PMRF – Important Dates
The application deadlines for the Prime Minister’s Research Fellowship (PMRF) vary each year, so you must regularly check the PMRF website for updates related to the exact timeline. However, the selection for the Prime Minister’s Research Fellowship (PMRF) scheme happens twice in an academic year: preferably during May and December.
Prime Minister’s Research Fellowship 2025 – Key Dates
| Event | Tentative Date |
| Upcoming Application Selection Cycle | December 2025 |
| Final Results for December Cycle | February 2026 |
| 2026 Selection Cycle 1 | May 2026 |
| Final Results for May Cycle | July 2026 |
| 2026 Selection Cycle 2 | December 2026 |
Note – You can only apply for this scheme when your institute nominates your profile. Ensure you submit the application and documents well in advance of the deadline to avoid last-minute issues.
PMRF – Eligibility Criteria
Since there are two modes, direct entry and lateral entry for PMRF, the eligibility criteria for both modes are as follows:
1. PMRF Eligibility For Direct Entry Candidates –
This scholarship is only applicable for students pursuing a degree in Science and Technology from a PMRF approved institute. If you satisfy one of the three eligibility criteria enlisted below, you can surely apply for the scholarship –
- Students who’ve completed or are pursuing the final year of four (or five) year undergraduate or five year integrated M.Tech. or 2 year M.Sc. or five year undergraduate postgraduate dual degree programs from IISc/IITs/NITs/IISERSs/IIEST and centrally funded IIITs will be eligible for the scholarship. Minimum CGPA/CPI requirement is 8.0 out of 10.0. For applicants in the five year integrated or dual degree programs, if separate CGPAs/CPIs are awarded for UG and PG parts of the program, the CGPA/CPI of the UG part (first four years) will be considered. OR
- Students who’ve completed or are pursuing the final year of four (or five) year undergraduate or five year integrated M.Tech. or five year integrated M.Sc. or 2 year M.Sc. Or five year undergraduate-postgraduate dual degree programs in Science and Technology streams from any other Institute/University recognized in India (not covered in the above paragraph). These candidates should have secured a minimum CGPA of 8 or equivalent apart from a minimum score of 650 in the respective GATE subject, or a UGC/CSIR JRF rank of 100 or less, or those with NBHM fellowship. OR
- Students who’ve qualified GATE and are pursuing or have completed M.Tech./MS by research at one of the PMRF Granting Institutions having a minimum CGPA or CPI of 8.0 (on a 10-point scale) with a minimum of four courses at the time of application.
2. PMRF Eligibility For Lateral Entry Candidates –
You can apply for this scholarship if you fulfil the following criteria –
- If you are currently pursuing Ph.D. (regular or upgraded from M.S./M.Tech./M.Sc.) or Direct Ph.D at the PMRF granting institutes, you can apply for this scholarship.
- You must have secured a CGPA of at least 8.5 after completing a minimum of 4 FULL courses (other than Research Methodology/Ethics/Project course etc) at one of the PMRF granting institutes.
- You should apply within the following time limits:
- 12 months from the date of joining for Ph.D. (if you joined for Ph.D. after completing your Master’s degree).
- 24 months from the date of joining for Direct Ph.D. (if you joined for Ph.D. after completing your Bachelor’s degree).
- Up-gradation from M.S./M.Tech.: 12 months from the date of up-gradation to Ph.D. from M.S./M.Tech. (OR) 24 months from the date of joining for M.S./M.Tech.
- Up-gradation from M.Sc.: 24 months from the date of up-gradation to Ph.D. from M.Sc. Such students should complete at least 4 FULL Ph.D. level courses after their date of up-gradation to Ph.D. 4.
- If a candidate converts from Masters to PhD programme or is enrolled in the Integrated PhD programme, then the courses done while satisfying the Masters level requirement can be counted towards the 4 course requirement.
PMRF – Important Admission Guidelines
- Scholars who have upgraded from M.S./M.Tech. to Ph.D. will NOT be considered eligible to apply for PMRF under the Direct Entry channel.
