Star College Scheme for Strengthening of Science Education and Training at Undergraduate Level

What is the Star College Scheme?

The Star College Scheme for Strengthening of Science Education and Training at Undergraduate Level is a programme of the Department of Biotechnology (DBT), under the Ministry of Science and Technology. According to DBT, the scheme is designed to improve critical thinking and hands-on experimental work at the undergraduate (college) level in the sciences, so that more students take up higher education and research in science.

DBT identifies colleges with the ambition and potential for excellence and supports them with academic and physical infrastructure. The Star College Scheme is a pan-India scheme that envisages a Star College in every district of the country. DBT has supported over 200 undergraduate colleges across the country, and beyond funding, colleges gain from mentoring, Advisory Committee meetings, Task Force meetings and peer learning.

This is an institutional grant to colleges, not a scholarship for students. Students benefit indirectly through better laboratories, more practicals, minor research projects and faculty training.

How much does the Star College Scheme provide?

According to the scheme details, a selected college receives:

• A one-time, non-recurring grant of Rs 10 lakh per science department.
• A recurring grant of Rs 3 lakh per science department per year for three years, subject to a satisfactory annual review.
• Rs 1 lakh per year under a contingency head.
• Mentoring and monitoring grants of Rs 1 lakh, Rs 2 lakh and Rs 3 lakh per college.

The scheme encourages purchase of multiple copies of routine equipment for undergraduate science practicals within a ceiling of Rs 1 lakh; equipment costing more than Rs 1 lakh and up to Rs 3 lakh requires prior approval of DBT.

The funds are used for student training (practicals, minor projects for groups of up to four students, summer research, industry and lab visits, IT in classrooms and libraries, and lectures by eminent scientists) and for faculty (faculty improvement programmes, summer skill-upgradation courses, curriculum change toward hands-on lab work, and internal review by students).

Who is eligible for the Star College Scheme?

A college can apply if:

• It is a Government or Government-aided college, autonomous colleges included, recognised under Section 2(f) and 12(B) of the UGC Act 1956.
• It offers a minimum of 4–5 undergraduate courses in basic science (such as botany, zoology, applied life science, microbiology, physiology/biochemistry, biotechnology) and 1–2 applied or PG diploma courses.
• It has adequate in-house faculty in each science department.
• It has independent laboratories for practicals and lecture rooms sized for the sanctioned student strength.
• It has basic laboratory and library facilities, LCD/overhead projection, and computers with internet access.

Who cannot apply:

• Individual students cannot apply for a personal benefit — the grant goes to the college.
• Private unaided colleges without 2(f)/12(B) recognition do not meet the eligibility bar.
• A college discontinued after a round of support cannot re-apply until a cooling period of two years has passed.

A college not recommended earlier can re-apply with appropriate modifications. A college already supported can apply for an additional department only after completing one three-year cycle of ongoing support.

What documents are required?

How to apply for the Star College Scheme

The Star College Scheme uses an online application through the DBT eProMIS portal, followed by a signed hard copy. There is no individual citizen application.

1. Watch for the call. Applications are invited through an advertisement on the DBT website. Vice-chancellors may also nominate colleges, and DBT corresponds directly with potential colleges.
2. Apply online on eProMIS. Submit the proposal in the prescribed format on the DBT eProMIS portal (refer to the advertisement for the exact link and format).
3. Send the signed hard copy. Post the duly signed and stamped hard copy of the eProMIS proposal to: Dr. Garima Gupta, Scientist 'E', Star College Scheme, HRD Division, Department of Biotechnology, Ministry of Science and Technology, Block-3, 5th Floor, CGO Complex, Lodhi Road, New Delhi–110003.
4. Screening and site visit. The Task Force screens the applications, giving consideration to regional requirements, women's colleges and autonomous colleges; a site visit is undertaken if required, and the Task Force's decision is final.

How is progress measured?

DBT measures a Star College's progress through parameters such as a substantial increase in hands-on experimental work by students, greater student access to laboratory and bioinformatics infrastructure, improved access to science journals, summer schools, the percentage of students pursuing postgraduate science education, and feedback from students, faculty and employers. Supported colleges submit annual reviews, and the recurring grant continues only on satisfactory performance.

Help and where to apply

The scheme is administered by the HRD Division, Department of Biotechnology, and applications run through the DBT eProMIS portal advertised on the DBT website (dbtindia.gov.in). DBT has not published a dedicated toll-free helpline for the Star College Scheme; queries should be directed to the HRD Division at the New Delhi address above through the details in the current call for applications.

How to check your application status

Because the Star College Scheme is an institutional grant routed through a call-based cycle rather than a year-round citizen portal, there is no public "track my application" button. A college that has submitted a proposal can still confirm where things stand through these channels.

