INSPIRE Scholarship 2024-2025:Last date, Amount, Eligibility Criteria
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INSPIRE Scholarship is a program offered by the Department of Science and Technology, Government of India, to support academically brilliant students who are interested in pursuing a career in natural sciences. The scholarship is available for students who are pursuing a Bachelor’s or Master’s degree in basic and natural science courses. The primary objective of the INSPIRE scholarship is to attract talented students to the study of natural sciences by providing them with the necessary financial support and academic exposure to pursue a career in this field. The scholarship is aimed at promoting and supporting education, research, and innovation in natural sciences.
The INSPIRE scholarship offers financial support in the form of tuition fee coverage, accommodation charges, and other expenses related to research work. It also covers travel expenses for attending scientific camps, conferences, and workshops.
INSPIRE Scholarship 2024-2025-Benefits
Each selected candidate receives a stipend worth INR 80,000 annually through the SHE program to study Science and technology and pursue a research career. Students can obtain the benefits of this Scholarship for a maximum of five years or until the course is finished (whichever is earlier). The full list of benefits provided under this Scholarship is provided below.
| Scholarship Amount | Benefits |
| INR 80,000 per annum | Cash payable to selected students is INR 60,000 per annum |
| INR 80,000 per annum | INR 20,000 as summer time attachment fee is paid to those candidates who undertake summer time research project |
*Note that all of the selected applicants must do summer research projects under the supervision of a working scientist at a reputable Indian research facility.
INSPIRE Scholarship 2024-2025-Timeline
Every year, the Scholarship is announced around the middle of October, and it lasts until the end of December. A scholarship program called INSPIRE has been made available for 2020. The tentative dates for the scholarship are listed in the table below.
| Number | Event | Timeline |
| 1 | Online application starts | November 1, 2024 |
| 2 | Online application closes | December 31, 2024 |
| 3 | Release of list of shortlisted candidates | April/May |
*The aforementioned time is a range and may alter at DST’s discretion.
INSPIRE Scholarship – Eligibility Criteria
The applicants must have completed their high school studies in 2024 (only) and be enrolled in Natural Sciences courses at the B.Sc. or Integrated M.Sc. levels. The complete information regarding the requirements for this award is provided below.
- The applicant’s age range must be between 17 and 22.
- The applicant must rank among the top 1% of graduates in terms of overall score on the class 12 board exam.
- The applicant must be enrolled in natural and basic science courses at the BSc, BS, and Integrated MSc/MS levels in the year after graduating from high school.
- Candidates who have chosen to study natural or basic sciences and are among the top 10,000 scorers in the Joint Entrance Examination of the IIT, AIEEE (top 20,000 scorers), and who passed the CBSE-Medical (AIPTM), are eligible.
- Candidates who have been accepted into the Department of Atomic Energy Centre for Basic Sciences (DAE-CBS), National Institute of Science Education and Research (NISER), or Indian Institutes of Science Education and Research (IISER) at the University of Mumbai to pursue courses in Natural/Basic Sciences leading to the B.Sc. and M.Sc. degrees are also eligible.
- They must be KVPY (Kishore Vaigyanik Protsahan Yojna), National Talent Search Examination (NTSE), Olympiad medalists, and Jagadish Bose National Science Talent Search (JBNSTS) scholars and be enrolled in natural/basic science courses leading to a B.Sc. or M.Sc. degree.
- The table below lists the subjects covered under the Scholarship for Higher Education (SHE) program.
INSPIRE Scholarship-Available Courses (2024-2025)
Available courses include Physics, Chemistry, Mathematics, Biology, Statistics, Geology, Astrophysics, Astronomy, Electronics, Botany, Zoology, Biochemistry, Anthropology, Microbiology, Geophysics, Geochemistry, Atmospheric Sciences, Oceanic Sciences, Ecology, Marine Biology, Genetics, Biophysics.
INSPIRE Scholarship: Application Process
The INSPIRE Program’s online application portal allows applicants to submit their applications for INSPIRE Scholarships for Higher Education (SHE). The entire procedure for applying for the Scholarship is provided below.