- Students are requested to submit a soft copy of your official grade sheet/transcript (to support the CGPA requirement stated and GATE scorecard (if appropriate).
- The candidate who converts from Masters to PhD Programme is not eligible for the direct entry mode of application.
- Integrated PhD students are not eligible for direct entry at the time of completion of Masters requirement.
- The candidate who defers admission in a PhD programme cannot be considered for direct entry at the time of joining the PhD programme.
- A candidate with a degree in a foreign university is eligible under criteria (b) of Direct entry provided other conditions are met.
- Students can apply for PMRF twice (at most) under the lateral entry mode of application.
PMRF 2025 – Benefits
The students who are selected for the PMRF will receive a fellowship award in the following manner –
PMRF – Year-Wise Rewards Breakdown
| Year | Scholarship Amount |
| Year 1 | ₹ 70,000 |
| Year 2 | ₹ 70,000 |
| Year 3 | ₹ 75,000 |
| Year 4 | ₹ 80,000 |
| Year 5 | ₹ 80,000 |
Additionally, the selected PMRF fellows are also eligible for a research grant of ₹ 2 lakh per annum (total amount of ₹ 10 lakh).
PMRF 2025 – Disciplines Covered
With 20+ broad research areas under the PMRF, for each discipline, one IIT or IISc will coordinate the admission process and will be referred to as the Nodal Institute for that broad discipline.
PMRF – List of Disciplines Covered & Co-ordinating Institute
| Co-ordinating Institute | Discipline Covered |
| IIT Bombay | Civil Engineering |
| Earth Science | |
| Architecture | |
| Ocean Engineering | |
| Naval Engineering | |
| IIT Delhi | Mechanical Engineering |
| Aerospace Engineering | |
| Design | |
| IIT Kanpur | Electrical Engineering |
| Electronic Engineering | |
| IIT Ropar | Computer Science & Engineering |
| Data Science | |
| Mathematics | |
| IIT Guwahati | Biomedical Engineering |
| Biological Sciences | |
| Agricultural Sciences | |
| IIT Kharagpur | Chemical Engineering |
| Textile Engineering | |
| IIT Indore | Materials Sciences |
| Metallurgical Engineering | |
| Mining Engineering | |
| University of Hyderabad | Physics |
| IISER Pune | Chemistry |
| IISc Bangalore | Interdisciplinary areas in Science & Engineering |
PMRF – Granting Institutes
An Institute that is eligible to grant PMRF is called a PMRF Granting Institute (GI). Here is the list of institutes that offer the Prime Minister’s Research Fellowship to its students.
List of PMRF Granting Institute (GI)
| PMRF Granting Institutes (GI) | |
| Aligarh Muslim University | IISc Bengaluru |
| Banaras Hindu University | IISER Tirupati |
| IISER Thiruvananthapuram | IISER Pune |
| IISER Mohali | IISER Kolkata |
| IISER Berhampur | IISER Bhopal |
| IIT (ISM) Dhanbad | IIT Jammu |
| IIT Jodhpur | IIT Kanpur |
| IIT Kharagpur | IIT Ropar |
| IIT Roorkee | University of Hyderabad |
| IIT Palakkad | Delhi University |
| IIT Patna | Jawaharlal Nehru University |
| IIT Madras | NIT Trichy |
| IIT Mandi | Jamia Milia Islamia |
| IIT Hyderabad | IIT Indore |
| IIT Gandhinagar | IIT Guwahati |
| IIT Goa | IIT Dharwad |
| IIT Bombay | IIT Delhi |
| IIT Bhubaneshwar | IIT BHU |
| IIT Tirupati | IIT Bhilai |
PMRF Application Process 2025
Step 1 – Get Nominated by a PMRF Granting Institute
Once you get enrolled into a PMRF granting Institute, your academic records, research experience and other related factors will be evaluated by the institute. Once the evaluation is complete, the institution will nominate the eligible candidates through the official PMRF portal.
Step 2 – Complete the Detailed Application Online
- Once nominated, you will receive login credentials to the PMRF portal from the institute. (The instructions for login will be sent to you along with the Award Letter).
