Fellowships in India
Name of the Fellowship | Award Details |
Tata Innovation Fellowship | INR 25,000 per month and INR 6,00,000 per annum |
SBI Post-Doctoral Research Fellowship | Monthly stipend up to INR 1 lakh and other benefits |
IDEX Fellowship | Multiple awards |
Azim Premji Foundation Fellowship | INR 35,000 per month and other benefits |
CSIP Research Fellowship | INR 1,00,000 per month |
The Institute of Mathematical Sciences Post-Doctoral Fellowships (PDF) | Up to INR 40,000 per month and a contingency grant of INR 32,000 per year |
Prime Minister’s Research Fellowship (PMRF) | A stipend of up to INR 80,000 per month and other benefits |
National Fellowship and Scholarship for Higher Education of ST Students | For Fellowship:
Up to INR 28,000 per month and other benefits For Scholarship: Full tuition fee or up to INR 2.5 lakh and other benefits |
UGC National Fellowship for Scheduled Caste Students (NFSC) | Fellowship up to INR 35,000 per month and a contingency grant of up to INR 25,000 per annum |
Tata Institute of Social Science (TISS) Post-Doctoral Research Fellowship | Fellowship of INR 35,000 and contingency grant of INR 60,000 |
HSCST Fellowship Programme | Up to INR 35,000 per month and other benefits |
National Fellowship for Persons with Disabilities | Fellowship up to INR 28,000 per month and other benefits |
Abdul Kalam Technology Innovation National Fellowship | Monthly fellowship of INR 25,000 and other benefits |
Google PhD Fellowship India Program | USD 50,000 for 4years |
SERB Ramanujan Fellowship | Fellowship of INR 1,35,000 pm and a research grant of INR 7,00,000 pa |
CSIR Nehru Science Postdoctoral Research Fellowship | INR 65,000 per month and other benefits |
CSIR Bhatnagar Fellowship | Up to INR 50,000 per month |
SBI Youth for India Fellowship | Monthly stipend of INR 15,000 and other benefits |
UGC-NET Junior Research Fellowship | Up to INR 14,000 per month, contingency grant up to INR 25,000 per annum and other benefits |
Ashoka University Young India Fellowship | Up to full tuition fee waiver |
Ravi Sankaran Fellowship Program | A fixed stipend and other benefits |
Fulbright-Nehru Doctoral Research Fellowships | Variable awards |
New India Foundation Fellowships | INR 1.5 lakh per month |
ICTS – S.N. Bhatt Memorial Excellence Fellowship Program | Stipend and accommodation |
Raman Research Fellowship | Variable awards |
Fellowships in India – Application Process
What process must be followed to apply for these fellowships? Are the applications accepted online or offline? The answer to these questions is covered in the table below. It highlights the application process for each fellowship listed. If you find yourself eligible for any of the fellowships, you may apply for them accordingly.
Detailed Application Process of Fellowships in India
Name of the Fellowship | How to apply? |
Tata Innovation Fellowship | Online through the official website and by post to the Department of Biotechnology. |
SBI Post-Doctoral Research Fellowship | Online through the official website and by post to the State Bank of India. |
IDEX Fellowship | Online through the official website |
Azim Premji Foundation Fellowship | Online through the official website of Azim Premji Foundation |
CSIP Research Fellowship | Via email to csip@ashoka.edu.in |
The Institute of Mathematical Sciences Post-Doctoral Fellowships (PDF) | Via email to the Director of the Institute of Mathematical Sciences |
Prime Minister’s Research Fellowship (PMRF) | Recommendations should be made through the respective institutions where the candidate has applied for a PhD programme |
National Fellowship and Scholarship for Higher Education of ST Students | Online through the National Scholarship Portal |
UGC National Fellowship for Scheduled Caste Students (NFSC) | Offline application through the respective institution |
Tata Institute of Social Science (TISS) Post-Doctoral Research Fellowship | Via email to the concerned person |
HSCST Fellowship Programme | Online through the Saral Haryana portal |
National Fellowship for Persons with Disabilities | Online through the official portal of UGC |
Abdul Kalam Technology Innovation National Fellowship | By post to the Indian National Academy of Engineering (INAE) |
Google PhD Fellowship India Program | Online through the official website |
SERB Ramanujan Fellowship | Online through the official website of SERB and by post to the SERB office |
CSIR Nehru Science Postdoctoral Research Fellowship | By post to the Principal Scientist of CSIR |
CSIR Bhatnagar Fellowship | By post and by email to the Scientist In-charge of the SSB YSA Unit, CSIR |
SBI Youth for India Fellowship | Online through the official website of SBI Youth for India |
UGC-NET Junior Research Fellowship | Online through the official website of UGC |
Ashoka University Young India Fellowship | Online through the official website of Ashoka University |
Ravi Sankaran Fellowship Program | Online through the official website of Inlaks Shivdasani Foundation and via email |
Fulbright-Nehru Doctoral Research Fellowships | Online through the official website of the United States-India Educational Foundation |
New India Foundation Fellowships | Online through the official website of the New India Foundation |
ICTS – S.N. Bhatt Memorial Excellence Fellowship Program | Online through the official website of the International Center for Theoretical Sciences |
Raman Research Fellowship | Offline through respective CSIR institute |
We appreciate your collection of experiences and sharing them.