Step 1: The applicant must first sign up as a new user on the INSPIRE scholarship portal. To access the official portal, click here. Select “New User?” Sign up here. For successful registration, the candidate must submit his or her name, gender, date of birth, email, password, eligibility requirements, and verification code.
Step 2: The candidate receives their username and password via the registered email address, where they must click the activation link to open their account.
Step 3: The applicant must have separate files with scanned copies of all essential papers before completing the application form.
Step 4: The applicant must enter their username and password to access the INSPIRE scholarship portal.
Step 5: The candidate must now complete the scholarship application form with all the necessary information, including personal information, B.Sc., and Integrated M.Sc. enrollment information, senior secondary performance information, information about national-level competitive exams, contact information, and other details.
Step 6: The applicant must also upload all supporting documentation for the online scholarship application.
Step 7: By clicking the “Print Preview” button, the applicant must review the information they have supplied before submitting the form. He or she must verify that all the information and uploaded files are accurate.
Step 8: The applicant must now click the “Submit” button to apply.
Step 9: The candidate must print the completed application after submitting it to save a copy for his or her records.
Key Documents
Applicants must provide several crucial documents in support of their application to be considered for the Scholarship for Higher Education. The list of all the necessary documents an applicant must upload when completing his or her scholarship application is provided below.
| No. | Document | File type |
| 1. | Applicant’s passport-size photograph | JPEG format with a size of not more than 50 KB |
| 2. | Community/caste certificate in case the applicant belongs to OBC/SC/ST category | PDF format with a size of not more than 1 MB |
| 3. | Eligibility note or advisory note if provided by the State/Central Board | PDF format with a size of not more than 1 MB |
| 4. | Class 12th mark sheet | PDF format with size of not more than 1 MB |
| 5. | Class 10th mark sheet or certificate (for proof of Date of Birth) | PDF format with a size not more than 1 MB |
| 6. | Certificate specifying rank/award in JEE (Main)/ JEE (Advanced)/ NEET/ KVPY /JBNSTS/ NTSE / International Olympic Medallists (if the candidate is eligible under this criterion) | PDF format with a size not more than 1 MB |
| 7. | Endorsement Form signed by the Principal of the College/Director of the Institute/Registrar of the University | PDF format with a size not more than 1 MB |
| 8. | First page of applicant’s SBI bank passbook | PDF format with a size of not more than 1 MB |
Cut-Off Marks
INSPIRE Scholarship: Selection Process
The eligibility requirements are used to evaluate each scholarship application submitted by a prospective INSPIRE scholar. A list of applicants that have been narrowed down is created based on this assessment.
- The shortlisted applicants list is available on the INSPIRE program website and its online portal.
- The chosen students must access the INSPIRE online to download their provisional offer letter.
- The required documents must be uploaded on the shortlisted candidates’ web page within the allotted time frame to be considered further.
- Through DBT, the chosen candidates’ scholarship monies are instantly deposited into their State Bank of India (SBI) bank accounts (Direct Bank Transfer).
INSPIRE Scholarship: Renewals
INSPIRE scholars must meet the following requirements for their SHE scholarships to be renewed in future years.
- The annual exams for students seeking renewal must provide at least 60% grades or a 7.0 GPA on a scale of a possible 10. (Or 2 semesters).
- The Scholarship for that academic year will be canceled if the applicant does not earn the required marks on their B.Sc., BS, International M.Sc., or International MS test. If the student’s academic performance is satisfactory, the Scholarship is renewed for the following academic year.
INSPIRE Scholarship: Required Conditions
Candidates must adhere to a few guidelines to be considered for this award. A candidate must adhere to the list of requirements while applying for the SHE scholarship is provided below.
- INSPIRE-SHE is given to students for five years, beginning with the first year of their B.Sc., BS, integrated M.Sc./MS, or until the end of the course, whichever occurs first.
- Candidates must submit a fully completed application, as ones that are not will be rejected.
