Savitribai Jyotirao Phule Fellowship For Single Girl Child (SJSGC)

What is the Savitribai Jyotirao Phule Fellowship for Single Girl Child?

Savitribai Jyotirao Phule Fellowship for Single Girl Child (SJSGC) is a scheme of the University Grants Commission (UGC), which functions under the Ministry of Education. Named after the 19th-century social reformer and educator Savitribai Phule, the fellowship funds the doctoral studies of a girl who is the only child of her parents, so that a family with a single daughter is encouraged to support her to the highest level of study.

According to UGC guidelines, the fellowship pays Rs 31,000 per month for the first two years (the Junior Research Fellow, or JRF, stage) and Rs 35,000 per month for the remaining tenure (the Senior Research Fellow, or SRF, stage), subject to satisfactory progress. It also carries a contingency grant and, for Divyang (differently abled) scholars, escort or reader assistance of Rs 3,000 per month. The total tenure is five years.

The fellowship replaced and built on earlier UGC support for single girl children and is administered through the UGC's Fellowship and Research Grant portal.

Who is eligible for the Savitribai Jyotirao Phule Fellowship for Single Girl Child?

You can apply if:

• You are a single girl child of your parents, the only child, or one of only daughters. Girls who are one of twins or fraternal daughters are also eligible.
• You are enrolled in a regular, full-time Ph.D. programme in any subject at a recognised university, college or institute.
• You are below 40 years of age (general category) or below 45 years (SC, ST, OBC and PwD candidates).

You cannot apply if:

• Your family has one or more sons — a girl with a brother is not eligible.
• You are enrolled in a part-time or distance-mode Ph.D. programme.
• You are above the applicable age limit for your category.
• You are pursuing a course below the Ph.D. level; this fellowship is only for doctoral research.

The single-girl-child condition is the defining eligibility test, and it is what most applicants need to confirm carefully, usually through a self-declaration or affidavit.

What documents are required?

How to apply for the Savitribai Jyotirao Phule Fellowship for Single Girl Child

1. Confirm you meet the single-girl-child condition, the full-time Ph.D. requirement and the age limit for your category.
2. Watch the UGC website (ugc.gov.in) and the Fellowship and Research Grant portal (frg.ugc.ac.in) for the open call and the last date.
3. Register and log in on the FRG portal and select the Savitribai Jyotirao Phule Fellowship for Single Girl Child.
4. Fill the online form and upload the single-girl-child declaration, Ph.D. registration proof, age and category documents, and bank details.
5. Submit before the deadline and save the acknowledgement. Selection and the provisional result are published by the UGC on its portal.

How much benefit does the fellowship provide?

Per UGC guidelines, the fellowship provides, over a five-year tenure:

• Rs 31,000 per month for the first two years (JRF stage).
• Rs 35,000 per month for the remaining tenure (SRF stage), subject to satisfactory research progress.
• Contingency grant, for Humanities and Social Sciences, Rs 10,000 per year for the first two years and Rs 20,500 per year thereafter; for Science, Engineering and Technology, Rs 12,000 per year for the first two years and Rs 25,000 per year thereafter.
• Escort/reader assistance of Rs 3,000 per month for Divyang scholars.

The tenure runs from 1 April of the selection year or the date of joining, whichever is later, and only up to the date of thesis submission. Applicants should confirm the current rates against the live UGC notification, as fellowship amounts are periodically revised.

Help and where to check details

The scheme is administered by the UGC through its portal, not through a public call centre. The authoritative references are the UGC fellowship page (ugc.gov.in/Fellowship/stu_Fellowship3) and the Fellowship and Research Grant portal (frg.ugc.ac.in), where applications and results are handled. The UGC has not published a dedicated phone helpline for this scheme; queries are routed through the FRG portal and the applicant's university. Because this is a narrowly defined fellowship, applicants should verify the amount, age limit and single-girl-child conditions against the current UGC guidelines before applying.