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National Fellowship and Scholarship for Higher Education of ST Students (NFST) 2024-25

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Eligibility

ST students pursuing Graduate/Postgraduate/M.Phil. or Ph.D. degree courses

Region

India

Award

A fellowship up to ₹35,000 along with an annual contingency grant up to ₹25,000 | Full tuition fees and admission fees along with other benefits

Deadline

Closed

About The Program

National Fellowship and Scholarship for Higher Education of ST Students (NFST) 2024-25 is an opportunity offered by the Ministry of Tribal Affairs, Government of India, which provides two opportunities for ST students who wish to pursue higher education. The objective of the scheme is to promote higher education among Scheduled Tribe (ST) students and encourage them to pursue careers in professional and research fields. 

  • National Fellowship Scheme: This fellowship is for students who have completed their Master's degree and want to pursue M.Phil or Ph.D. courses. Selected students will receive a fellowship of up to ₹35,000 along with an annual contingency grant of up to ₹25,000.
  • National Scholarship Scheme: This scholarship scheme is for students who want to pursue graduate or postgraduate courses in top-class government and non-government institutes in professional fields such as Management, Medicine, Engineering, Information Technology, Law, etc. Selected students will receive full tuition fees and admission fees along with other benefits.

EligibilityDeadline Date : Closed

To be eligible, an applicant must:-

  • be an Indian national
  • belong to the Scheduled Tribe (ST) category

National Fellowship Scheme:

  • be a maximum of 36 years of age as of the first day of July in the relevant year of the fellowship
  • have been admitted in regular and full-time M.Phil/Ph.D courses in the following categories of university/academic institutes:
    • University/Institute/College included under section 2(f)/12(B) or 2(f) and 12(B) of UGC Act
    • Deemed-to-be-Universities included under Section 3 of the UGC Act, 1956 and eligible to receive grant-in-aid from UGC
    • University/Institute/College receiving grants by Central/State Government
    • Institutes of National Importance, as notified by the Ministry of Higher Education, Government of India
  • have secured a minimum of 55% marks in their final postgraduate degree examination

Note:- 

  • This fellowship has no income criteria for eligibility.
  • The duration of the courses will be as under:-
Course Duration
M. Phil. degree 2 years or date of submission of
dissertation, whichever is earlier
M. Phil + Ph.D. Integrated degree (2+3) i.e. 5 years or date of submission
of dissertation, whichever is earlier
Ph.D. degree 5 years or date of submission of
dissertation, whichever is earlier

 

Benefits

Selected students will receive the benefits in the following manner:-

For National Fellowship Scheme:-

Applicants selected for the fellowship will receive a stipend according to the following table. However, this is subject to meeting the conditions outlined in the program guidelines.

Course Stream Monthly Scholarship Annual Contingency Monthly House Rent Allowance (HRA) Escort Allowance
M.Phil. degree Humanities & Social Sciences/Engineering
Technology/Science
₹31,000 ₹10,000 Equal to UGC rates (8% or 16% or 24% based on city of residence) A monthly escort allowance of ₹2,000 for Divyang students only at par with UGC rates
₹12,000
Ph.D. degree ₹31,000 for the first two years and ₹35,000 for the remaining 3 years ₹20,500
₹25,000

Important Note: 

  • The above rates are equal to UGC rates, which may be revised as and when required.
  • Students residing in university-provided hostels cannot claim House Rent Allowance (HRA). They are only eligible for the university's hostel fees.
  • Students cannot claim other expenses like mess fees, electricity charges, or water charges. A certificate from the Registrar/Director/Principal confirming this is required.
  • Awards will be disbursed directly to students' Aadhaar-linked bank accounts via Direct Benefit Transfer (DBT).

 

For National Scholarship Scheme:-

The table below details the financial assistance offered to selected candidates. However, this is subject to fulfilling the scheme's conditions.

Component Details Remarks
Tuition fees and Admission fees Full admission fees, tuition fees and other non-refundable charges concerning Government Institutions There will be a ceiling of ₹2,50,000 per annum per student for private-sector institutions
Books and Stationery ₹5,000 per annum For students without bills/vouchers
Stipend ₹3,000 per month                      --
Computer and Accessories ₹45,000 (One-time assistance during the course tenure) Computer & accessories may be desktop/laptop etc. (without bills/vouchers)

 

Important Note:- 

  • The scholarship will cover tuition fees and admission fees payable directly to the institute.
  • If the student has already paid these fees, they can submit receipts/vouchers for reimbursement. The award will then be disbursed to their Aadhaar-linked bank account.
Documents

Applicants applying for the National Fellowship Scheme are required to submit the following documents:-

  • Latest coloured passport-size photograph
  • ST/PVTG certificate issued by the competent authority
  • Class 10/Matriculation/Equivalent certificate in support of date of birth
  • Divyangjan certificate issued by the competent authority
  • Postgraduation degree marksheet [aggregate marks in percentage]/Equivalent % marks in case of CGPA (Conversion formula from CGPA to percentage issued by Institute/University is to be produced.)
  • Admission/Joining certificates of M.Phil/Ph.D./Integrated M.Phil + Ph.D from the concerned university
  • Offer of admission concerning students admitted to IITs/IIMs/IISERs/AIIMS

 

Applicants applying for the National Scholarship Scheme are required to submit the following documents:-

  • Fee receipt 
  • Marksheet/certificate of qualifying examination
  • A Bonafide certificate issued from the Institute
  • A scanned copy of the bank passbook (The student name on the passbook should match the name as mentioned in the application form)
  • ST/PVTG certificate (Caste Certificate is required to be signed and stamped by competent authority)
  • Income certificate (for the F.Y preceding the year of selection issued by the designated authority by the respective state/UT) [For fresh candidate]
How can you apply?