- Subjects like engineering, Medicine, Military Science, defense studies, agriculture, psychology, seed technology, anthropology, home science, geography, economics, education (including B.Sc.-B.Ed. dual degree course), biotechnology, computer science, computer applications, bio-informatics, instrumentation, information technology, physical education, distance learning courses at the open universities, and other professional courses are not supported under SH.
- Only a State Bank of India (SBI) branch may accept regular savings bank accounts for INSPIRE scholars. The account cannot be a joint account and must be held in the applicant’s name.
- To receive the Scholarship, the shortlisted candidates must submit their mark sheets from their BSc, BS, and International MSc/MS courses, both of which must be signed by the institution’s head. In the case of universities, the term “Head of the Institution” refers to the Vice-Chancellor, Registrar, or Dean of Science, and in the case of colleges, the Principal, Vice-Principal, Proctor, or Officer-in-Charge.
- The Head of the Institution must state unequivocally in the performance report whether the Scholarship should be renewed for that academic year.
- For the first time, the Scholarship is only awarded following the approval of the first-year B.Sc, BS, and International M.Sc./MS performance report and grade sheet. The two-year Scholarship, or INR 1,20,000, is released during the candidate’s second year of B.Sc, BS, or International M.Sc/MS if their academic performance is satisfactory.
- Candidates are not eligible for this Scholarship if they have already received another scholarship from another source.
Relevant Scholarships
You already know that SHE scholarship comes under the Innovation in Science Pursuit for Inspired Research (INSPIRE), a flagship program of DST. Besides INSPIRE SHE, two other programs come under the ambit of INSPIRE Scheme. These programs are as follows:
1. INSPIRE Scheme for Early Attraction of Talent for Science (SEATS) – It aims to encourage talented young students to take an interest in the subject of Science by providing them with INSPIRE Awards and INSPIRE Internships.
2. INSPIRE Assured Opportunity for Research Careers (AORC) – It aims to attract and retain bright young scientists to strengthen the R&D foundation and base. It comprises two components which include INSPIRE Fellowship and INSPIRE Faculty Award.
A brief description of these programs can be found below.
| INSPIRE Schemes | Details |
| INSPIRE SEATS | INSPIRE Fellowship: 1-Candidates must have earned the top spot in a particular subject in the PG level exam for Basic & Applied Science courses. 2-Also eligible to apply are INSPIRE Scholars who received an overall grade of at least 70% at the M.Sc. or Int.M.Sc./MS level. 3-The INSPIRE Fellowship is also open to the Graduate Level Exam in Medicine winner, administered by an Indian university or institution. 4-Each year, 1000 fellows are chosen for the INSPIRE Fellowship. 5-The chosen fellows will receive INR 25,000 per month for two years. 6-The fellows have received INR 28,000 per month for the past three years. 7-Additionally, fellows are given a contingency grant of INR 20,000 annually and a House Rent Allowance (HRA). INSPIRE Faculty Allowance: 1-For the INSPIRE Faculty Award, Ph.D. holders in related fields of Science, mathematics, engineering, pharmacy, medication, and agriculture are eligible. 2-Candidates who have already submitted their doctoral theses and are awaiting their degrees are also qualified. 3-The applicants’ ages must range from 27 to 32. However, SC or ST candidates are eligible for a 5-year relaxation. 4-From Class 12 onward, the applicant must have earned at least 60 percent of the possible points or a 3.0 cumulative grade point average. 5-Additionally, applicants who scored in the top one percent on their respective exams—the School Leaving Examination, the IIT-JEE, the graduation or PG—will receive preference. 6-The chosen INSPIRE Faculty members will receive INR 80,000 plus a 3.3% annual raise. They also receive a five-year research grant worth INR 7 lakh. |
