NEC Scholarship: A Guide to Avail Scholarships for Higher Education

The North Eastern Council awards NEC Scholarship as a stipend and books to students of north-east India who plan to study and pursue their higher studies in any part of the country. This scholarship is available to students who aspire to pursue Diploma, UG, PG, MPhil, and PhD from recognised universities and colleges in India outside the North East. This scholarship is available only to students who are permanent residents of any of the North East states- Assam, Manipur, Meghalaya, Arunachal Pradesh, Nagaland, Tripura, Sikkim, and Mizoram.

Let’s explore more about the key essentials of the NEC scholarship through this blog.

Name	North Eastern Council- NEC Scholarship
Eligible Courses	Diploma/Degree/Postgraduate/MPhil/PhD
Amount	Up to 30,000 INR p.a.
Eligibility	Students of Manipal, Mizoram, Assam, Arunachal Pradesh, Tripura, Meghalaya, Nagaland, Sikkim
NEC Scholarship 2023 (Tentative)	August 2023
Closing Date for 2023	January 15, 2023
Last date for Defect/Institute Verification	January 30, 2023
Total Number of Scholarship	1600
Awarding Authority	North Eastern Council, Ministry of Development of North Eastern Region, Government of India Shillong
Helpline Number	0120-6619540
E-Mail ID	[email protected]

What is NEC Scholarship? 

The North Eastern Council is a statutory advisory body consisting of the eight states of North East India, i.e. Arunachal Pradesh, Assam, Meghalaya, Manipur, Mizoram, Nagaland, Tripura and Sikkim. The NEC comes under the Ministry of Home Affairs, Government of India. This body discusses the matters that are of common interest to these states. The NEC Scholarship is provided by the council to students who are permanent residents of any of these eight states and are planning to pursue a diploma, an undergraduate degree or a postgraduate degree in any part of the country in fields specified by the Council. The scholarship also includes a stipend and book grants which depend on the degree program you are planning to pursue.  

Also Read: Punjab Scholarship

How to Apply Online?

Eligible candidates can apply for the scholarship through the following steps –

Step 1: Click on the ‘Apply Now‘ button below. 
Step 2: Read the guidelines carefully, select the undertaking, and ‘Continue‘. 
Step 3: Select the state of domicile, scholarship category (Post Matric), scheme type (scholarship scheme), and gender, and write the applicant’s name, date of birth, mobile number, and email ID.
Step 4: Provide the bank details (Bank name, IFSC Code, Account Number)
Step 5: Select your Aadhaar or Bank Account Number as identification detail and click on the ‘Register’ button.
Step 6: The mobile number will be verified and an OTP will be generated.
Step 7: Now, log in using OTP and fill out the form.
Step 8: An application ID and password will be generated. Use that for future reference.

Note: All the applicants are advised to fill the form correctly, no changes can be made once submitted. The applicants are also advised to fill in only one application as multiple applications will lead to the cancellation of the form.

Number of Scholarships

Here is the total number of scholarships offered under the NEC scholarship for North-eastern states:

State	Total NEC Scholarships	Diploma	Degree	PG Degree	MPhil/PhD
Assam	320	30	200	80	10
Manipur	192	18	120	48	6
Arunachal Pradesh	209	20	130	52	7
Mizoram	192	18	120	48	6
Nagaland	192	18	120	48	6
Tripura	192	18	120	48	6
Sikkim	111	10	70	28	3
Meghalaya	192	18	120	48	6

Also Read: MHRD Scholarship

Eligibility Requirements

The NEC Scholarship has strict eligibility criteria and is awarded to students who are planning to pursue their higher studies in a specific field. Here are the basic eligibility requirements that you need to fulfil to apply for this scholarship:

• Be a permanent resident of any of the North-Eastern states (Assam, Arunachal Pradesh, Manipur, Meghalaya, Mizoram, Nagaland, Sikkim, and Tripura)
• Get admission in a diploma, degree, postgraduate, MPhil, or PhD programme
• Have an annual family income of less than INR 8 lakh from all sources
• Have passed HSLC/HSSLC/Secondary School Leaving /Senior Secondary Leaving Certificate examination from a recognized State/Central Board with a minimum of 60% marks in aggregate (For Diploma courses)
• Have passed HSSLC/Senior Secondary Leaving Certificate examination from a recognized State/Central Board with minimum 60% marks in aggregate (For Degree courses)
• Have passed a degree level examination in any discipline (B.A./B.Sc./B.E./B.Tech./M.B.B.S./LLB/BCA/BBA etc.) of any recognized Institute/ University with a minimum of 60% marks in aggregate (For Postgraduate courses)
• Hold a PG degree from any recognized University with a minimum of 60% marks in aggregate (For M.Phil./Ph.D. programmes)

Also Read: Scholarships For Girls in India

Educational Requirements

Here is the qualifying exam for each NEC scholarship for diploma, degree, PG degree, and MPhil/PhD students:

Education Level	Educational Requirements
Diploma	Must have scored a minimum of 60% aggregate in HSLC or HSSLC or the state or central board secondary school leaving exam
Degree	Must have scored a minimum of 60% aggregate in HSLC or HSSLC or the state or central board secondary school leaving exam
PG Degree	Must have scored a minimum of 60% aggregate in a degree-level exam in any subject [of BA/BBA/BSc/BE/BTech/BCA/MBBS/LLB] from a recognized academic institution
PhD or MPhil	Must have scored a minimum of 60% aggregate in a postgraduate degree from a recognized university

Also Read: LIC Scholarship 2023

Important Dates

Here are the important dates for NEC Scholarship 2023:

Events	Dates
Last Application Date	15th January 2023
Last Verification Date	30th January 2023
Last Institute Verification Date	30th January 2023
Award Distribution	August 2023 (Tentative)

Note: Candidates must refer to the official website for the latest updates and accurate dates.

