UGC Scholarship

With increasing tuition costs and student loans, pursuing higher studies demands proper planning as you will have to keep in mind the admission fees as well as living costs especially if you are aspiring to study abroad. To relatively lessen the financial burdens of higher education, there are plentiful scholarships offered by the Indian government and universities as well as international academic institutions. One such scholarship is the UGC Scholarship which is offered by the Government of India. It comprises various scholarships awarded to Indian students wanting to pursue higher studies. Here in this blog, we are bringing you all the key details about UGC Scholarship, the key awards in this scholarship and their corresponding eligibility requirements. 

Name	UGC Scholarship 2023
Launched by	Government of India
Objective	Providing monetary benefits
Beneficiaries	Students of India
Official site	www.ugc.ac.in

Overview

University Grants Commission (UGC) is a statutory body under the Ministry of Human Resource Development, Government of India. The UGC is responsible for the coordination, determination and maintaining the standards of higher education in India. The commission is also responsible for recognizing and allocating funds to institutes that offer higher education. The UGC Scholarship Scheme is a cluster of scholarship awards and fellowships granted by the commission to students belonging to different sections of society and benefits more than 20,000 students every year through these programs who are aspiring to pursue higher studies in a wide range of fields. 

Also Read: Scholarships for Girls

List of Scholarships Offered by UGC

UGC offers around 15 scholarships and fellowships for students belonging to the weaker sections of society. These awards are formulated keeping in mind the minority sections and cover a plethora of disciplines for those planning for higher education. So, here we have listed down the major UGC scholarships that are available to Indian citizens along with their key details that you need should know before applying.

Swami Vivekananda Single Girl Child Scholarship for Research in Social Sciences

This scholarship is awarded to a single girl child who is planning to pursue a PhD in the field of Social Sciences. Swami Vivekananda Single Girl Child Scholarship for Research in Social Sciences is awarded to female students who have enrolled for a full-time PhD programme in an institution recognized by the UGC. The scholarship has been made inclusive by including students who identify as transgenders. However, this UGC scholarship is not awarded to students planning for a distance learning programme. The aim of this scholarship is to promote ample higher education opportunities for women and to provide them with equal prospects in order to bridge the gender gap.

Post Graduate Indira Gandhi Scholarship for Single Girl Child for PG Programs

This is another initiative by the government to promote education for a single girl child and bridge the gap that exists between the female gender and education, as one can see there exists a huge gap between the two genders when it comes to the number of enrollments for higher studies. This Scholarship is awarded to a single girl child who plans to pursue a master’s program in any field from an institute recognized by the UGC. the students are expected to apply for this scholarship in the first year of their master’s programme, the scholarship covers the tuition fees by giving a stipend of 3100 every month until the end of the degree. 

Post Graduate Merit Scholarship for University Rank Holders For PG Programs

This scholarship is aimed to aid students who have attained first or second rank in their undergraduate programs and are further enrolled in a full-time post-graduate program in any field. This UGC scholarship awards meritorious students pursuing postgraduate programs and provides them with an amount of 3100 INR every month till the end of their degree. The scholarship is awarded to 3,000 students every year and requires a strong academic record in the applicant’s undergraduate course to deem them eligible to apply.

Post Graduate Scholarships for Professional Courses for SC/ ST Candidates

These UGC scholarship awards are for students who belong to the Scheduled Castes or Scheduled Tribes. It is designed to provide financial assistance to the deprived sections of society and to give them equal educational opportunities to delve deeper into their fields of interest after completing graduation. It is mainly awarded for professional courses in a varied range of disciplines such as Management, Pharmacy, Engineering, and Business, amongst others. The Post Graduate Scholarships for Professional Courses for SC/ST candidates are provided to 1000 students and the application for this award opens between July and October every year.

Also Read: Study Abroad Scholarships for Indian Students

Eligibility

The eligibility criteria for each UGC scholarship is different from the other. There are also a lot of category-specific scholarships which are being offered by the UGC to students belonging to the SC/ST categories. Have a look at the eligibility criteria mentioned below:

