National Fellowship for OBC

Basic education is a human right that every individual should avail regardless of their financial background, gender or any other discriminatory factors. Specifically for OBC students, the National Fellowship (NF) is offered by the UGC and administered by the Ministry of Social Justice and Empowerment, Govt. of India. Under this fellowship, candidates who belong to Other Backward Classes (OBC), are unemployed, and are pursuing full-time M.Phil. and PhD degrees in Sciences, Humanities, Social Sciences, and Engineering and Technology are eligible. There are 300 slots for the fellowship awards annually. Let’s go through this blog to know more about the details and requirements of the National Fellowship for OBC:

Organized by	UGC Fellowship Scheme
Amount	INR 35,000/month
Eligible Candidates	Other Backward Classes (OBC)
Slots Available	300
Duration	5 Years

Eligibility Criteria

Students who wish to pursue a full-time MPhil or PhD degree program must check the details about the eligibility conditions of the National Fellowship for OBC:

• Candidates must not be working and must belong to the OBC category.
• Candidates must have completed their postgraduation exam.
• Candidates must have their registration completed for a full-time M.Phil./Ph.D. program in the field of Humanities, Science, Social Science, or Engineering and Technology. They can register at any university/college recognized by the UGC or State/Central Government.
• Applicant’s family must have an annual income of not more than INR 6 Lakh p.a.  from all sources.
• Transgender applicants who fit the above-mentioned criteria are also eligible for the fellowship program.

Application Process

Eligible candidates can follow the procedure mentioned below to apply for the National Fellowship for OBC:

• Applicants can go to the NTA website and click on the ‘Quick Links’ tab and then ‘UGC NET’.
• It will direct you to the main application form page where you must fill out all the details correctly.
• All the documents must be uploaded as the following:
• Scanned image (10 kb to 200 kb) and signature (4 kb – 30 kb).
• Pay the fee through SBI_MOPS and retain the proof of payment.
• Applicants must take 4 printouts of the Confirmation Page after successful payment of the fee.

Important Documents

Applicants must carefully check and keep the following documents ready while applying for the National Fellowship for OBC:

• Caste certificate of the candidate.
• Candidate’s passport-sized colour photograph and signature.
• Master’s degree Marksheets.
• Income certificate of the candidate’s parents which is issued by an authority.
• Disability certificate in case (if the candidate is physically handicapped).

Selection Criteria 

The selection for the National Fellowship of OBC (NFOBC) award will be given based on the following criteria:

• UGC-NET-JRF and CSIR-NET-JRF scores;
• Students who have secured admission will be given preference.
• 3% of the total slots are reserved for Persons with disabilities (PwD) who belong to the OBC category.

Scholarship Amount 

The following is the list of scholarship amounts awarded to students as per their field and level of study in the National Fellowship for OBC:

Fellowship in Sciences, Humanities, and Social Sciences	INR 25000 monthly for initial two years INR 28000 monthly for remaining tenure
Contingency for Humanities and Social Sciences	INR 10000 annually for initial two years INR 20500 annually for remaining tenure
Contingency for Sciences, Engineering, and Technology	INR 12000 annually for initial two years INR 25000 annually for remaining tenure
Escorts/Reader assistance for all subjects	INR 2000 monthly in cases of physically handicapped and blind candidates.
Health reimbursement account	According to GOI guidelines

Essential Terms and Conditions

Apart from the requirements and criteria, students must keep the following terms in check before/after applying for the National Fellowship for OBC:

• Candidates must start with their PhD/M.Phil within the span of 3 months of award of the fellowship.
• Candidates should provide a copy of their award letter as well as the joining letter to the respective bank branch. This copy should also be enclosed with a photo, contact number, and address in a specific format.
• The shortlisted candidates must also submit a ‘Continuation Certificate’ at an interval of three months to the particular branch.
• According to the NFOBC, students are allowed a maximum of 30 days of leave per year. (excluding public holidays). Candidates are also eligible for maternity/paternity leave as per the guidelines of the Government of India.

This was all about the National Fellowship for students who belong to the OBC. if you require any assistance or have further queries or apprehensions regarding fellowships abroad, our experts at Leverage Edu will guide and answer all your queries with utmost precision. Sign up for a free session today!