Eligible applicants can apply by following these steps:-

Step 1: Click on the 'Apply Now' button.
Step 2: Click on the 'Register' button and fill in the required registration details. (Note:- If already registered, log in using Gmail/Mobile number/Email ID)
Step 3: Read the details carefully before applying for any of the opportunities.

FOR FELLOWSHIP:-

Eligible students must register themselves through a valid Aadhaar to apply for the fellowship. To create an official Digilocker an applicant can follow the steps mentioned below:-
Step 1: Visit the official website of Digilocker.
Step 2: Navigate to the right-hand side of the dashboard and click on the 'Sign Up' button.
Step 3: Fill in the required details which include name, date of birth, gender, mobile number, & email ID and set a 6-digit PIN to register on the Digilocker portal.

After creating an account, applicants are required to upload scanned copies of all their documents to DigiLocker. Alternatively, students can also create an account through the National Tribal Fellowship Portal.

To apply for the fellowship students can follow the below-mentioned steps:

Step 1: Visit the official website of the 'National Tribal Fellowship Portal'.
Step 2: Navigate to the 'New Registration' option at the right-hand side of the dashboard and click on the 'Student Registration (New)' option in the drop-down menu.
Step 3: Read the details carefully and tick the checkbox and click on the 'Proceed' button.
Step 5: Fill in the required details to complete the registration process.
Step 6: After successful registration, fill in the required details, upload the necessary documents and submit.

FOR SCHOLARSHIP:

Eligible students must first register on the National Scholarship Portal (NSP) to apply for the scholarship:-
Step 1: Click on the 'Apply Now' button below. 
Step 2: Click on the 'Register' button and fill in the required registration details. (Note:- If already registered, log in using Gmail/Mobile number/Email ID).
Step 3: Navigate to the 'Students' option on the left-hand side of the dashboard and click on it.
Step 4: Now, click on the 'Login' button under the OTR option as it is required to apply for a scholarship on the National Scholarship Portal (NSP).
Step 5: Click on the 'New user? Register yourself' on the left-hand side of the dashboard and click on it.
Step 6: Read the details carefully, tick the checkbox, and click on the 'Next' button.
Step 7: Enter a functional mobile number, captcha code, and OTP, then submit to complete the registration process.
Step 8: Fill in the required details and click on 'Save & Register' to complete the 'One-time registration (OTR)' process. (Note:- This is a temporary registration number, students need to download the OTR mobile application for face authentication to complete the OTR process.)
Step 9: After successful registration, navigate to the 'Apply for Scholarship' option and click on the 'Login' button.
Step 10: Select the scholarship, fill in the required details, upload the necessary documents and submit.

Note:- All the applicants are advised to fill in the information correctly on the application form.  Once the application is submitted, no changes can be made. Additionally, submitting multiple applications will result in disqualification.

Important Dates

Application Deadline: 15th November 2024

Selection Criteria

Selection Criteria for Fellowship:

  • A merit list of research scholars will be created based on their master's degree grades and selection committee criteria.
  • The Ministry of Tribal Affairs website will publish a list of provisionally selected fellowship awardees.

Selection Procedure for Scholarship:

Candidates will be selected based on their rank in the merit list and the number of slots available in their selected stream.

Note:- The Ministry's decision on awarding scholarships is final. They also reserve the right to withdraw or cancel scholarships without explanation.

Important documents
Terms and Conditions
  • The family income will be calculated in the following manner:-
    • Combined Income: If both parents are working, their combined income from all sources will be considered.
    • Non-Parental Income: Income from siblings or other family members (besides parents) will not be included.
    • Single Parent: If only one parent is alive, their income will be used. The income of siblings or other family members remains excluded.
    • Orphans: Orphans with guardians are exempt from the income criteria.
    • Married Applicants: Spousal income will be added to the total family income.
  • The scholarship will last for the entire duration of the course for which it is awarded.
  • Selected fellows must enrol in their designated institutes and submit a joining report within one month of receiving the award letter.
  • Fellows already receiving scholarships or funding from other sources must:
    • Refund the amount
    • Submit a certificate with the refund receipt on the fellowship portal
    • Provide a No Objection Certificate (NOC) for the previous scholarship/funding
  • Fellows must submit their M.Phil/Ph.D. certificate and course completion certificate to the Ministry.
  • Fellowship transfers are allowed with prior notice. The transfer requires:
    • Transfer request from the fellow
    • No Objection Certificates (NOCs) from both universities
  • Fellows are entitled to a maximum leave of 30 days per year.
  • Maternity/paternity leave follows central government norms.
  • All leave requests require prior approval from the institution.
  • The fellowship can be revoked if:
    • The recipient uses unfair means or engages in misconduct.
    • The recipient is later found ineligible for the fellowship.

Note:- Kindly refer to the 'Scheme Detail Document' for elaborate information on the scheme.

Contact Details

Ms. Rama, Consultant    
Ministry of Tribal Affairs
Rajendra Prasad Road,Shastri Bhawan,
New Delhi-110001
Email ID: rama.p@nic.in | Contact Number: (011) 23345770

Important Links

Disclaimer

  • Source of Information: Buddy4Study app compiles details on scholarships/fellowships from government websites and private scholarship sources. Links to the official sources accompany each listing detail pages.
  • Non-affiliation: The Buddy4Study app is not associated with any government entity in India or elsewhere. When featuring government scholarships, we rely on publicly accessible information from central and state government websites in India.
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