UGC Scholarship 2024: University Grants Commission (UGC)

UGC Scholarship 2024: UGC stands for University Grants Commission which is a statutory body established by the Government of India under the Ministry of Human Resource Development. UGC mainly holds the responsibility of coordinating, determining, and maintaining standards of higher education. There are various renowned universities in India recognized with UGC and also get funds from it.

Moreover, the UGC majorly provide financial aid to student to pursue their higher education. Hence, various UGC scholarships are introduced for students of UG, PG, or other university-level studies. Students from different corners of the country can apply for UGC Scholarship 2024. Therefore, if you are someone who is seeking guidance for the UGC Scholarship 2024 application procedure, eligibility criteria, etc. then this article will come in handy.

UGC Scholarship – The Complete List

UGC has introduced various scholarship and fellowship programs that the students of UG, PG, doctorate or post-doctorate level can apply for. Every year, over 20,000 students get financial aid due to UGC scholarships. Further details of these scholarships offered by UGC are described below in the table with their application period and no. of scholarship for every year.

Note: The application period of UGC Scholarships 2024 given below is tentative and the scholarship providers hold the authority to make changes to this application period.

Detailed List of UGC Scholarships

S.No.	Scholarship Name	Application Period	No. of Scholarships
1.	Post Graduate Indira Gandhi Scholarship Scheme for Single Girl Child	Between July and October	3,000
2.	Post Graduate Merit Scholarship for University Rank Holder	Between July and October	3,000
3.	Post Graduate Scholarships for Professional Courses for SC/ST Candidates	Between July and October	1,000
4.	Special Scholarship Scheme Ishan Uday for NER	Between July and October	10,000
5.	Swami Vivekananda Single Girl Child Scholarship for Research in Social Sciences	NA	NA
6.	Emeritus Fellowship	NA	200
7.	Dr. S. Radharkrishnan Post-Doctoral Fellowship in Humanities and Social Sciences	NA	200
8.	Dr. D. S. Kothari Postdoctoral Fellowship Scheme	Runs throughout the year	NA
9.	Post-Doctoral Fellowship to Women Candidates	NA	100
10.	Post-Doctoral Fellowship to SC/ST Candidates	NA	100
11.	National Fellowship for Scheduled Caste Students	NA	2,000
12.	National Fellowship for Higher Education of ST Students	NA	750
13.	National Fellowship for Persons with Disabilities	Between January and February	200
14.	Maulana Azad National Fellowship for Minority Students	NA	1,000
15.	National Fellowship for OBC Candidate	NA	300

UGC Scholarship 2024: Eligibility Criteria

The eligibility criteria set for UGC scholarship 2024 majorly revolves around the age of the students, educational qualification, and the annual income of the family. Besides this, UGC also offers scholarships for reserved category students belonging to SC, ST, or OBC categories.

To make it even clearer, different UGC scholarships and the detailed description of their eligibility criteria is tabulated below:

