Most Popular PhD Fellowships In India 2026: Eligibility, Exams, Amount

In India, PhD fellowships and scholarships play an essential role in continuing the doctoral degree. Pursuing a PhD degree is a prolonged and time-consuming process in India and across the world.

Students pursuing this program need constant financial support as they have to bear numerous research expenses while conducting their research.To carry on smoothly with the PhD degree, a wide range of fellowships and scholarships are offered to deserving PhD students. 

These fellowships not only support the PhD students financially but also motivate them to contribute to their research field through original research.

In this article, we will discuss the complete list of fellowships and scholarships offered to the PhD students with their original amounts. 

What is a PhD (Doctorate of Philosophy)

PhD(Doctorate of Philosophy) is a terminal degree that demonstrates the highest level of qualification. PhD is offered in almost all academic disciplines such as Humanities, Social Science, Science, Engineering and Technology, Management, etc.

The PhD degree is designed to conduct high-quality research in a particular field. Unlike undergraduate and postgraduate degrees which follow a predictable learning path, a PhD follows an unknown path through hypothesis to discover unknown areas of the field.

PhD offers a comprehensive and in-depth understanding of the selected field with research acumen.

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Duration of PhD (Doctorate of Philosophy)

The PhD program is lengthy and time-consuming. Students enrolled in the doctoral degree have to devote a significant amount of time to conducting high-quality research. The duration of the PhD program depends upon the type of PhD program a student is enrolled. The duration of various PhD programs is elaborated in the table below:

The majority of the fellowships that are offered consider students who are enrolled in Full-Time PhD students. The duration of the PhD program is the main ground for why students need fellowship.

However, students who cannot devote themselves to prolonged PhD duration can enroll for Online DBA(Doctorate of Business Administration) and complete their doctoral degree in just 3 years. The online DBA program is fully flexible and equivalent to the On-campus PhD program. 

PhD Fellowship and Scholarship In India

Here are some of the most popular PhD fellowships and scholarships in India and organizations offering them:

PhD Fellowship & Scholarship	Granted By
Prime Minister Fellowship for Doctoral Research	Science and Engineering Research Board (SERB) and the Confederation of Indian Industry (CII)
UGC NET JRF Fellowship	University Grants Commission
CSIR NET JRF Fellowship	Council of Scientific and Industrial Research (CSIR)
Jawaharlal Nehru Memorial Fund Scholarships	Jawaharlal Nehru Memorial Fund
NCERT Doctoral Fellowship for PhD	National Council of Education Research and Training (NCERT)
ICSSR Doctoral Research Fellowship	Ministry of Human Resource Development
Google PhD Fellowship India Program	Google
ICHR Junior Research Fellowships (JRF)	Indian Council of Historical Research (ICHR)
Fulbright-Nehru Doctoral Research Fellowships	United States-India Educational Foundation (USIEF)
ESSO-NCESS Junior Research Fellowship	ESSO- National Centre for Earth Science Studies
AICTE GATE Scholarship	MHRD
DBT-JRF Fellowship	Ministry of Science and Technology, Government of India
Burning Questions Fellowship Awards	Tiny Beam Fund

Prime Minister Fellowship for Doctoral Research

The Prime Minister Fellowship for Doctoral Research is a fellowship granted with a collaborative initiative between the Science and Engineering Research Board (SERB) and the Confederation of Indian Industry (CII).

This fellowship is awarded to the PhD candidates who are enrolled in an accredited university/institution:

Particulars	Details
Granted by	Science and Engineering Research Board (SERB) and the Confederation of Indian Industry (CII)
Duration	4 years
Full Fellowship Amount P.A	INR 8,70,000
Contribution of SERB P.A	INR 4,35,000
Contribution of CII	INR 4,35,000
Eligibility	Full-Time PhD Students
Research Field	Fields with National Priorities and Potential for Industry Application
Call for Applications	April to June (Tentative)

UGC NET JRF Fellowship 

The UGC JRF (Junior Research Fellowship) is funded by the University Grants Commission (UGC). UGC JRF fellowship is provided to the students enrolled for PhD in the field of Humanities and Social Sciences.

Students who have either completed or pursuing their master’s degree can apply for this fellowship. Students applying for this fellowship will have to appear for an exam conducted by the National Testing Agency(NTA).

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Students qualifying for this exam with the highest marks will be eligible to receive a fellowship when they enroll for their PhD.  Examinations for UGC NET JRF are conducted twice a year in June and December.

