National Fellowship for OBC Statistics: Scholars and Funds by Year and State
· 2 min read · 3 official sources
Rs 69.96 crore was spent in 2024-25 to pay fellowships to 2,180 OBC research scholars under the National Fellowship for OBC Students, the Social Justice Ministry told the Rajya Sabha. Year-wise scholar counts and amounts from 2018-19 and the states with the most fellows are below.
National Fellowship for OBC Students (NF-OBC): key numbers
Infographic
NF-OBC scholars and amount disbursed (2018-19 to 2022-23)
Junior Research Fellows paid and the amount disbursed to them each year, from the annexure to a Rajya Sabha reply of 6 December 2023. Amounts are converted from the exact rupee figures in the reply.
| Year | JRF scholars | Amount disbursed (Rs crore) |
|---|---|---|
| 2018-19 | 324 | 10.29 |
| 2019-20 | 810 | 40.92 |
| 2020-21 | 772 | 25.59 |
| 2021-22 | 831 | 34.75 |
| 2022-23 | 1,070 | 34.90 |
Source: pib.gov.in, as on 31 March 2023
Top 12 states by NF-OBC scholars (2022-23)
States with the most JRF scholars paid under NF-OBC in 2022-23, with the amount disbursed to them.
| State | JRF scholars | Amount disbursed (Rs crore) |
|---|---|---|
| Uttar Pradesh | 249 | 8.04 |
| Kerala | 100 | 3.29 |
| West Bengal | 71 | 2.11 |
| Haryana | 64 | 2.05 |
| Bihar | 62 | 2.22 |
| Rajasthan | 62 | 1.90 |
| Delhi | 56 | 1.94 |
| Odisha | 50 | 1.55 |
| Assam | 49 | 1.65 |
| Tamil Nadu | 44 | 1.38 |
| Madhya Pradesh | 28 | 0.96 |
| Manipur | 27 | 0.88 |
Source: pib.gov.in, as on 31 March 2023
How an OBC scholar gets the fellowship
What the numbers show
The National Fellowship for OBC Students pays a monthly stipend to OBC scholars doing an MPhil or PhD after clearing NET JRF. In a Rajya Sabha reply on 26 March 2025, the Ministry of Social Justice and Empowerment said Rs 69.96 crore was used in 2024-25 to pay 2,180 scholars. That included Rs 55 crore allocated in the budget and Rs 14.96 crore added later.
The trend over the years
An earlier reply, in December 2023, gave year-wise data for five years. The number of Junior Research Fellows paid rose from 324 in 2018-19 to 810 in 2019-20, dipped to 772 in 2020-21, and reached 1,070 in 2022-23. Amounts disbursed did not move in step with headcount: Rs 40.92 crore went out in 2019-20 but only Rs 25.59 crore in 2020-21, the pandemic year. In 2022-23, Rs 34.90 crore was disbursed.
Implementation moved from UGC to NBCFDC from 1 October 2022. A Lok Sabha reply of December 2022 said Rs 45.84 crore had been released to NBCFDC for the fellowship up to the third quarter of 2022-23.
State differences
Uttar Pradesh dominates, with 249 of the 1,070 scholars paid in 2022-23 and Rs 8.04 crore in fellowship money. Kerala (100), West Bengal (71) and Haryana (64) follow. Kerala's count rose quickly, from 5 in 2018-19 to 100 in 2022-23. Several northeastern and smaller states have only a handful of fellows each.
What the figures do not tell you
Scholar counts include continuing fellows, not only fresh awards, so they cannot be compared directly with the 1,000 new slots each year. The 2024-25 figures come from a different reply than the earlier series and may count scholars differently. The data does not show how many selected candidates waited for payment or how long delays lasted.
Where to check the numbers
Year-wise and state-wise figures appear in Social Justice Ministry replies in Parliament, published on PIB. NBCFDC, the implementing agency, posts selection lists and notices on its website.
Frequently asked questions
How many OBC scholars got the national fellowship in 2024-25?
The Social Justice Ministry told the Rajya Sabha on 26 March 2025 that Rs 69.96 crore had been used to pay fellowships to 2,180 scholars in 2024-25, and that 1,902 had been paid in the previous six months.
How much was allocated for NF-OBC in 2024-25?
Rs 55 crore was allocated for 2024-25 and another Rs 14.96 crore was added through re-appropriation, making Rs 69.96 crore, all of which was utilised.
How many fellowships are given each year?
The scheme provides 1,000 Junior Research Fellowships a year, 750 for humanities and social sciences and 250 for sciences. Each fellowship runs for several years, so the number of scholars paid in a year can be higher than 1,000.
Which state has the most NF-OBC fellows?
Uttar Pradesh had 249 JRF scholars paid in 2022-23, far ahead of Kerala with 100 and West Bengal with 71, according to the Rajya Sabha annexure of December 2023.
Who runs the NF-OBC scheme now?
The scheme moved from UGC to the National Backward Classes Finance and Development Corporation (NBCFDC) from 1 October 2022, according to a Lok Sabha reply of December 2022.
Eligibility, documents and how to apply: National Fellowship for OBC Students (NF-OBC) full guide
Charts, data files and the infographic are free to download, share and embed with a link back to this page.
Sources
This guide was checked against these official pages:
- pib.gov.in (pib.gov.in/PressReleaseIframePage.aspx?PRID=2115193)
- pib.gov.in (www.pib.gov.in/PressReleaseIframePage.aspx?PRID=1983221)
- pib.gov.in (www.pib.gov.in/PressReleaseIframePage.aspx?PRID=1883127)