1. Check the eProMIS portal login. The principal investigator or nodal officer who submitted the proposal on the DBT eProMIS portal should log back into their account. Once DBT begins processing a cycle, application status (submitted, under screening, shortlisted for a site visit, or a Task Force decision) is generally reflected against the proposal in the applicant's own eProMIS dashboard.
2. Confirm the hard copy reached DBT. Since eProMIS submission is only complete once the signed, stamped hard copy of the proposal reaches the HRD Division in New Delhi, a college unsure of its status should first verify through its own dispatch records (courier or speed-post tracking number) that the hard copy was delivered, because an application missing this step is not treated as complete regardless of what the portal shows.
3. Watch for a site visit intimation. Colleges shortlisted after the Task Force's initial screening are usually informed of a site visit by letter or email to the address given in the proposal. Receiving no such intimation within the cycle's stated timeline is itself a status signal, though DBT does not commit to a fixed number of days for this stage.
4. Contact the HRD Division directly. Since DBT has not published a dedicated toll-free helpline or online tracker for this scheme, the reliable fallback is a written query (letter or email) to the HRD Division, Department of Biotechnology, quoting the college's eProMIS application/proposal number, the date of submission, and the date the hard copy was dispatched. Keep a copy of this query and any reply for the college's own records.
5. Check the current call notification. Each fresh call for Star College applications published on dbtindia.gov.in sometimes lists the outcome or shortlist of the previous cycle, or gives updated contact details for status queries; colleges awaiting a decision should check the DBT website periodically rather than assume silence means rejection.

There is no SMS-based or app-based status check for this scheme; all follow-up is through the eProMIS account, written correspondence, or the DBT website.

Common reasons for rejection

Because the grant is institutional and screened by a Task Force rather than assessed against a fixed points formula, rejections are almost always about the college's underlying academic or infrastructural profile, not paperwork alone. The most common reasons, and how a college can address each one, are:

• College lacks 2(f) and/or 12(B) recognition. A college without valid recognition under Section 2(f) and 12(B) of the UGC Act 1956 does not meet the basic eligibility bar. Fix: obtain and keep this certificate current before applying; a lapsed or pending certificate should be renewed first, not attached as "in process."
• Too few basic science courses offered. The scheme expects a college to run a minimum of 4-5 undergraduate courses in basic sciences (such as botany, zoology, microbiology, biochemistry or biotechnology). A college running only one or two such courses, or mainly commerce/arts programmes with a token science stream, is unlikely to be recommended. Fix: apply once the college's science course spread genuinely matches the scheme's expectation, rather than stretching a thin science offering to fit.
• Insufficient in-house faculty in the science departments. Departments that rely heavily on guest or ad-hoc faculty for core science teaching are seen as unable to sustain the hands-on training the grant is meant to build. Fix: strengthen the sanctioned faculty position in the department applying, and document faculty strength clearly in the proposal.
• Inadequate laboratory or classroom infrastructure. Proposals from colleges without independent practical laboratories, or with lecture rooms too small for the sanctioned student strength, are weighed down at the site-visit stage even if initially shortlisted. Fix: address basic lab and classroom capacity issues before applying, since the scheme funds equipment and training, not new lab construction.
• Proposal not in the prescribed format or missing the required annexures. A proposal in a college's own format, or missing the mandatory 2(f)/12(B) certificate, is treated as incomplete at the screening stage. Fix: use the exact proforma published with the current call and attach every document it specifies.
• Signed hard copy never reached DBT, or reached late. An eProMIS submission that is not followed up with the signed, stamped hard copy within the window given in the call notification is effectively treated as incomplete. Fix: dispatch the hard copy well before the deadline by a trackable courier or speed post, and retain the tracking receipt.
• Weak or generic proposal content. Proposals that do not clearly describe how the grant will be used for practicals, minor student projects, faculty training and infrastructure (as opposed to a vague request for funds) score poorly with the Task Force. Fix: build the proposal around specific, department-level activities the college intends to run with the grant, matching the scheme's stated objectives.
• Reapplying during the two-year cooling period. A college discontinued after a support cycle that reapplies before completing the mandatory two-year cooling period will not be considered. Fix: wait out the full cooling period and note the original discontinuation date in any fresh proposal.
• Requesting an additional department too early. A college already receiving support that applies for a new department before completing one full three-year cycle for its existing department(s) is outside the scheme's rules. Fix: apply for additional departments only after the current cycle's three years and satisfactory annual reviews are complete.

Since decisions rest with the Task Force's overall assessment rather than a scored checklist, a rejected college should treat the outcome as an invitation to strengthen the specific gap area (faculty, infrastructure, course spread, or proposal quality) before the next call, as DBT explicitly allows colleges not recommended earlier to reapply with suitable modifications.