Particulars	Details
Granted by	University Grants Commission
Duration	5 Years
First Two-Year Fellowship	INR 37,000 Per Month
Last Three Year Fellowship	INR 42,000 Per Month
Eligibility	Completed or Pursuing the Master’s Degree
Research Field	Humanities and Social Sciences
Call for Applications	May and November
Examinations	June and December

CSIR NET JRF Fellowship

CSIR NET JRF Fellowship is funded by the Council of Scientific and Industrial Research (CSIR) and offered to students who intend to pursue their PhD degree in the field of Science and Technology.

Students can secure the CSIR NET JRF Fellowship by appearing for an exam conducted by the National Testing Agency. To appear for this exam, students are required to have a master’s degree or be enrolled.

The exam for CSIR NET JRF Fellowship is held twice a year in June and December:

Particulars	Details
Granted by	Council of Scientific and Industrial Research (CSIR)
Duration	5 Years
First Two-Year Fellowship	INR 37,000 Per Month
Last Three Year Fellowship	INR 42,000 Per Month
Eligibility	Completed or Pursuing the Master’s Degree
Research Field	Science and Technology
Call for Applications	May and November
Examinations	June and December

Jawaharlal Nehru Memorial Fund Scholarship

The Jawaharlal Nehru Memorial Fund Scholarship is offered for 2 years to students enrolled in Full-Time PhD programs. This scholarship is funded by the Jawaharlal Nehru Memorial Fund and provided to support research in the sciences, humanities, and social sciences fields. 

Eligibility Criteria

• Master’s degree with a minimum of 60% marks at both undergraduate and postgraduate levels. 
• The age of the candidate should not be more than 35 years.
• Candidate must be registered in a full-time PhD program with valid GATE/NET scores. 

Application Process

Eligible students are required to apply Jawaharlal Nehru Memorial Fund Scholarship by submitting the necessary documents. Based on the qualification, students are shortlisted for the interview.

Students selected in the interview are awarded the Jawaharlal Nehru Memorial Fund Scholarship:

Particulars	Details
Granted by	Jawaharlal Nehru Memorial Fund
Duration	2 Years
First Year Fellowship	Between INR 15,000 to INR 18,000 per month
Second Year Fellowship	Between INR 15,000 to INR 18,000 per month
Eligibility	Completed master’s degree with 60%marks in both undergraduate and Postgraduate
Research Field	Science, Humanities, and Social Science
Call for Applications	May
Examinations	No Examinations only Interview

NCERT Doctoral Fellowship for PhD

NCERT Doctoral Fellowship for PhD is offered to deserving students to support highly quality research in the field of education.

This fellowship is funded by the National Council of Education Research and Training (NCERT) and covers tuition fees, study materials, and other expenses of the PhD students. NCERT Doctoral Fellowship for PhD is offered for three years. 

Eligibility for NCERT Doctoral Fellowship for PhD

• Must have completed master’s degree with a minimum of 60% marks in aggregate.
• The upper age limit of 35 years.
• Registered Full-Time PhD Scholar in a Recognized Institute

Particulars	Details
Granted by	National Council of Education Research and Training (NCERT)
Duration	3 Years
Fellowship for Non-Net Candidates	INR 23,000 Per Month
Fellowship for Non-Net Candidates	INR 25,000 Per Month
Eligibility	Registered PhD Scholar in a Recognized Institute
Research Field	Education
Application Type	Online
Examinations	No Examinations only Interview

ICSSR Doctoral Research Fellowship

ICSSR Doctoral Research Fellowship is offered to support research in the field of Social Sciences. The ICSSR Doctoral Research Fellowship is funded by the Ministry of Human Resource Development (MHRD) with a duration of 2 years. This fellowship is focused on supporting research in sociology, economics, political science, and related disciplines.  

Eligibility for ICSSR Doctoral Research Fellowship :

• Must have completed a master’s degree in the field of Social Science from a recognized university/Institution. 
• Must be enrolled in PhD program in one of the subjects of social sciences in reputed universities.
• The upper age limit is 40 years.

Particulars	Details
Granted by	Ministry of Human Resource Development (MHRD)
Duration	2 Years
Fellowship Amount	INR 20,000 Per Month
Contingency Grant	INR 20,000 Per Annum
Eligibility	Pursuing PhD in a recognized University/Institution
Research Field	Social Sciences
Application Type	Online
Examinations	No Examinations only Interview

Google PhD Fellowship India Program

Google PhD Fellowship India Program is a fully funded fellowship program by Google. This fellowship is designed for Indian students pursuing PhD in Computer Science and related disciplines.

