National Fellowship and Scholarship 2023 for Higher Education of ST Students is an initiative for ST students pursuing professional courses at the Graduate/PG level and M.Phil/Ph.D. level. The scholarship is being offered by the Ministry of Tribal Affairs, Government of India. Under this scheme, financial assistance will be provided to ST students to encourage them to pursue higher education.
In this article, we will share all the important details related to this scheme. if you are interested then you should read this article till the end.
National Fellowship and Scholarship 2023
National Fellowship and Scholarship for Higher Education of ST Students is a Central Sector Scheme, fully funded by the Ministry of Tribal Affairs to grant scholarships to meritorious ST students for pursuing higher education in India. This scheme has two sub-schemes. The first sub-scheme is the National Fellowship Scheme for pursuing an M.Phil or Ph.D. after completion of a Master’s degree.
The second sub-scheme is National Scholarship Scheme, for pursuing Graduate/Post Graduate courses in the selected top class Government and Non-Government Institutes in professional fields such as Management, Medicine, Engineering, Information Technology, Law, etc. The above-mentioned two sub-schemes are continuing schemes and were merged into one scheme in the financial year 2017-18.
National Fellowship and Scholarship Details
| Scholarship Scheme’s Name | National Fellowship and Scholarship |
| Initiated By | Ministry of Tribal Affairs |
| Beneficiary | Students from ST Category |
| Benefits | Financial Assistance |
| Official Website | Click Here |
The Objective of National Fellowship and Scholarship
Its main objective is to encourage and help the community with the lowest literacy in the country to pursue further education. It aims to produce qualified professionals from communities with the lowest literacy. Scholarship and Fellowship will be awarded to the students who want to pursue full-time courses.
Its objective is to encourage meritorious students to pursue higher education. The courses can be from any professional field such as medicine, law, engineering, management, and information technology, and can be adopted by any government or private institution.
Benefits of National Fellowship and Scholarship
The Selected candidates will receive awards in the following ways –
For Fellowship –
A total of 750 fellowships will be awarded. In case of the non-availability of a sufficient number of ST candidates, the number of fellowships not availed during a year will be carried forward to the next academic session. There is no state/university-wise cap on the number of slots.
- For the M.Phil program, the students will be awarded –
- A fellowship amount of INR 25,000 per month.
- A contingency amount of INR 10,000 per annum for Humanities & Social Sciences and INR 12,000 per annum for Science, Engineering Technology.
- HRA amount as per the rules of the corresponding institution.
- Escorts/reader assistance of INR 2,000 per month for physically handicapped and blind candidates.
- For the Ph.D. program, the students will be awarded –
- A fellowship amount of INR 28,000 per month.
- A contingency amount of INR 20,500 per annum for Humanities & Social Sciences and INR 25,000 per annum for Science, Engineering Technology.
- HRA amount as per the rules of the corresponding institution.
- Escorts/reader assistance of INR 2,000 per month for physically handicapped and blind candidates.
NOTE- The fellow pursuing M.Phil. will be paid a fellowship amount up to the period of 2 years or the date of the dissertation whichever is earlier. The fellow pursuing a Ph.D. will be paid a fellowship amount up to 5 years or the date of viva-voce whichever is earlier.
For Scholarship –
A total of 1,000 scholarships will be awarded. There is no limit on the number of slots institute-wise and stream-wise for top-category institutes.
- Full tuition fee and other non-refundable dues in respect of Government/Government funded institutions (Note – For private sector institutions there will be a limit of INR 2.50 Lakhs per student per annum.)
- An amount of Rs 3,000 per student per year for books and stationery
- Amount of INR 2,200 per month (Note – Amount will be provided as per actual subject to a ceiling of INR 26,400 per annum.)
- An amount of INR 45,000 will be given as one-time assistance for computers and accessories.
