Dr. S. Radhakrishnan UGC Post-Doctoral Fellowship

What is the Dr. S. Radhakrishnan UGC Post-Doctoral Fellowship?

The Dr. S. Radhakrishnan UGC Post-Doctoral Fellowship is a University Grants Commission (UGC) scheme under the Ministry of Education that supports full-time post-doctoral research by candidates who already hold a PhD. It is named after Dr. Sarvepalli Radhakrishnan, the scholar-philosopher and second President of India, and consolidates the UGC's earlier separate post-doctoral fellowship streams into a single programme.

According to UGC scheme information, the fellowship pays Rs 50,000 per month for a tenure of up to three years, together with an annual contingency grant of Rs 50,000 for books, travel, and research expenses. Candidates with a disability additionally receive an escort or reader allowance of Rs 3,000 per month. Roughly 900 fellowships are offered, and 30% are reserved for women.

The scheme is designed to give freshly qualified doctorate holders a bridge period, time and a stipend to publish, deepen a research agenda, or complete a focused project, before they move into regular academic or research posts.

Who is eligible for the Dr. S. Radhakrishnan Post-Doctoral Fellowship?

You can apply if:

• You already hold a PhD degree and are currently unemployed.
• You scored at least 55% at the postgraduate level (relaxed to 50% for SC, ST, OBC, PwD and women candidates).
• You are within the age limit, 35 years for the general category, relaxed to 40 years for women, transgender persons, and reserved category applicants.
• You have secured a mentor (Associate Professor or above) and a host institution that is UGC-recognised — a university, deemed university, centrally funded institution or institution of national importance.

You cannot apply if:

• You are in regular salaried employment. The fellowship is meant only for unemployed PhD holders, and it is discontinued the day a fellow joins a regular job.
• You have not yet been awarded your PhD. The degree must be complete.
• You have already availed a UGC post-doctoral fellowship. The award is a one-time benefit.

Reservation for SC, ST, OBC and Persons with Disabilities applies as per Government of India norms across the pool of fellowships.

What documents are required?

How to apply for the Dr. S. Radhakrishnan Post-Doctoral Fellowship

1. Wait for the annual advertisement to appear on the UGC Fellowship and Research Grant (FRG) portal at frg.ugc.ac.in and on the UGC website.
2. Register on the portal with your email and mobile number, then log in.
3. Fill in the online application with your academic record, PhD details, proposed research area, mentor and host institution.
4. Upload the PhD certificate, PG mark sheet, age proof, research proposal, mentor consent and (if applicable) category certificate.
5. Submit the form before the notified last date and save the acknowledgement for your records.

Selection is merit-based, assessed by UGC-appointed expert committees on the strength of the candidate's academic record and research proposal. There is no fee to apply on the official portal.

How much does the fellowship provide?

The Dr. S. Radhakrishnan UGC Post-Doctoral Fellowship provides Rs 50,000 per month as fellowship, plus Rs 50,000 per year as contingency, for a fixed three-year tenure that cannot be extended. Persons with a disability receive an additional Rs 3,000 per month escort/reader allowance. The amount is paid through the host institution, which draws it against the UGC sanction.

A note on scope

This is a niche, competitive research fellowship, not a broad public benefit. It serves a specific audience: unemployed PhD holders under 35 who want a funded bridge into research careers. Prospective applicants should confirm the exact current rates, slot count and last date in the live UGC advertisement on frg.ugc.ac.in each cycle, since fellowship rates are revised by the UGC from time to time.

Help and contact

• UGC: 011-23604446, 011-23604200
• UGC Fellowship and Research Grant portal: frg.ugc.ac.in
• Grievances on a submitted application are raised through the FRG portal helpdesk.

How to check your application status

Since applications go in only during the window when UGC opens the annual advertisement on the Fellowship and Research Grant (FRG) portal, status checks follow the same online route rather than any separate tracking number system.

1. Log in at frg.ugc.ac.in with the credentials used at the time of application.
2. Open your dashboard or application status section, where the portal shows whether your form is submitted, under scrutiny, sent for expert committee review, or has a result.
3. If your application shows as incomplete or in draft, it was never submitted, no separate confirmation email replaces a portal submission.
4. Selection results, when declared, are published as a list on the FRG portal and on the UGC website, not communicated individually to every applicant by phone.
5. If the portal shows no record of your application at all, treat this as unresolved rather than assuming it went through: contact the FRG helpdesk directly rather than waiting for a call back.

For queries the portal itself cannot answer, for example about missing documents, mentor confirmation, or delayed committee review, contact UGC on 011-23604446 or 011-23604200 and quote your application or registration number from the FRG portal. Since the scheme is currently marked "Only Old cases are being settled" on UGC's fellowship listing, anyone with a pending case from an earlier cycle should also use this helpdesk route rather than looking for a fresh application status, as no new cohort is being processed for now.

There is no SMS-based status alert for this fellowship and no offline counter where status can be checked in person; the FRG portal login and the UGC helpline are the only two channels.

Common reasons for rejection

• PhD not yet awarded at the time of application. The fellowship is strictly post-doctoral. Applicants who apply while a thesis is still under evaluation, or before the degree is formally conferred, are rejected regardless of how strong the research proposal is. Apply only after the PhD award notification is in hand.
• PG marks below the cutoff. The 55% postgraduate marks requirement (50% for SC/ST/OBC/PwD/women) is checked against the mark sheet, not self-declared percentage. A candidate who is short even marginally, or who submits a mark sheet showing a grade point without the equivalent percentage worked out, risks rejection on this ground alone. Get the percentage-equivalence certified by the university if your transcript only shows CGPA.
• No confirmed mentor or host institution at submission. A research proposal without a named mentor's signed consent, or one anchored to an institution that is not UGC-recognised, is turned down. The mentor must hold at least an Associate Professor-level position at a recognised university, deemed university, centrally funded institution, or institution of national importance.
• Currently in regular employment. Since the fellowship is reserved for unemployed PhD holders, an applicant who is in a regular salaried job, including a temporary or ad hoc teaching post that counts as regular service, is disqualified. A candidate must be able to certify unemployed status honestly at the time of application.
• Age limit exceeded without claiming the applicable relaxation. Applicants close to or past 35 sometimes miss claiming the 40-year relaxation available to women, transgender persons, and reserved categories, and the application is assessed against the general limit by default if the category or gender relaxation is not clearly indicated with supporting proof.
• Already availed a UGC post-doctoral fellowship earlier. This is a one-time benefit. A second application from someone who has already completed or is currently holding a UGC post-doctoral award under any of its earlier or merged streams is not entertained.
• Weak or generic research proposal. Selection is made by expert committees on the strength of the proposed research plan. A proposal that does not clearly define the research question, methodology, and relevance to the chosen discipline is a common reason for being screened out even when all eligibility boxes are technically met. A proposal co-developed and endorsed in detail by the named mentor stands a materially better chance than a template submission.
• Incomplete or unsigned document uploads. Missing the mentor consent letter, an unendorsed research proposal, or an age proof that does not clearly show the date of birth are frequent, avoidable causes of rejection at the scrutiny stage, before the application even reaches the expert committee. Recheck every mandatory upload against the checklist before final submission, since the FRG portal does not always flag a missing document at the time of upload.