A student’s life is intertwined with scholarship opportunities at every stage. Most of them relieve us of financial stress, while some inspire us to reach for the stars. Numerous scholarship opportunities in a wide range of fields are regularly made available to Indian students by a variety of organisations and institutions.
However, the higher education scholarships provided by the Government of India stand out due to their extensive coverage of a wide variety of academic disciplines, eligibility requirements, and available degree levels (including those at foreign institutions). Many students at all educational levels in India are supported by government scholarships offered by the central government and individual states. These government scholarships are intended to level the educational playing field by making higher education available to people of all backgrounds.
Scholarship for Higher Education (SHE) is a component of “Innovation in Science Pursuit for Inspired Research (INSPIRE)”, which is a flagship program of the Department of Science and Technology (DST), under the Ministry of Science and Technology, Government of India. By awarding financial support to worthy students, the program hopes to encourage them to major in fundamental and natural Science at the undergraduate and graduate levels and pursue careers in research.
An annual Rs 80,000/- is being offered as part of the scholarship. During the summer, each SHE scholar is expected to work with a practising scientist at a reputable research institution in India. Each year, a sum of 20,000/- will be awarded as a mentorship grant during the summer months. After finishing their projects, the scholars are required to turn in a project report and a certificate of completion from their mentors.
Higher education scholarship: Application and eligibility
- Students who have scored in the top one percent in their Class XII exams from any State or Central Education Board in India are considered meritorious. The student should also be working toward a degree in the Natural and Basic Sciences at the Bachelor’s, Master’s, or International Master’s level.
(or)
- Indian citizens enrolled in a Bachelor of Science, Bachelor of Science in Mathematics, International Master of Science, or Master of Science program in India who have placed in the top 10,000 of the Joint Entrance Examination for Indian Institutes of Technology (JEE IIT) or the All India Mathematics and Science Talent Test.
(or)
- Students at IISERs, NISER, Department of Atomic Energy Centre for Basic Sciences, University of Mumbai, and Visva-Bharati, Shanti Niketan who scored in the top 1% of their Class XII examination from any State/Central Education Board in India and are now enrolled in Integrated M.S. courses in Natural and Basic Sciences.
(or)
- Kishore Vaigyanik Protsahan Yojana (KVPY) awardees majoring in Natural Sciences at the Bachelor’s or Master’s level.
(or)
- Students who have received scholarships from the National Talent Search Examination, the Jagadish Bose National Science Talent Search, or the International Olympiad and are enrolled in a bachelor’s or master’s program in the natural sciences are also welcome to apply.
Higher education scholarship: Eligible courses for INSPIRE scholarships
The INSPIRE scholarship will cover tuition for undergraduate and graduate study in the following areas of the basic and natural sciences:
- Scholarship for pursuing B.Sc./B.S./Int. M.Sc./Int. M.S. courses:
(1) physics (2) chemistry (3) mathematics (4) biology (5) statistics (6) geology (7)
astrophysics (8) astronomy (9) electronics (10) botany (11) zoology (12) biochemistry (13)
anthropology (14) microbiology (15) geophysics (16) geochemistry (17) atmospheric
sciences & (18) oceanic sciences.
- Courses other than these subjects, such as engineering, medicine, military science, defence studies, agriculture, psychology, seed technology, home science, geography, economics,
- Education (including B.Sc.-B.Ed. dual degree course), biotechnology, computer science, computer applications, bioinformatics, instrumentation, information technology, physical education, courses in distance education mode at the open universities and other professional courses, etc., are not supported.
Those who are chosen will receive funding beginning in their first year of a Bachelor of Science, Bachelor of Arts, International Master of Science, or International Master of Science degree program and continuing for up to five years. In order to keep receiving funding, recipients must maintain satisfactory academic progress in University exams and get the endorsement of the institution’s head.
Higher education scholarship: Where to apply?
Applicants must have finished their secondary school’s XII level test and be currently enrolled in a Bachelor of Science, Bachelor of Science in Engineering, or Master of Science (in one of the aforementioned Basic and Natural Science disciplines) program in the same academic year. A notice of the application deadline may be found on the INSPIRE web portal. One can apply for the scholarship through online mode only. To apply online, please follow this link https://www.online-inspire.gov.in.
Higher education scholarship: Documents required
1) Class XII mark sheets(mandatory)
2) Class X mark sheet/certificate (for proof of date of birth)(mandatory)
3) Endorsement certificate in the prescribed format, signed by the Principal of the
college/Director of the institute/Registrar of the university (mandatory)
4) Eligibility note/advisory note (if provided by the state/central board) (not
mandatory)
5) Certificate specifying rank or award in JEE (Main)/ JEE (Advanced)/ NEET/ KVPY
/JBNSTS/ NTSE / International Olympiad Medallists (if the candidate is eligible under
this criterion)(mandatory)
Incomplete applications will be summarily rejected. No claims or representations will be entertained regarding the same.
Higher education scholarship: Status of selection
Due to the high volume of applications received by the Department, the average length of time it takes to make a final decision after the application deadline has passed is four months. Selected applicants will be notified of their scholarship award through a provisional offer letter posted to their online portal profile. Students who have been provisionally accepted must use the online portal to get their offer letter. All accepted and rejected students’ names will be posted on INSPIRE’s main page. Those who receive an offer must comply with the Department’s request for additional information within the specified time frame (as stated in the offer letter).
FAQs
I have not yet gotten confirmation that I have been accepted into SHE. What to do?
It is essential that you access the INSPIRE Web Portal using your registered account. The offer letter, should you be chosen, will be linked to the notice that appears on your dashboard.
I have not gotten a formal letter informing me of my rejection from SHE. How should I proceed?
Access your INSPIRE account by signing in. If you are refused, you may see the rejection letter via the notice on your dashboard.
It is stated that it is important for me to provide my registration number whenever possible. Where do I look for this number?
As opposed to the Scholar's B.Sc. or M.Sc., or University registration number, the Registration number here refers to the Scholar's INSPIRE/SHE registration number supplied by the DST. The first scholarship offer letter includes the INSPIRE/SHE registration number.