National Fellowship for Scheduled Caste Students (NFSC)

What is the National Fellowship for Scheduled Caste Students?

National Fellowship for Scheduled Caste Students (NFSC) is a central sector fellowship of the Ministry of Social Justice and Empowerment, administered through the University Grants Commission. According to the Department of Social Justice and Empowerment, NFSC supports SC students pursuing Ph.D. degrees in the sciences, humanities and social sciences at UGC-recognised Indian institutions.

NFSC is a research fellowship, not a scholarship for course fees. It pays a monthly stipend to the scholar for up to five years so that a doctoral candidate from a Scheduled Caste family can research full time without taking outside work. Selection is not by a separate examination: candidates are picked from those who qualify the UGC NET-JRF or the Joint CSIR-UGC NET-JRF conducted by the National Testing Agency under the NFSC category.

Key objectives

• Increase the number of SC scholars completing doctoral research in India.
• Remove the income barrier that pushes SC post-graduates out of research and into early employment.
• Improve SC representation in university faculty and research positions.

Main features

• 2,000 fresh fellowships every year to 1,500 in Humanities and Social Sciences and 500 in the Science stream.
• Slots are over and above SC selections under the normal reservation policy.
• Rs 37,000 a month as JRF for the first two years and Rs 42,000 a month as SRF for the next three years.
• Maximum duration 5 years.
• 3 percent of the fellowships reserved for physically handicapped candidates belonging to Scheduled Castes.

Who is eligible for NFSC?

You can apply if:

• You belong to a Scheduled Caste and hold a valid caste certificate from a competent authority.
• You have qualified UGC NET-JRF or the Joint CSIR-UGC NET-JRF under the NFSC category.
• You have passed the post-graduate examination in the subject in which you intend to do research.
• You are registered for a full-time regular Ph.D. in a university, institution or college recognised by the University Grants Commission.
• You are claiming the fellowship for only one research programme and are not drawing another fellowship for it.

You cannot apply if:

• You are not from a Scheduled Caste. Candidates from other categories have their own fellowships, the National Fellowship for OBC, ST and other schemes.
• You have not qualified NET-JRF under the NFSC category. Clearing NET for assistant professor eligibility alone does not qualify you.
• You are enrolled in a part-time, distance or external Ph.D. rather than a full-time regular programme.
• You are already receiving another fellowship or stipend, UGC JRF, CSIR JRF, an ICSSR fellowship, an institutional stipend or a salary — for the same research. Double benefit is not allowed.
• Your institution is not recognised by the UGC.
• You have already completed the maximum five years of fellowship support.

How much does NFSC pay?

Beyond the monthly fellowship, NFSC pays:

• House Rent Allowance as per Government of India norms, to scholars not provided hostel accommodation by the institution.
• Contingency grant of Rs 10,000 a year for the first two years and Rs 20,500 a year thereafter for Humanities and Social Sciences, and Rs 12,000 a year for the first two years and Rs 25,000 a year thereafter for Science, Engineering and Technology.

Over a full five-year tenure the monthly fellowship alone comes to roughly Rs 24 lakh, before HRA and contingency. The amounts are paid directly into the scholar's bank account.

What documents are required for NFSC?

How to apply for NFSC

1. Qualify UGC NET-JRF or the Joint CSIR-UGC NET-JRF conducted by the National Testing Agency, applying under the NFSC category in the NET application form itself. This is the step candidates most often miss.
2. Check the NFSC award list published after the NET result and note your award or reference number.
3. Get admission and register for a full-time Ph.D. in a UGC-recognised university, institution or college.
4. Open the UGC NFSC portal at nfsc.ugc.ac.in and register as a candidate with your NET roll number and personal details.
5. Fill the online application with your caste, academic, research and bank account details.
6. Upload the scanned documents; caste certificate, NET result card, PG mark sheets, Ph.D. registration proof, Aadhaar and bank passbook.
7. Submit the application and forward the printed copy to your research supervisor and the university's fellowship or SC/ST cell for endorsement.
8. The university uploads the joining report on the portal; the fellowship starts from the date of joining research recorded there.
9. Track the sanction and release of the fellowship on the portal, and submit the annual progress report through the university to keep payments running.

How is the fellowship renewed and upgraded?

1. Complete two years as Junior Research Fellow and prepare a progress report on your research work.
2. The university's review committee assesses the work, the published output and the supervisor's certificate.
3. On satisfactory assessment, the scholar is upgraded to Senior Research Fellow at Rs 42,000 a month for the remaining tenure.
4. Submit an annual progress report every year thereafter; fellowships are stopped where the report is not submitted or progress is unsatisfactory.

Why NFSC payments get delayed or stopped

• Joining report not uploaded by the university, which is the single most common cause of a delayed first payment.
• Annual progress report not submitted through the supervisor and university.
• Bank account not Aadhaar-seeded, causing the DBT credit to fail.
• Mismatch between the NET record and the application: name, category or subject differences.
• Change of university or supervisor without prior intimation and approval.
• Drawing another fellowship or a salary simultaneously, which triggers recovery of the amount paid.

Help and grievance redressal

• Ministry of Social Justice and Empowerment publishes the NFSC scheme guidelines at socialjustice.gov.in.
• University Grants Commission hosts the fellowship portal at nfsc.ugc.ac.in and issues the revised NFSC guidelines.
• National Scholarship Portal helpdesk: 0120-6619540, 8:00 AM to 8:00 PM, and helpdesk@nsp.gov.in for portal and payment queries on ministry scholarships.
• University SC/ST cell or fellowship section, which is the first point of contact for joining reports, progress reports and payment follow-up.

Applying for NFSC is free at every stage. Selection depends entirely on the NET result and the university's endorsement, so no agent or consultant can arrange a fellowship for a fee.