The duration of the Google PhD Fellowship India Program is 4 years supports research and innovation in computer systems, algorithms, machine learning, natural language processing, etc. 

Eligibility

• Pursuing a Full-Time PhD program in Computer Science or related fields from a recognized Indian University/ Institution. 
• The area of doctoral research must align with Google’s interest. 

Particulars	Details
Granted by	Google
Duration	4 Years
Maximum Fellowship Amount	50,000 USD
Eligibility	Registered PhD Student in a recognized Indian University
Research Field	Computer Science and Related Fields
Application Type	Online
Call For Applications	March and April

ICHR Junior Research Fellowships (JRF)

ICHR Junior Research Fellowships (JRF) is a fellowship awarded to students enrolled for PhD program in the field of Historical studies.

The fellowship is funded by the Indian Council of Historical Research (ICHR) and supports history research. The fellowship is granted based on the Online entrance exam. 

Eligibility

• Must have completed a Master’s degree from a recognized university/institution with at least 55% marks.
• Must be enrolled to PhD program in Historical Studies at an accredited university/Institution. 

Particulars	Details
Granted by	Indian Council of Historical Research (ICHR)
Duration	2 Years
Maximum Fellowship Amount	INR 16,500 to INR 17,600 per month
Eligibility	Enrolled as a PhD student in Historical studies
Research Field	Historical Studies
Application Type	Online
Call For Applications	November

Fulbright-Nehru Doctoral Research Fellowship

Fulbright-Nehru Doctoral Research Fellowship is a renowned fellowship that is designed for Indian students pursuing their PhD an Indian University/Institution.

This PhD fellowship is granted by the United States-India Educational Foundation (USIEF) for the duration of 6 to 9 months.

Fulbright-Nehru Doctoral Research Fellowship is a pre-doctoral level that funds Indian students to visit universities to conduct pre-doctoral research to contribute to their fields.

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Eligibility for Fulbright-Nehru Doctoral Research Fellowship:

• Candidates applying for this PhD fellowship must be Indian Citizen 
• Must be a PhD fellow in a recognized Indian University/ Institution.
• Must not be residing in the USA at the time of application. 

Particulars	Details
Granted by	United States-India Educational Foundation (USIEF)
Duration	6 Months to 9 Months
Fellowship Amount	Variable
Eligibility	Registered PhD Scholar at Indian University
Research Field	Multiple Disciplines
Application Type	Online
Call For Applications	July

ESSO-NCESS Junior Research Fellowship

If you have someone who has qualified for JRF in CSIR-UGC NET and enrolled for PhD in the field of earth system sciences, you are eligible for ESSO-NCESS Junior Research Fellowship. The duration of this PhD fellowship for the initial stage is 3 years.

However, this duration can be extended further based on the performance and assessment.

Particulars	Details
Granted by	ESSO- National Centre for Earth Science Studies
Duration	3 Years
First & Second-Year Fellowship	INR 25000 P.M+ HRA
Third Year Onwards	INR 28,000 P.M+HRA
Eligibility	CSIR-UGC NET and Registered for a PhD Program
Research Field	Earth System Sciences
Application Type	Online
Call For Applications	Throughout the Year

Why PhD Fellowships and Scholarships are Needed?

To contribute to the particular field through high-quality research, PhD fellowships and scholarships play a most important role.

PhD fellowships help and support PhD scholars to conduct independent research without any distractions and lack of resources. PhD fellowships allow students to make use of cutting-edge technologies to continue their research.

Here are some of the most crucial reasons why PhD fellowships and Scholarships are needed:

• PhD fellowships and Scholarships offer financial assistance and support to the PhD students in their research. 
• PhD students get significant opportunities for research and innovation without any diversion. 
• PhD Fellowships and Scholarships also demonstrate the academic competence of the PhD scholar. 
• PhD scholars get access to a wide range of research opportunities with the help of PhD fellowships. 
• A PhD fellowship makes it very easy for students to choose the area of research by eliminating the pressure of securing funding. 
• PhD fellowships provide access to some of the top universities to pursue doctoral degrees. 

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Conclusion

In Conclusion, PhD fellowships and scholarships are highly beneficial for the academic endeavor.  PhD Scholars can broaden their research area and sample size with the financial backup from a PhD fellowship. Students get the flexibility to conduct their research independently and contribute to their academic discipline through new knowledge and insights.