National Fellowship for SC Students Statistics 2026: Scholars and Funds
· 1 min read · 4 official sources
NSFDC disbursed Rs 215.39 crore under the National Fellowship for Scheduled Caste Students in 2025-26, supporting 4,219 PhD scholars. Official replies in Parliament show 4,143 SC scholars were covered in 2024-25, with Uttar Pradesh and West Bengal having the most. Year-wise and state-wise figures are below.
National Fellowship for Scheduled Caste Students (NFSC): key numbers
Infographic
SC scholars covered under NFSC each year
Number of Scheduled Caste scholars paid a fellowship in each year. A scholar is counted once a year even if paid several times.
| Year | SC scholars |
|---|---|
| 2022-23 | 2,895 |
| 2023-24 | 4,169 |
| 2024-25 | 4,143 |
Source: pib.gov.in, as on 31 March 2025
Top 12 states by NFSC scholars (2024-25)
SC scholars covered under NFSC in the 12 states with the most scholars in 2024-25, with the two earlier years for comparison.
| State | 2022-23 | 2023-24 | 2024-25 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Uttar Pradesh | 462 | 735 | 776 |
| West Bengal | 483 | 687 | 727 |
| Haryana | 194 | 258 | 263 |
| Delhi | 196 | 250 | 260 |
| Punjab | 212 | 243 | 221 |
| Karnataka | 150 | 213 | 200 |
| Rajasthan | 128 | 176 | 174 |
| Himachal Pradesh | 125 | 157 | 160 |
| Maharashtra | 102 | 147 | 149 |
| Kerala | 90 | 125 | 140 |
| Telangana | 111 | 166 | 122 |
| Madhya Pradesh | 59 | 118 | 107 |
Source: pib.gov.in, as on 31 March 2025
How an SC scholar gets the NFSC fellowship
What the numbers show
The National Fellowship for Scheduled Caste Students pays a monthly fellowship to SC scholars doing a PhD in Indian universities. In 2025-26, the National Scheduled Castes Finance and Development Corporation (NSFDC) disbursed Rs 215.39 crore under the scheme and supported 4,219 scholars. By 30 November 2025, the department had reported Rs 147.11 crore released to 3,878 candidates.
The trend over the years
According to a Lok Sabha reply of March 2026, 2,895 SC scholars were covered in 2022-23, 4,169 in 2023-24 and 4,143 in 2024-25. Since a fellowship runs for up to five years and a scholar is counted once a year, these numbers include both new awardees and continuing scholars. NSFDC took over as implementing agency from 1 October 2022, and payments are now made through the Scholarship and Fellowship Management Portal by Direct Benefit Transfer.
State differences
Uttar Pradesh (776) and West Bengal (727) had by far the most scholars in 2024-25. Haryana, Delhi and Punjab follow, each with more than 200. Several states with large SC populations, such as Bihar (85) and Tamil Nadu (102), have relatively few scholars.
What the figures do not tell you
The counts do not show how many scholars finished their PhD, and they do not separate science from humanities fellows. They also do not show the amount paid in each state.
Where to check the numbers
NSFDC publishes yearly performance through PIB, and the Ministry of Social Justice and Empowerment answers questions on NFSC in Parliament with state-wise tables. The scheme guidelines and fellowship rates are posted on the NSFDC website at nsfdc.nic.in.
Frequently asked questions
How much was paid under NFSC in 2025-26?
NSFDC disbursed Rs 215.39 crore under the National Fellowship for Scheduled Castes in 2025-26, supporting 4,219 scholars, according to a PIB release of 10 April 2026.
How many NFSC fellowships are given each year?
The scheme has 2,000 new slots a year: 1,500 for UGC NET candidates in humanities and social sciences and 500 for Joint CSIR UGC NET candidates in science.
How many SC scholars got NFSC in 2024-25?
4,143 SC scholars were covered in 2024-25, against 4,169 in 2023-24 and 2,895 in 2022-23, according to a Lok Sabha reply published on 10 March 2026.
Which state has the most NFSC scholars?
Uttar Pradesh had 776 scholars in 2024-25 and West Bengal had 727. Haryana (263), Delhi (260) and Punjab (221) came next.
Who pays the NFSC fellowship?
The scheme is funded by the Department of Social Justice and Empowerment. NSFDC has been the implementing agency since 1 October 2022, and NTA selects candidates through the NET exams.
Eligibility, documents and how to apply: National Fellowship for Scheduled Caste Students (NFSC) 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 (www.pib.gov.in/PressReleasePage.aspx?PRID=2250876)
- pib.gov.in (www.pib.gov.in/PressReleasePage.aspx?PRID=2237627)
- pib.gov.in (www.pib.gov.in/PressReleasePage.aspx?PRID=2209488)
- socialjustice.gov.in (socialjustice.gov.in/schemes/29)