Scholarship Name	Category	Eligibility
Post Graduate Indira Gandhi Scholarship Scheme for Single Girl Child	Open to all categories	For Girl students only up to 30 years of age. Also, she must be the only girl child of the family. Apart from this, She must have been in the first year of regular, full-time PG course at a recognized university or college
Post Graduate Merit Scholarship for University Rank Holder	Open to all categories	The aspirant must be a graduate of Life Sciences, Chemical Sciences, Physical Sciences, Mathematical Sciences, Earth Sciences, Social Sciences, Languages, or Commerce. He/she must have secured first or second rank in the undergraduate standard. Also, currently, the student must be enrolled in a regular full-time master’s program in a recognized college/university. While taking admission in the PG course, the application must be below 30 years of age. Lastly, the score in the graduation must be at least 60%.
Post Graduate Scholarships for Professional Courses for SC/ST Candidates	SC/ST	The aspirant must be in the first year of the professional course at the PG level from a recognized university. Hence, aspirants must know that only those courses which are approved by any of the leading regulatory bodies viz. MCI, NCTE, Bar Council of India, NCTIS, RCI, DCI, PCI, AICTE, Development Authority of India, Forensic Regulatory, INC, and ICAR are considered professional courses.
Special Scholarship Scheme Ishan Uday for NER	Open to all categories	For this, the students must hold the domicile of the North Eastern Region (NER) state. Also, he/she must have qualified XII or equivalent examination. Presently, the student must have taken admission in a technical, professional, or general degree course at a recognized institute/university. Lastly, the family income must also be less than INR 4.5 Lakh
Swami Vivekananda Single Girl Child Scholarship for Research in Social Sciences	Open to all	The aspirant must be a single girl child. She must be enrolled in a regular full-time Ph.D. program in Social Sciences at a recognized Indian Institute/College/University. The age limit set to claim this scholarship is 40 years for the general category. Whereas, SC/ST/OBC and PwD category students are eligible for up to 45 years. Also, transgenders are also eligible for this UGC scholarship. Students pursuing Ph.D. via distance education are not eligible.
Emeritus Fellowship	Open to all	This fellowship is designed for highly experienced and qualified teachers of recognized colleges/universities. Also, the applicant must have served with his work of research and published work. It enables the awardee to work as per a well-established time-bound action plan till 70 years of age.
Dr. S. Radharkrishnan Post-Doctoral Fellowship in Humanities and Social Sciences	Open to all	This fellowship is granted to young researchers who are yet employed. Also, they must be below 35 years of age as of the last date of submission of the online application to claim the fellowship. However, a relaxation of 5 years is there for SC, ST, OBC, PwD, and Women candidates. Transgenders are also eligible for this fellowship. Lastly, the candidate must have scored at least 55% marks in UG and 60% marks in PG level. (Note: A relaxation of 5% is provided to the  SC, ST, OBC, and PwD categories)
Dr. D. S. Kothari Postdoctoral Fellowship Scheme	For all	Ph.D. degree holders who are below 35 years of age can apply for this fellowship. (For SC, ST, OBC, Women and PwD candidates, a relaxation of  3, 5, and 10 years will be offered) Also, the teachers below 35 years of age working at a confirmed post are also eligible. Even the previous year candidates can also apply if they were not selected earlier.
Post-Doctoral Fellowship to Women Candidates	For all	It is for unemployed women candidates having a Ph.D. degree below 55 years of age. (With 5% relaxation for SC, ST, OBC, PwD candidates) The candidate must have scored a minimum of 55% and 60% in UG and PG levels respectively. (Similarly, 5% relaxation is there for reserved category students in marks) This scheme is applicable to transgenders as well.
Post-Doctoral Fellowship to SC/ST Candidates	SC/ST	This is for Ph.D. degree holders who are unemployed. For men, the age limit is kept 50 years, whereas women can get this fellowship until 55 years. Also, they must have scored 50% marks in the UG level and 55% marks in the PG level to claim this fellowship. Besides this, transgender candidates are also eligible for it.
National Fellowship for Higher Education of ST Students	ST	Only PG degree holders are eligible. Also, the applicant must be enrolled in a full-time regular Ph.D./M.Phil course at UGC-approved university/institute/college.
National Fellowship for Scheduled Caste Students	SC	For qualified Postgraduates who have registered for an M.Phil/PhD It is open for transgender candidates as well.
National Fellowship for Persons with Disabilities	Open to all	For the applicants with disabilities who have been enrolled in a PhD/M.Phil program at a recognized University/institution.
Maulana Azad National Fellowship for Minority Students	Minority	For minority community students including Muslims, Christians, Sikhs, Buddhists, Parsi, and Jain. He/she must be enrolled in an M.Phil/Ph.D program (Full-time & Regular) The family’s annual income should not be more than 2.5 lakh In PG, the candidate must have a minimum of 50% marks. Also, it is open to transgender candidates
National Fellowship for OBC Candidate	OBC	The candidate must have qualified post-graduation and have registered for an M.Phil./Ph.D program to become eligible for this fellowship. Also, the annual income of the family should not exceed INR 6lakh from all the sources.

UGC Scholarship – Application Process

The UGC scholarship 2024 application process will be conducted online only. Most of the UGC scholarship application forms are available on NSP, whereas aspirants can apply for the rest of the UGC scholarships via the official website.

UGC Scholarships: Apply through NSP

• Post-Graduate Indira Gandhi Scholarship Scheme for Single Girl Child
• Post-Graduate Merit Scholarship for University Rank Holder
• Post Graduate Scholarships for Professional Courses for SC/ST Candidates
• Special Scholarship Scheme Ishan Uday for NER

UGC Scholarships: Apply through the official website of UGC

• Swami Vivekananda Single Girl Child Scholarship for Research in Social Sciences
• Emeritus Fellowship
• Dr. S. Radharkrishnan Post-Doctoral Fellowship in Humanities and Social Sciences
• Dr. D. S. Kothari Postdoctoral Fellowship Scheme
• Post-Doctoral Fellowship to Women Candidates
• Post-Doctoral Fellowship to SC/ST Candidates
• National Fellowship for Scheduled Caste Students
• National Fellowship for Higher Education of ST Students
• National Fellowship for Persons with Disabilities
• Maulana Azad National Fellowship for Minority Students
• National Fellowship for OBC Candidate

IGNOU Scholarship 2024 Online Form for SC, ST, and OBC

Results and Disbursement

Once the application process for UGC Scholarship is completed, there will be a verification process to shortlist the candidates as awardees of the scholarship and fellowship. Furthermore,  the UGC scholarship will be granted to students who meet all the specified eligibility criteria and also qualify for the verification round genuinely. However, for the fellowship, a recommendation from the Expert Committee set up by the UGC after an interview is required.

The final results for both will be uploaded on the official website only. Hence, all aspirants must keep visiting the UGC website for updates and results. Thereafter, the beneficiaries receive the UGC scholarship amount directly in their bank accounts via Direct Benefit Transfer (DBT). Therefore, all aspirants must have a personal account in any of the nationalized banks while applying for either scholarship or fellowship.