| INSPIRE AORC | INSPIRE Fellowship: 1-Candidates must have earned the top spot in a particular subject in the PG level exam for Basic & Applied Science courses. 2-Also eligible to apply are INSPIRE Scholars who received an overall grade of at least 70% at the M.Sc. or Int.M.Sc./MS level. 3-The INSPIRE Fellowship is also open to the Graduate Level Exam in Medicine winner, administered by an Indian university or institution. 4-Each year, 1000 fellows are chosen for the INSPIRE Fellowship. 5-The chosen fellows will receive INR 25,000 per month for two years. 6-The fellows have received INR 28,000 per month for the past three years. 7-Additionally, fellows are given a contingency grant of INR 20,000 annually and a House Rent Allowance (HRA). INSPIRE Faculty Allowance: 1-For the INSPIRE Faculty Award, Ph.D. holders in related fields of Science, mathematics, engineering, pharmacy, medication, and agriculture are eligible. 2-Candidates who have already submitted their doctoral theses and are awaiting their degrees are qualified. 3-The applicants’ ages must range from 27 to 32. However, SC or ST candidates are eligible for a 5-year relaxation. 4-From Class 12 onward, the applicant must have earned at least 60 percent of the possible points or a 3.0 cumulative grade point average. 5-Additionally, applicants who scored in the top one percent on their respective exams—the School Leaving Examination, the IIT-JEE, the graduation or PG—will receive preference. 6-The chosen INSPIRE Faculty members will receive INR 80,000 plus a 3.3% annual raise. They also receive a five-year research grant worth INR 7 lakh. |
About DST
DST, which the Indian government established in 1971, supports emerging fields of Science and technology in the nation. In addition, DST uses education, research, and development to promote and apply Science and technology at the grassroots level. One such effort in this direction is the INSPIRE Scheme.
Contact Information
The applicants can email the email address listed below with questions about the INSPIRE programs by including the program name in the subject line.
-Email ID: prog-dst@nic.in
Frequently Asked Questions: INSPIRE Scholarship 2024-2025
Below, you’ll find answers to some of students’ most frequent queries about the SHE scholarship.
Candidates must be enrolled in Basic & Natural Sciences courses at the BSc, BS, and Int. MSc/MS levels and have average marks on their class 12 exam that is in the top 1% for any State or Central Board. The applicant must be between the ages of 17 and 22.
Each year, 10,000 scholarships worth INR 80,000 are awarded to students.
In the same year that they enroll in BSc, BS, International MSc/MS degrees in Natural and Basic Sciences after passing their class 12 exams, students should apply for SHE.
Through the online INSPIRE portal, candidates can submit their SHE scholarship applications online.
Due to a large number of applications, the selection process typically lasts at least four months.
The applicant logs into the INSPIRE website, where he or she can access the offer letter from their dashboard.
The initial scholarship offer letter contains the students’ INSPIRE registration number.
The Scholarship will be abruptly revoked and will remain revoked even if you rejoin the course.
INSPIRE scholars must enroll in summer projects at approved research institutions of their choice throughout the nation, independent of their parent institutions, each year.
The INSPIRE scholars receive INR 20,000 annually as Mentorship under the SHE scholarship program for participating in summer research programs. The summer project must be completed within six to eight weeks, and the report must clarify this. The fact that the group project is not accepted must also be kept in mind by the students. The following paperwork needs to be sent by the scholars to the DST:
1. A certified letter from the Research Guide for the summer project where the INSPIRE scholar is enrolled.
2. A report outlining the project’s goals and outcomes
Applications for the INSPIRE Scholarship typically open in November and remain open through December. The INSPIRE Scholarship application period closed on December 31, 2020, for the academic year 2020–21. To get the most recent information about the Scholarship, students are advised to check the organization’s official website frequently.
The term INSPIRE refers to Innovation in Science Pursuit for Inspired Research.
It is the 4th Component of INSPIRE Program under the Opportunities in Research Career Scheme launched by the Government of India to strengthen the national science and technology base. It is being implemented by the Department of Science and Technology (DST). This Component is focused on attracting students to pursue doctoral degrees in basic and applied sciences, including engineering, Medicine, agriculture, veterinary, pharmacy, etc., after either masters’ degree in Science or a bachelor/masters’ degree in engineering/ applied sciences.
