National Fellowship & Scholarship for Higher Education of ST Students Selection Process 2026
How Candidates are Selected
For Fellowship: merit ranking based on PG marks and selection of research topic (750 slots/year). For Scholarship: merit ranking among ST candidates admitted to notified premier institutes (IITs, IIMs, NITs, etc.) with a parental income limit of ₹6.0 Lakhs per annum.
Verification Flow
Institute Nodal Officer Verification
Your college/school checks your bonafide status, fees paid, and marks cards against the database.
District Welfare Officer / State Board Sanction
The state/central department approves the budget release for verified records based on category quotas.
Fund Disbursement via DBT
The bank issues direct fund credits to Aadhaar-seeded accounts using treasury payment systems.
FAQs for National Fellowship & Scholarship for Higher Education of ST Students
Q.What are the two main components of this scheme?
The scheme consists of the National Fellowship for ST Students (for M.Phil/Ph.D) and the National Scholarship for ST Students (for undergraduate/postgraduate studies in premier institutes).
Q.Is there any family income limit to apply for the Fellowship component?
No, there is no annual family income ceiling to apply for the Fellowship component of this scheme.
Q.What is the family income limit for the Scholarship component?
For the Scholarship component (for higher education), the annual family income of the parents/guardians must not exceed ₹6.0 Lakhs.