Important Dates for National Fellowship and Scholarship
| Events | Important Dates |
| Last Date of Application | 30/11/2022 |
| Last Date for Defective Verification of the Application | 15/12/2022 |
| Last Date for Institute Verification of the Application | 15/12/2022 |
Eligibility Criteria
To be eligible, an applicant must –
For Fellowship –
- have passed the postgraduation examination
- get admitted or registered for a regular full-time M.Phil/Ph.D. degree program in institutions recognized by UGC under Section 2(f) of the UGC Act/ICAR
- fulfil the prescribed UGC/ICAR norms
For Scholarship –
- have taken admission in the institutions notified and identified by the Ministry of Tribal Affairs
- have an annual family income of less than INR 6 lakh
Important Documents
Documents required for Fellowship –
For Registration-
- Applicant’s photograph
- Caste certificate
- Passing certificate of post-graduation
- BPL card (if applicable)
- Physically handicapped certificate (if applicable)
After Selection-
- Details about the project
- Joining report
- Award letter
- Non-Judicial bond
- Certificate from the Head of the Department/Institution stating that the necessary facilities will be provided by the college/University/Institution in case the candidates selected for this fellowship
- Upgradation certificate (for candidates who upgraded from M.Phil to Ph.D. program) – if applicable
- Proof of bank account in the name of the student
For Disbursement of Fellowship-
- Continuation certificate from the institution (quarterly)
- HRA (quarterly)
- Progress report (yearly)
Documents required for Scholarship –
- Domicile certificate
- Student photograph
- Caste certificate by the competent authority
- Certificate of previous academic mark sheet attested by the Institute
- Institute verification form/Bonafide certificate
- Fee receipt of current course year
- Income certificate by the competent authority
- Proof of bank account in the name of the student
Application Process
The steps given below have to be followed in order to apply successfully on the portal-
- First, visit the Official Website of the National Scholarship Portal
- The homepage will open on your screen.
- On the homepage, Click on the New Registration option.
- The instructions page will open on your screen.
- Tick mark the declaration.
- Click on the “Continue” option.
- Enter all of the details like name, date of birth, mobile number, gender, email ID, bank details, etc.
- Enter the captcha code
- Click the on “Register” option.
- Now you have to log in using your credentials.
- Click on the Application Form option
- The application form will open on your screen
- Enter all the details including the State of Domicile, Name of the student, Date of Birth, Community/ Category, Father’s Name, Aadhaar card Number, Mobile Number, Scholarship Category, Gender, Religion, Mother’s Name, Annual Family Income, Email ID, etc.
- Click on “Save & Continue”
- Upload the documents.
- Click on “Final Submission’’
- The application form will be successfully submitted
Important Links
| Online Application form (Register) | Click Here |
| Application Link (Login) | Click Here |
| Visit Official Website | Click Here |
| Download the Official Notification PDF | Click Here |
Contact Details
In the above article, we have given you complete information about this scholarship, yet if you want to ask any question related to this scholarship, then you can contact or mail on the number/E-mail given below.
- 0120 6619540
- [email protected]
Some of the Important FAQs
If in the 2nd,3rd, and 4th, the year my parental income increases to the First year when I received the scholarship, am I eligible to apply for Renewal?
Yes, still you are eligible to apply for Renewal.
How can I apply online for a scholarship?
We have mentioned all the procedures to apply online for a scholarship in the above article follow that procedure to apply.
I am a Renewal student but while applying in NSP under the Renewal category, I clicked on the “Withdraw your application button” option by mistake then how can I again apply for Renewal?
Please note that if you click on the “Withdraw your application button”, your application would be treated as withdrawn and will not be available for further processing. Therefore, you are advised to be careful while filling up the application. Despite this, in case you have clicked on the “Withdraw your application”option, you are requested to raise the issue with your institute and also with this Ministry on Ministry’s grievance portal. Ministry will resolve the issue with the help of the NSP technical team.
Renewal students are advised to apply only as renewal candidates, to facilitate early disbursal of the Scholarship amount.
Is there any permanent ID? How will it be communicated to me?
Yes, an Application ID (Permanent ID) will be provided to the candidate once his/her Registration is done. It will be conveyed to candidates through SMS and e-mail. Students should memorize their Application lD as it will be required while applying for Fresh/renewal scholarships in the future.