Union govt expands scholarships, fellowships for higher education and research students

The Union government is providing financial assistance to students from various social and economic backgrounds through multiple scholarship and fellowship programs, Union Minister of State for Education Sukanta Majumdar informed the Rajya Sabha.

The minister said the University Grants Commission (UGC) and other government bodies are implementing schemes to support students pursuing postgraduate education and research.

One of the key initiatives is the National Scholarship for Post Graduate Studies (NSPGS), introduced by the UGC in the 2023-24 academic year by combining four existing scholarship schemes.

The consolidated program includes the PG Single Girl Child Scholarship, PG Scholarship for University Rank Holders, PG Scholarship for SC/ST students pursuing professional courses and the Post Graduate Scholarship for GATE/GPAT.

Under NSPGS, selected students receive ₹15,000 per month for 10 months in an academic year. The scholarship is available for two years for eligible students pursuing postgraduate studies in India.

The Union government is also supporting women pursuing research through the Savitribai Jyotirao Phule Fellowship for Single Girl Child.

The UGC launched the fellowship in September 2022, replacing the earlier Swami Vivekananda Single Girl Child Fellowship. It provides financial assistance to eligible single girl children pursuing research.

Scholarship and fellowship payments are being transferred directly to beneficiaries' Aadhaar-seeded bank accounts through the Direct Benefit Transfer (DBT) system.

The government said the SNA-SPARSH platform is being used to facilitate fund disbursement and enable real-time, utilization-based monitoring of payments.

Around 1.09 crore scholarships are being provided during the 2025-26 financial year for post-matric and higher education, according to information shared in the Rajya Sabha.

Of these, around 36 lakh scholarships are being provided to students belonging to Other Backward Classes (OBC), Economically Backward Classes (EBC) and Denotified Tribes (DT).

Approximately 24 lakh scholarships are being provided to students from Scheduled Tribes (ST), while around 48 lakh scholarships are being provided to Scheduled Caste (SC) students.

The Union government said the initiatives are intended to reduce financial barriers and expand access to higher education and research for students from diverse social and economic backgrounds.