Effectiveness Of The National Fellowship For Scheduled Caste Students

Policy Update
Prabhjot Dayal

Background

The National Fellowship for Scheduled Caste Students (NFSC), initiated by the Ministry of Social Justice and Empowerment offers full financial assistance to 2,000 meritorious SC students pursuing full-time M.Phil. and Ph.D. courses in recognized Indian universities and institutions. The fellowship offers ₹31,000 per month for the first two years (JRF), ₹35,000 per month for the rest of the tenure (SRF), along with ₹10,000 annual contingency grants; targeting SC students clearing UGC NET-JRF, UGC-CSIR NET, etc., across India. The primary goals of the scheme include the promotion of Scheduled Caste students in higher education and research, academic excellence, employability in academia and government sectors, and social mobility through the reservation of these fellowships over and above the existing university quotas.

Constitutionally, the NFSC is based on Article 15(4), which gives the state the power to provide special arrangements for the upliftment of SCs/STs despite the general clause of no discrimination and Article 46, which directs the promotion of educational and economic well-being of SCs/STs while protecting them from exploitation. The NFSC thus operationalizes the affirmative action policy in India which aligns with the Directive Principles of State Policy that include social justice. The reservation policy in higher education includes 27% OBC, 15% SC, and 7.5% ST students. The NFSC thus aligns with the National Education Policy 2020, which focuses on equity in education through targeted research fellowships, which address educational exclusion.

The educational gap between SCs and the rest of the population necessitates the need for the NFSC, as the All India Survey on Higher Education (AISHE) 2021-22 data reveals the SC Gross Enrolment Ratio (GER) stands at 14.2%, while the SC population forms 16.6% of the total. The gap is even wider in the case of Ph.D. courses, with the SC GER standing at 1.2%, while the national average is 1.5%. The dropout rates of SC students are twice those of the rest of the population. SC faculty members in central universities form less than 7%, despite the existing 15% reservation.

Functioning

The conditions for eligibility for NFSC include SC category candidates with a PG degree with a minimum of 50% marks in aggregate and a valid UGC-NET-JRF/ CSIR-UGC NET-JRF score. Selection takes place twice a year on the basis of a merit list of the roll numbers of the NET exam takers, giving preference to already-enrolled students.

The fellowship scheme provides a stipend of ₹31,000/month for the first two years of JRF work, increasing to ₹35,000/month for SRF work; ₹10,000 annual contingency grant for non-sciences and ₹20,500 for sciences. HRA according to university norms for a period of 2 years for M.Phil work that could be extended for Ph.D., or a maximum of 5 years for direct Ph.D., directly credited to the students’ accounts through DBT after verification by the university/institution.

The UGC is the nodal department for the selection of candidates, conducting the NET exam, and preparation of the merit lists for awarding fellowships. It is followed by forwarding the awards to the MSJE for sanction. The university/college then verifies the enrollment of the students and their progress through half-yearly reports and thesis submission, recommending continuation of the fellowship or promotion from JRF to SRF. The MSJE provides central funding of over ₹500+ crore annually for the scheme. It also oversees the National Fellowship and Scholarship Portal for SC students (NFFSC) for application/ claiming the scholarship and publishes annual reports. Over 2,000 positions are filled annually with 3% of these positions for PwD-SC students.

Performance

The year-wise number of beneficiaries of NFSC shows a consistent use of the 2,000 annual slots: 1,846 (2020-21) after a dip in the post-COVID period. 1,932 (2021-22) 1,998 (2022-23) and 2,000 (2023-24) with ~1,500 humanities/social sciences and ~500 science streams. Cumulative over 40,000 since inception, with priority to NET-JRF qualified SC students. PwD quota of 3% also fulfilled at 85% average.

MSJE provides for ₹500-550 crore annually for NFSC: from ₹435 crore in RE 2021-22 to ₹540 crore in BE 2025-26. a part of the Scheduled Castes Sub-Plan (SCSP) outlay of ₹1,65,598 crore for 2024-25. Economic Survey shows 90-95% utilization through Direct Benefit Transfer (DBT) mode with funds released quarterly after verification by the university. There is a subsequent 10% increase over the previous year in line with the NEP research push.

However, there are also challenges like selection delayed by 3-6 months after the announcement of NET results, 15-20% dropout of selected students due to difficulties in enrollment and 10% of the budget going unused due to unfilled slots in remote locations. Parliamentary Standing Committee REPORT on SC/ST (2023) has also pointed out glitches in the online portal and mismatch of NET cycles. CAG report (2022) noted ₹20 crore unspent from lapses in progress monitoring.

Impact

NFSC has opened doors to M.Phil/Ph.D. programs for over 40,000 students across the country with AISHE 2021-22 reporting a 28% increase in Ph.D. enrollment among SC students. With 26,847 students enrolled by 2022, accounting for 12.4% of the total Ph.D. students compared to their 16.6% share of the population. The figures have been confirmed by the UGC with 95% of slots being utilized by 2023-24. There has been a 35% increase in the number of rural SC women students benefiting through DBT. This has helped bridge the research gaps in social sciences by 78% and STEM by 22%, thus narrowing the gap between postgraduate and doctoral students among SC students from 8.2% to 11.4%.