Terms and Conditions: NEC Scholarship

• The scholarship will not be available for an internship or any
  practical training. 
• A student shall only be considered for a scholarship in the year of commencement of his/her course. For the subsequent year, of course, only renewal will be allowed. 
• A sponsored candidate under full employment during the period of study or working/in-service candidates shall not be eligible to receive the scholarship. 
• The scholarship for M.Phil. will be available for 2 years and for PhD scholarship shall be for 3 years.
• There will not be any reservation/quota on the basis of category/religion/gender.

Also Read: Nabanna Scholarship

Amount

Students pursuing the following courses can apply for the NEC merit scholarship. The money awarded to students is also mentioned along with it.

Courses	Awards
Diploma Courses	INR 20,000 annually
Degree Courses	INR 22,000 annually
PG Courses	INR 25,000 annually
MPhil and PhD Courses	INR 30,000 annually

Documents Required for NEC Merit Scholarship

Just like every other grant and scholarship, applicants of the NEC Merit Scholarship need to produce a set of documents with the application form. Here are the documents:

• Recommendation letter from the Head of the Institute
• Permanent residence certificate
• Undertaking by the candidate that no other scholarship is being availed
• Undertaking by the candidate to refund the scholarship amount in the case of submission of false information
• Attested copies of all the relevant certificates and mark sheets
• Recognition letter of the course and institution where the candidate is currently pursuing education
• PhD and MPhil candidates need to enclose a research synopsis.
• Income certificate and affidavit for any additional income source
• Attested copy of caste certificate
• Attested copy of domicile certificate
• Age proof such as a Birth certificate or Class 10 board certificate
• Residential proof such as PAN card/ voter ID/ Aadhaar card/ electricity bill
• Copy of the first page of the bank passbook

Also Read: PhD Scholarships in India

Benefits of the Scholarship

Since the scholarship is provided for specific fields that have a shortage of adequate trained manpower in the region, the students can choose from wide-ranging careers included in the scholarship. Apart from the stipend, you will also get a credible source that can vouch for your academic record. This will not only help you in exploring better career opportunities but will increase your chances of getting a scholarship for higher education. 

The NEC scholarship aims to proffer you with immense exposure to your chosen field and keeps you motivated to maintain a consistent academic record. These scholarships are important in the development of the state and add value to the human resources of a state, hence making you an asset to the state itself. The stipend acts as financial aid and helps you save up a significant amount of monetary funds. The aim is to look at the scholarship as an achievement that will help you build a bright future. 

Also Read: Study Abroad Scholarships

Renewal of NEC Scholarship

NEC Scholarship recipients have to renew their scholarships in every academic year of their chosen program. Here are the terms and conditions for renewing the NEC Scholarship:

• Students are required to fill out the renewal form on the official website of the National Scholarship Portal (NSP)
• You will be asked to provide the previous year’s exam marksheets or pass certificates for the renewal application.
• For MPhil/PhD students, the latest progress report by their guide or research supervisor should be submitted and must be countersigned by the registrar of the institute.
• A student is only eligible for scholarship renewal if they have passed or are promoted to the next year. If you are passed but not promoted to the next year, you are eligible for renewing the scholarship on the given condition that you have no backlogs whatsoever.
• If there is any break in the scholarship during the academic year, the student will not be eligible for the renewal and can only apply for the next level program as a new applicant. [There is an exception for this condition in terms of medical cases when you will be asked to provide a medical certificate issued by the District Medical Officer or Junior Director of National Health Services.]
• If you have requested to change the subject after getting the scholarship, then your request might not get accepted if you have availed the scholarship for the previous course.
• If you have changed the university/college after getting the scholarship, then your renewal application will not be considered.

Selection Process

The DTE will select the candidates based on their merit. The state government of the respective North-Eastern region is responsible for selecting the candidates after publishing an advertisement. Listed below are the selection criteria for the NEC merit scholarship:

1. NEC scholarship is a merit-based program. 
2. It considers the academic merit prescribed for each of the courses for the final selection of candidates.
3. The candidates should follow the selection procedure displayed in Annexure 5 of the official NEC scholarship notification.
4. The stipulated NEC scholarship amount is disbursed by the state government directly to the candidate’s institute.
5. The Directorate of Technical Education (DTE) begins scrutinising the scholarship applications by December (tentative) every year. 
6. The list of the shortlisted candidates is prepared by January (tentative) every year.
7. After the final selection, the candidates will receive the sanctioned NEC scholarship amount.
8. The NEC scholarship amount is disbursed to the selected candidates through ECS Direct Benefit Transfer (DBT).

If you are looking for scholarships that are awarded to students abroad, don’t forget to check out: Scholarships for Indian Students

Thus, NEC Scholarship is a great educational opportunity for students of North-east India and provides them with boundless exposure in their field of interest. If you are in search of the right scholarship that can fund your dream of studying abroad, Leverage Edu counsellors can help you explore different scholarship opportunities and find an ideal one to actualize your career aspirations.