Kishore Vaigyanik Protsahan Yojana (KVPY)

What was Kishore Vaigyanik Protsahan Yojana (KVPY)?

Kishore Vaigyanik Protsahan Yojana (KVPY) was a national fellowship programme started in 1999 by the Department of Science and Technology (DST), under the Ministry of Science and Technology, and administered by the Indian Institute of Science (IISc), Bengaluru. Its aim was to identify students with talent and aptitude for research and encourage them to take up careers in basic sciences by giving them a fellowship, a contingency grant and research exposure.

KVPY is now closed. The DST discontinued the KVPY aptitude test from 2022 and merged the scheme into the INSPIRE (Innovation in Science Pursuit for Inspired Research) programme. This guide explains what KVPY offered and, more usefully for today's students, points to the INSPIRE route that has replaced it: because searches for "KVPY" still lead students to a fellowship that no longer accepts new applicants.

How did KVPY work?

KVPY selected students through a written aptitude test followed by an interview. Successful candidates became KVPY fellows and received a monthly fellowship plus an annual contingency grant, as long as they stayed in a basic- science course and maintained the required academic performance.

Fellowship amounts under KVPY:

• Undergraduate years (first, second and third year): Rs 5,000 per month, plus an annual contingency grant of Rs 20,000.
• Postgraduate years (fourth and fifth year / integrated M.Sc.-M.S.): Rs 7,000 per month, plus an annual contingency grant of Rs 28,000.

The fellowship was conditional on the student pursuing courses such as B.Sc., B.S., B.Stat., B.Math., Integrated M.Sc. or M.S. in basic sciences. It stopped if a student switched to a non-basic-science field (for example, engineering or medicine) or did not keep up the required academic standard.

Who was eligible for KVPY?

KVPY ran through three streams:

• Stream SA: students in Class 11 (science), who received the fellowship after they entered an eligible undergraduate basic-science course.
• Stream SX: students in Class 12 (science) intending to pursue basic sciences.
• Stream SB — students in the first year of an undergraduate basic-science programme.

Who could not benefit:

• Students not pursuing basic sciences, those in engineering, medicine or professional courses were outside KVPY.
• Students who did not clear the aptitude test and interview.
• Anyone applying after 2022, because the scheme and its test have been discontinued.

Today, no new student can apply for KVPY. New applicants are not eligible because the programme is closed to fresh enrolment.

What replaced KVPY, and what should students do now?

In 2022 the DST subsumed KVPY into the INSPIRE programme. The Scholarship for Higher Education (INSPIRE-SHE) component now supports talented students who take up basic and natural sciences at the undergraduate and postgraduate level, continuing the spirit of KVPY. Existing KVPY fellows selected before the closure continued to receive their fellowship until the end of their tenure.

If you are a student who would once have aimed for KVPY, your route now is INSPIRE-SHE, applied for on the INSPIRE portal.

How to apply for a basic-science fellowship now (INSPIRE) instead of KVPY

1. Check your eligibility for INSPIRE-SHE, it targets top performers in the Class 12 board examinations and students in the National/State merit lists who choose basic and natural sciences.
2. Enrol in an eligible B.Sc., B.S. or Integrated M.Sc./M.S. basic-science course at a recognised institution.
3. Register and apply on the INSPIRE portal at online-inspire.gov.in, submitting your mark sheets, course-enrolment proof and bank details.
4. Track your application and, once selected, comply with the academic conditions to continue receiving the scholarship and contingency grant.

Because the eligibility windows and cut-offs for INSPIRE-SHE change each year, confirm the current criteria on the official INSPIRE portal before applying.

Legacy KVPY fellows

Students already selected as KVPY fellows before the 2022 closure continued to draw the monthly fellowship (Rs 5,000 or Rs 7,000) and the annual contingency grant until the completion of their approved tenure, subject to the academic conditions. Any query on a legacy fellowship should go to the KVPY/IISc administrative office that managed the fellowship, not through a fresh application.

Help and where to verify

Since KVPY is closed, the live official resource for a comparable fellowship is the INSPIRE portal (online-inspire.gov.in) of the Department of Science and Technology. There is no active public helpline for new KVPY applications because the scheme no longer accepts them. Be cautious of any website or agent that claims to "register" you for KVPY. The aptitude test has not been held since 2022 and new enrolment is not possible.