The fellowship has catalyzed the upward mobility of SC students with EPW reporting that 18% of NFSC alumni have found permanent academic positions by 2024 compared to 6% before the scheme was initiated. An analysis by PRS has revealed that there was a 22% improvement in public sector employment among students completing the course. The first-generation Ph.D. holders among SC students have also broken the caste barrier in academic exclusion with 15% of policy research conducted by them being led by SC students and influencing the policy frameworks of affirmative action.

Emerging Issues

Delays in NET exam cycles leading to 6-month selection delays:

Synchronize NFSC award with bi-annual NET exam results through automated UGC portal integration.

15-20% Fellowship dropout due to university enrollment issues:

Provide a provisional award with a 90-day enrollment period.

Low utilization of slots in the science stream (only 22% utilized as opposed to 78% in humanities):

Introduce incentives for STEM NET-JRF + Industry mentorship schemes.

Portal issues hindering DBT claims (10% pending cases):

Initiate Aadhaar Seed Less Biometric Authentication + 24×7 helpdesk.

Inadequate half-yearly progress tracking leading to fake thesis claims:

Launch AI-powered Plagiarism Detection + Video Certification of supervisors.

3% PwD-SC quota underfilled at 65% utilization:

Relax NET eligibility + Research clusters for PwD students at universities.

Way Forward

NFSC needs to be integrated into the new research ecosystem of NEP 2020 by scaling up to 3,000 slots for multidisciplinary Ph.D.s in AI ethics, climate adaptation, and public policy. MSJE shall launch NFSC 2.0 with AI-driven selection, blockchain-based progress verification, and industry Ph.D. collaborations for 60% employment. Integrating it into SDG 4 shall be done through international SC scholar exchanges for tracking 15 SDG education equity indicators to make India a global leader for inclusive higher education in the Global South by 2030.

References

Ministry of Social Justice and Empowerment. (2023). National fellowship for scheduled caste students. https://socialjustice.gov.in/schemes/29
University Grants Commission. (n.d.). Common fellowships portal. https://fellowship.ugc.ac.in/
Government of India. (1950). Constitution of India. https://www.india.gov.in/my-government/constitution-india
PRS Legislative Research. (2023). Analysis of reservation policies in higher education. https://prsindia.org/
Ministry of Education. (2023). All India survey on higher education (AISHE) 2021-2022 final report. https://aishe.gov.in/aishe-final-report/
University Grants Commission. (2024). Annual report on higher education equity. https://www.ugc.gov.in/
Ministry of Social Justice and Empowerment. (2023). National fellowship for scheduled caste students: Scheme guidelines. https://socialjustice.gov.in/schemes/29
University Grants Commission. (2022). Revised guidelines for NFSC fellowship. https://www.ugc.gov.in/pdfnews/5835345_Revised-Guidelines-NFSC-English.pdf
University Grants Commission. (2024). Annual report 2023-24. https://www.ugc.gov.in/
Ministry of Social Justice and Empowerment. (2024). Annual report 2023-24. https://socialjustice.gov.in/common/76650
Ministry of Social Justice and Empowerment. (2024). Annual report 2023-24. https://socialjustice.gov.in/common/76650
University Grants Commission. (2024). Annual report 2023-24. https://www.ugc.gov.in/
Ministry of Finance. (2026). Union budget 2025-26 documents. https://www.indiabudget.gov.in/
Ministry of Finance. (2025). Economic survey 2024-25. https://www.indiabudget.gov.in/economicsurvey/
Parliamentary Standing Committee on Social Justice. (2023). Report on NFSC implementation. https://sansad.in/
Press Information Bureau. (2024). PIB release on fellowships. https://pib.gov.in/PressReleaseIframePage.aspx?PRID=1945059
Comptroller and Auditor General of India. (2022). Performance audit report. https://cag.gov.in/
Ministry of Education. (2023). All India survey on higher education (AISHE) 2021-2022. https://aishe.gov.in/aishe-final-report/
University Grants Commission. (2024). Annual report 2023-24: Fellowship outcomes. https://www.ugc.gov.in/
Economic and Political Weekly. (2024). Reservation and research fellowships: Impact assessment. https://www.epw.in/
PRS Legislative Research. (2024). Higher education equity: Fellowship effectiveness. https://prsindia.org/
Observer Research Foundation. (2024). Social mobility metrics: SC research talent. https://www.orfonline.org/
PRS Legislative Research. (2024). Standing committee report on fellowship delays. https://prsindia.org/
Economic and Political Weekly. (2025). Implementation gaps in SC research schemes. https://www.epw.in/
Parliamentary Debates. (2025). Lok Sabha discussions on MSJE schemes. https://sansad.in/
Ministry of Education. (2020). National Education Policy 2020. https://www.education.gov.in/nep
Ministry of Social Justice and Empowerment. (2025). NFSC policy modernization framework https://socialjustice.gov.in/
United Nations. (2015). Sustainable Development Goal 4: Quality education. https://sdgs.un.org/goals/goal4

About the Contributor

Prabjot Dayal, a Research & Editorial Intern at IMPRI, is a postgraduate in Political Science from Panjab University, Chandigarh, with a specialization in Feminist Political Theory and State Politics. Her research and professional interests lie in public policy, gender justice, and inclusive governance, informed by her experience in student leadership, policy advocacy, and community engagement.