- Fill out the detailed application form, choosing one of the broad areas of research.
- Upload all required documents, such as your CV, mark sheets, and a research proposal or statement of purpose (whatever is applicable and mandatory).
- Provide contact information for your recommenders, who will need to submit their letters of recommendation directly through the portal.
Step 3 – Get Your Application Evaluated
The national panel will review each application and send recommendations to the NCC. The final selections will be done by NCC based on the ranks and the number of seats allocated for each PMRF granting institute.
PMRF – Documents Required
- Recent passport size picture
- PhD enrolment certificate
- PhD registration certificate
- Class 10 and Class 12 marksheet
- Graduation certificate
- Post-graduation certificate
- Scanned copies of other degree / diploma certificate
- Profile of host institute
- Bio-data of PhD supervisor (not exceeding 3 pages)
- Partner company logo
- Profile of partner company
- Partner company latest balance sheet
- Bio-data of industry mentor (not exceeding 3 pages)
- Undertaking from the research supervisor and head of the organization of the Institute / University
- Undertaking from the industry partner in the research project
- Letter from the industry partner (on company’s letterhead) on the research problem and the future plans for implementation, if any
- List of Applicant’s Publications
- Detailed Research Synopsis
PMRF – Guidelines fo TAship & Annual Progress Review
A PMRF fellow/recipient is expected to transfer their technical knowledge to students studying in a neighborhood ITI/Polytechnic/Engineering College/School other than their own PMRF granting institute at least once a week in. Each PMRF fellow is free to choose amongst the online or offline mode of teaching.
Although the offline mode is preferred, in case that is not feasible, PMRF fellows can also teach online.
Note – Each PMRF fellow must complete at least 1 hour of teaching responsibility per week, which would imply 50 hours per year/ 25 hours per semester.
PMRF – Annual Progress Review Guidelines
Every PMRF fellow will be reviewed annually. The review cycle is conducted twice in a year, usually in May and December. The Direct entry fellows are to be reviewed for the first time within 18 months of their joining, whereas the lateral entry fellows are to be reviewed for the first time within 12 months of their joining.
Every PMRF fellow must be well prepared for the review and must –
- Maintain their webpage, projecting their work. This website should be kept updated all the time.
- Submit their latest CV, research progress report, teaching report, link to their website and the presentation file in the portal, before the review.
- Prepare a presentation that they will present to a national panel.
Note – TA work is also an integral responsibility that every PMRF fellow must complete. If the TA work is not completed the scholar will no longer be considered a PMRF fellow and their fellowship and research grant will be stopped. Also, If the TA work is completed, the fellowship will be restored as per eligibility, and as per the research progress recommendations declared by the National Panel.
Frequently Asked Questions
How do I get nominated for direct or lateral entry nomination?
If you’re a student pursuing a PhD in one of the PMRF granting institutes, then you must contact the institute coordinator for your direct or lateral entry nomination. You can find the details of your institute’s coordinator on the official website of PMRF, under the institutes tab.
How many times can a PMRF eligible scholar apply for direct entry or lateral entry?
A direct entry candidate can apply for this fellowship only once, whereas a lateral entry candidate can apply for this fellowship twice. Once you’ve been nominated by your institute, an expert panel will evaluate your application.
When should I apply for the Prime Minister’s Research Fellowship?
You cannot apply for the PMRF until your institute nominates your profile. The selection for Prime Minister’s Research Fellowship (PMRF) happens twice in an academic year: preferably during May and December.
What is the basic eligibility criteria for applying to the PMRF Scheme?
You are eligible to apply to PMRF only after getting admitted to a PhD program in the area of science or engineering/technology in one of the PMRF granting institutes. Please visit the official website of the PMRF for more clarity on the eligibility criteria.
Will there be interviews conducted for the selection of PMRF?
No, there will be no interviews conducted for the fellowship. The selection committee will look into all the nominations received from each institute and select suitable candidates based on the ranks and the number of seats allocated for each PMRF granting institute.
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