Name of Scholarship	Category	Number of Scholarships	Number of Scholarships	Criteria for Eligibility
Swami Vivekananda Single Girl Child Scholarship for Research in Social Sciences	Open for All	NA	NA	This scholarship is for a single girl child. The applicant for this scholarship must be pursuing a full-time, regular PhD in Social Sciences. The candidate must be pursuing it from a recognised Indian College/University. The age limit for General Category is 40 years whereas for SC/ST and PwD, it is 45 years.  Candidates who identify themselves as Transgenders are also eligible for this scholarship.
Post Graduate Indira Gandhi Scholarship for Single Girl Child for PG Programs	Open for All	3,000	Between July and October	The Maximum age limit for girls applying for this scholarship is 30 years. The applicant should be a single girl child of her family.  The applicant must be enrolled in a full-time PG program in a University/College which is recognised.
Post Graduate Merit Scholarship for University Rank Holders for PG Programs	Open for All	3,000	Between July and October	Only students who have completed their undergraduate in the following subjects can apply to Mathematical Sciences, Language, Commerce, Life Sciences, Earth Sciences Social Sciences. The applicant must be holding the 1st or 2nd rank in an undergraduate program and must be pursuing a full-time master’s course from a recognised College/University.  The age of the applicant should not be more than 30 years.
Post Graduate Scholarships for Professional Courses for SC/ST Candidates	SC/ST	1,000	Between July and October	This scholarship is open for candidates who are in the first year of their professional course at the postgraduate level.  The course in which the candidate is enrolled must be approved by a regulatory body such as the Bar Council of India, RCI, PCI, DCI, NCTIS, MCI, Forensic Regulatory, INC and ICAR.
Special Scholarship Scheme Ishan Uday for NER	For All	10,000	Between July and October	This scholarship is open for candidates who reside in North Eastern Region State and who have completed their class 12th examination. The student should have acquired admission in professional, technical or general degree in a recognised college/university.
Emeritus Fellowship	For All	200	NA	This fellowship is open to experienced and highly qualified teachers who are teaching in recognised colleges/institutions/ universities. The teacher applying for this fellowship must have contributed largely to the branch of research and should have some publications in his/her name. This fellowship allows the applicant to work with a well-defined time-bound action plan up to 70 years of age.
Dr. D.S Kothari Postdoctoral Fellowship Scheme	For All	NA	Runs throughout the year	Aspirants have to be below 35 years of age. They should be holding a PhD degree in the science faculty. SC, ST, OBC, Women and PwD candidates will be given a relaxation of 3,5 and 10 years. Teachers working in confirmed posts who are below 35 years of age are eligible to apply.
National Fellowship for Persons with Disabilities	For All	200	Between October and November	All students with disabilities who are enrolled in an M.Phil or PhD program at any university or academic institution
National Fellowship for OBC Candidate	OBC	300	NA	All those candidates are eligible who have completed their post-graduation and have been registered in a PhD or M.Phil course.  Candidates who identify themselves as transgender can also apply for this fellowship
Maulana Azad National Fellowship for Minority Students	Minority	1,000	NA	All candidates who belong to minority communities such as Buddhists, Sikhs, Muslims, Christians, Jain and Parsis can apply for this fellowship. The student has to be enrolled in a full-time regular M.Phil/ P.hD program. The minimum marks obtained by students must be 50% in post-graduation. Applicants who are transgender can also apply for this fellowship.
National Fellowship for Scheduled Caste Students	SC	2,000	NA	All those candidates who have completed their post-graduation and have got admission to an M.Phil/PhD course can apply for this fellowship. This fellowship is also open to transgender candidates.
Dr. S. Radhakrishnan Post-Doctoral Fellowship in Humanities and Social Sciences	For All	200	NA	Unemployed young researchers who are below 35 years of age can apply for this fellowship. 5 years relaxation is available for OBC, SC, ST, PwD and Women Candidates. This fellowship is also open for transgender candidates. The minimum marks obtained in UG should be 55% and 60% at the PG level.
Post-Doctoral Fellowship to Women Candidates	For All	100	NA	This fellowship is applicable to women candidates who hold a PhD degree. The applicant should not be more than 55 years of age.

Renewal of Scholarship 

While the duration of each scholarship is different from the other as it depends on the course being pursued by the candidate, there is a monitoring procedure adopted by UGC for the continuation of the scholarship. The person held responsible for monitoring the candidate is the Head of the Department of the course the candidate is pursuing the course in. The student is required to submit his/her progress report to the branch of the bank duly signed by the HOD and the Registrar of the University of the Principal of the College. There will be no continuation of the scholarship if the candidate fails to maintain the continuous progress required. In case of bad performance throughout the year, the scholarship can be terminated or cancelled.

Also Read: UK Scholarships for Indian Students 2023

Documents Required

• Caste certificate (if applicable)
• Minority certificate (if applicable)
• Income certificate of the parents
• UG/ PG marks card
• Bonafide certificate provided by the head of the institution
• Physical disability certificate (if applicable)
• Aadhar card copy
• The first page of the bank passbook
• Domicile certificate
• ID proof provided by the Government
• Birth certificate
• 10th/12th-grade marks card

UGC Scholarship – Disbursement

How are the scholarships awarded to students dispersed? How do students obtain UGC scholarships? Is the scholarship award delivered in cash or in another way? Direct Benefit Transfer is the solution to every one of your problems (DBT). Yes, the UGC deposits the scholarship money into recipients’ bank accounts directly. As a result, it is a requirement for applicants to have their own bank account with a nationalised bank at the time of scholarship or fellowship application.

FAQs

Hence, these are some of the key scholarships offered by the University Grant Commission. These UGC scholarships aim to cover various sections of society along with women, and students with disabilities, amongst others. If you are searching for the right scholarship that can fund your dream of studying abroad, get in touch with Leverage Edu counsellors and we will help you explore different scholarship opportunities and find an ideal one to actualise your career aspirations.