Swami Vivekananda Single Girl Child Fellowship for Research in Social Sciences

What is the Swami Vivekananda Single Girl Child Fellowship for Research in Social Sciences?

The Swami Vivekananda Single Girl Child Fellowship for Research in Social Sciences is a doctoral research fellowship administered by the Indian Council of Social Science Research (ICSSR), an autonomous body under the Ministry of Education, Government of India. The fellowship is meant to encourage single girl children: girls who are the only child of their parents; to pursue advanced research in the social sciences, and to reduce the financial barriers that often stop women from completing a Ph.D.

According to the government's scholarship information, the fellowship supports a single girl child pursuing a full-time Ph.D. at a recognised university or institution in India. It provides a monthly research fellowship together with an annual contingency grant for books, travel and research expenses, so that the scholar can concentrate on her doctoral work.

Key features

• A social-science doctoral fellowship, administered by ICSSR under the Ministry of Education.
• Reserved for single girl children doing a full-time Ph.D..
• Provides a monthly fellowship plus an annual contingency.
• Tenable for up to five years or the duration of the Ph.D., whichever is earlier.

How much does the fellowship pay?

The fellowship provides a monthly research fellowship; in the range of about Rs 25,000 in the initial period, rising in the later years of the tenure — along with an annual contingency grant to cover books, field work and other research costs. The exact rates are fixed by ICSSR in the fellowship guidelines and follow the standard single-girl-child fellowship structure; scholars should confirm the current figures in the specific call for applications, since ICSSR revises fellowship rates from time to time.

The fellowship is tenable for up to five years, or the duration of the Ph.D., whichever is earlier, and is generally counted from the date of joining or the date notified in the award letter.

Who is eligible for the fellowship?

You can apply if:

• You are a single girl child, the only child of your parents, with no siblings (brother or sister).
• You are pursuing or registered for a full-time Ph.D. in a social science discipline.
• Your Ph.D. is at a recognised university or research institution in India.
• You are not simultaneously drawing another fellowship for the same research.

You cannot apply / are not eligible if:

• You have siblings, the fellowship is exclusively for a single girl child.
• You are not registered for a full-time Ph.D., or are enrolled in a part-time or distance-mode programme.
• Your research is outside the social sciences, which is the domain of ICSSR.
• You are already holding another fellowship or stipend for the same doctoral work.

Because the defining condition is being a single girl child, an affidavit or certificate to that effect is central to the application, alongside proof of full-time Ph.D. registration.

What documents are required?

How to apply for the fellowship

1. Watch for the ICSSR call for the Single Girl Child Fellowship; intake is through periodic notified calls, not continuous rolling admission.
2. Register and fill the online application on the ICSSR portal when the call is open, entering your academic and Ph.D. registration details.
3. Attach the single-girl-child affidavit/certificate, proof of full-time Ph.D. registration in a social-science discipline, and your academic certificates.
4. Submit the application and, where required, route it through your university/research supervisor as specified in the call.
5. Await the award/selection list published by ICSSR; selected scholars receive an award letter and start drawing the fellowship from the notified date.

Where to get help

The fellowship is handled by the Indian Council of Social Science Research (ICSSR), New Delhi. Applicants should refer to the ICSSR portal (icssr.org) for the current call, the exact fellowship rates and the detailed guidelines, and route their application through their university's research cell where the call requires it. Because ICSSR periodically revises fellowship amounts and the number of slots, always confirm the figures in the live notification rather than relying on older circulars.