Quality Improvement Programme (QIP)

What is the Quality Improvement Programme?

The Quality Improvement Programme (QIP) is a staff development scheme of the All India Council for Technical Education (AICTE), a statutory body under the Ministry of Education. According to AICTE, QIP was launched in 1970 and its main objective is to upgrade the expertise and capabilities of teachers in AICTE-approved technical institutions by giving them the chance to improve their qualifications at premier institutes.

QIP is administered through the National QIP Coordination Committee (NQCC) and funded by AICTE. It is an institutional, sponsored scheme, not an open scholarship: only serving, permanent faculty who are sponsored by their own institution can take admission under it. The teacher continues to draw a salary from the sponsoring college while studying, and returns to teach there after completing the degree.

The programme has three broad strands: enabling teachers to earn Masters and PhD degrees, running short-term courses, and supporting curriculum development to improve classroom teaching. This guide focuses on the degree-admission strand, which is the one individual teachers apply for.

Who is eligible for QIP?

A teacher can apply if:

• The teacher is a full-time, permanent faculty member of an AICTE-approved technical institution (degree or diploma level, as applicable).
• The teacher is sponsored by the parent institution, with study leave and a no-objection/sponsorship certificate.
• The teacher meets the qualification and experience norms:
• For M.E./M.Tech: a relevant bachelor's degree and, typically, about one year of teaching experience.
• For PhD: a relevant master's degree and, typically, about three years of teaching experience.

Who cannot apply:

• Fresh graduates and self-financing students with no teaching post.
• Teachers who are not permanent or not sponsored by their institution.
• Faculty of institutions not approved by AICTE for the relevant programme.

Because QIP admission depends on institutional sponsorship, an individual cannot join simply on personal merit - the parent institution must nominate and release the teacher.

What financial support does QIP provide?

According to AICTE and QIP centre guidelines, an admitted teacher receives a monthly assistantship in addition to the salary paid by the sponsoring institution during study leave:

• M.E./M.Tech: about Rs 9,000 per month, with an annual contingency grant (commonly around Rs 5,000).
• PhD: about Rs 15,000 per month.

The assistantship supplements the teacher's salary; it is not the teacher's only income during the programme. Exact rates are set by AICTE and may be revised, so teachers should confirm the current assistantship with the admitting QIP centre.

How long are the programmes?

• Master's degree: two years, with no extension allowed.
• PhD: three years, with limited extension possible only with AICTE approval.

Which institutes deliver QIP?

QIP degrees are offered at premier QIP centres, which include IISc Bangalore and the IITs at Bombay, Delhi, Guwahati, Kanpur, Kharagpur, Madras, Roorkee, Bhubaneswar, Hyderabad and BHU Varanasi, along with other approved centres. The teacher chooses centres and programmes as part of the application.

What documents are required?

How to apply for QIP

1. Confirm your eligibility and get institutional sponsorship - you must be permanent faculty of an AICTE-approved institution, sponsored for study leave with a no-objection certificate.
2. Register on the AICTE QIP portal through the staff development scheme pages when applications open (typically early in the year).
3. Fill the application, choose QIP centres and programmes (M.Tech or PhD) and upload sponsorship, qualification and ID documents.
4. Complete the admission process run by the National QIP Coordination Committee and the chosen centre, including any test or interview the institute requires.
5. Join the programme on study leave, drawing the QIP assistantship along with your institutional salary, and return to your institution after completing the degree.

Help and contact

• AICTE (headquarters): 011-29581000
• Official portal: aicte-india.org - Staff Development Schemes

QIP rules on eligibility, assistantship rates, participating centres and application dates are set by AICTE and the National QIP Coordination Committee, so confirm the current cycle's details on the AICTE QIP portal before applying.