SCHOLARSHIP TO SC COMMUNITY

Posted On: 10 MAR 2026 4:52PM by PIB Delhi The Department of Social Justice and Empowerment and the Ministry of Tribal Affairs are implementing the ‘National Fellowship Scheme for Scheduled Caste Students’ (NFSC) and the ‘National Fellowship Scheme for Scheduled Tribe Students’ (NFST) for Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes Ph.D. scholars respectively. The eligibility criteria for SC and ST students for these schemes is as under: Scheme Eligibility National Fellowship Scheme for Scheduled Caste Students (NFSC) (i)Qualifying UGC-NET (JRF) or Joint UGC-CSIR NET examination and securing admission in Universities/Institutions recognized by the University Grants Commission (UGC). (ii) No age limit National Fellowship Scheme for Scheduled Tribe Students (NFST) (i) At least 55% marks in Post-Graduation and qualifying UGC-NET or Joint UGC-CSIR NET examination and securing admission in Universities/Institutions covered under the scheme. (ii)Maximum age 36 years Under National Fellowship Scheme for Scheduled Caste Students (NFSC) and National Fellowship Scheme for Scheduled Tribe Students (NFST), there are no separate categories of scholarships/fellowships. However, under the NFSC scheme, out of 2000 slots annually, 1500 slots for UGC-NET (for humanities) and 500 slots for joint UGC-CSIR NET (for science stream) have been earmarked. The State/UT-wise details of SC and ST beneficiaries during the last three years are at Annexure- I To enhance access, awareness, and timely disbursement of scholarships to SC/ST Ph.D. scholars, the Government has undertaken several measures such as implementation of the schemes through a dedicated online Scholarship and Fellowship Management Portal (SFMP), disbursement of fellowships through Direct Benefit Transfer (DBT) in the aadhaar seeded account of the eligible applicants, streamlining of verification processes and dissemination of information through the websites and outreach activities of the Department, NSFDC and UGC to ensure wider awareness among eligible students. Annexure-I Details of Year-wise and State/UT-wise number of Scheduled Castes (SC) and Scheduled Tribes (ST) Scholars covered under NFSC and NFST Scheme during 2022-23 to 2024-25. Sl. No. State/UT Name Number of Scholars 2022-23 2023-24 2024-25 SC ST SC ST SC ST 1 ANDAMAN AND NICOBAR ISLANDS 12 0 20 1 6 1 2 ANDHRA PRADESH 77 106 147 90 105 59 3 ARUNACHAL PRADESH 1 129 0 133 0 142 4 ASSAM 51 180 70 189 86 195 5 BIHAR 49 15 93 13 85 10 6 CHANDIGARH 12 0 16 0 19 0 7 CHHATTISGARH 31 101 43 109 54 113 8 DELHI 196 0 250 0 260 0 9 GOA 0 1 0 1 1 0 10 GUJARAT 37 145 53 146 47 113 11 HARYANA 194 0 258 0 263 0 12 HIMACHAL PRADESH 125 45 157 54 160 35 13 JAMMU AND KASHMIR 57 119 73 119 69 103 14 JHARKHAND 24 74 31 73 34 67 15 KARNATAKA 150 296 213 289 200 203 16 KERALA 90 14 125 12 140 11 17 LADAKH 0 51 0 55 0 53 18 LAKSHADWEEP 0 1 0 1 0 1 19 MADHYA PRADESH 59 67 118 53 107 36 20 MAHARASHTRA 102 79 147 81 149 69 21 MANIPUR 18 138 32 147 43 139 22 MEGHALAYA 1 122 1 142 1 138 23 MIZORAM 0 292 0 288 0 340 24 NAGALAND 0 186 0 216 0 222 25 ODISHA 68 141 106 142 84 191 26 PUDUCHERRY 3 0 4 2 5 1 27 PUNJAB 212 0 243 0 221 0 28 RAJASTHAN 128 102 176 104 174 88 29 SIKKIM 3 20 4 21 4 20 30 TAMIL NADU 75 27 107 24 102 22 31 TELANGANA 111 353 166 313 122 173 32 THE DADRA NAGAR HAVELI AND DAMAN AND DIU 0 0 0 1 0 1 33 TRIPURA 6 35 6 46 4 51 34 UTTAR PRADESH 462 10 735 15 776 17 35 UTTARAKHAND 58 6 88 8 95 8 36 WEST BENGAL 483 83 687 87 727 76 Total *2895 <span style="font-family:Times New Roman,Ti