INSPIRE Scholarship, is offered to
i) An INSPIRE Scholar i) who has secured a minimum of 70% marks or (or CGPA equivalent )in aggregate at M.Sc. or Integrated M.S./ M. Sc Course,
ii) First Rank holders ii) First Rank Holders at University Level Examination (not at Autonomous College Level Examination) of the overall full-time post-graduate program in Science, Engineering/ Technology/ Agriculture/ Pharmacy/ other Applied Science streams and undergraduate in Medicine i.e., MBBS. However, University shall consider providing 1st Rank tp student with a minimum batch size of 10 students in the University Level Examination with a minimum aggregate of 70% marks for the entire course/program. Toppers in any subject specialization in post-graduation 2nd year are not eligible.
A call for new applications from eligible students in that year is published on websites every year sometime in August or September, and applications are open for submission online through a portal: http://www.online-inspire.gov.in Each year, 1000 INSPIRE Fellowships are available to qualified students. For regular updates, visit our website at http://www.inspire-dst.gov.in. Visit http://www.online-inspire.gov.in or http://www.inspire-dst.gov.in to access the online application link.
You can apply for the Fellowship program offline or online. To apply online, however, please go to the website http://www.online-inspire.gov.in and follow the instructions there.
The Rank certificate must be presented in INSPIRE Fellowship Format, which is available at http://www.online-inspire.gov.in. No Provisional Rank certificate or marksheet will, however, be accepted in order to consider this offer.
Provisional Selection: Students eligible for the INSPIRE Fellowship but not admitted to the Ph.D. program will receive a provisional selection with a one-year window of opportunity to enroll in the Ph.D. program.
Final Offer: Students who met the requirements for the INSPIRE Fellowship and were accepted into a Ph.D. program will receive the INSPIRE Scholarship’s final offer.
The only type of entry for the INSPIRE Fellowship would be a JRF. No direct entry exists into SRF. Under this program, the Junior Research Fellow (JRF) or Senior Research Fellow (SRF) will be referred to as an “INSPIRE Fellow”
The INSPIRE Scholarship shall be governed by the Office Memorandum of this Ministry with Office Memorandum Number A.20020/11/97-IFD dated August 6 2007 and March 31 2010 and shall be subject to periodic revision as per Government Order. This memorandum would also apply to medical benefits and other allowances. However, depending on where the Host Institution is located, the Fellows’ HRA may also be applicable under GoI regulations.
The Office of the Controller General of Accounts is partnering with the National Informatics Center to implement the Public Financial Management System (PFMS: pfms.nic.in), a Central Sector Plan Scheme of the Planning Commission. The scheme has established a common transaction-based online fund management, payment, and MIS system for the Government of India’s plan schemes.
The Effective Date of availing INSPIRE Fellowship would be as under:
i. Fresh applicants who have already taken admission into the Ph.D. course prior to submission of application, application, or switching over from any other fellowship to INSPIRE Scholarship will be the Effective Date. However, the Effective Date would not be given earlier than the date of application received at the DST.
ii. Applicant who will be placed during selection process under “Provisional Selection” category from 9th advertisement onwards and subsequently issued “Final Offer” by gaining admission into Ph.D., the “Effective Date” would be the date of uploading documents related to confirmed Ph.D. Admission or date of Ph. D. Admission, whichever is later. However, if the candidate is already enjoying some other fellowship and resigns to join in to INSPIRE Fellowship, the “Effective Date” would only be after the resignation date. In no case would the candidate be allowed to resign from other fellowships before the Final Offer of INSPIRE Fellowship date. For Final selection under INSPIRE Fellowship, admission into the Ph.D. program is necessary.
Please resign from the prior fellowship to switch over to the INSPIRE Fellowship once you receive the final offer, and include these details in your acceptance letter (format provided at http://www.online-inspire.gov.in). Please postpone your resignation until you receive the INSPIRE Scholarship’s Final Offer.
No
You have to submit complete financial statements (SE & UC) with a thesis soft copy (Only in CD). Any unspent amount should be returned by Demand Draft in Favor of “DDO, DST” Payable at New Delhi”..
Selected INSPIRE Fellow fails to upload Acceptance within one month from the date of the offer letter issued, their offer will be automatically withdrawn
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