Politics · India · 6 hrs ago
India tightens INSPIRE science scholarship rules and cuts maximum support
India’s Department of Science and Technology has tightened rules for its INSPIRE-SHE scholarships, which support students studying basic and natural sciences.
Under the new rules, a student who fails an exam or scores below the stated academic threshold can lose eligibility for the scholarship.
The earlier rules allowed students who failed or missed an exam to resume support later if they met the requirements.
The annual ₹20,000 research mentorship grant will now be paid only in the third and fourth years, while the monthly scholarship remains ₹5,000.
Maximum support over five years falls from ₹4 lakh to ₹3.4 lakh, which experts say could make it harder to fund studies and early research.
The scheme gives about 12,000 scholarships each year, including to top-performing Class 12 students and candidates who qualify through specified national entrance exams.
Applications for the 2025 batch are open until December 7 for eligible students aged 17 to 22 who passed Class 12 in 2025.
The Department of Science and Technology has tightened academic rules for the INSPIRE-SHE scholarship, ending support for students who fail or fall below the required marks.
The changes also cut the maximum support over five years from ₹4 lakh to ₹3.4 lakh by limiting the annual mentorship grant to the third and fourth years.
The revised rules were announced on November 7, alongside the opening of applications for the 2025 batch after a delay of more than a year.
Experts and students said the changes could make scholarships harder to retain and reduce support for student research.
Applications are open until December 7 at 11.59pm for eligible candidates aged 17-22 who passed Class 12 in 2025.
- Who
- The Department of Science and Technology changed the INSPIRE-SHE rules. The changes affect scholarship applicants and recipients.
- What
- The rules tighten academic eligibility, restrict mentorship grants to two years and change how awards are allocated among school boards.
- When
- The changes were announced on November 7. Applications for the 2025 batch are open until December 7 at 11.59pm.
- Where
- India.
- Why
- Not stated.
Department of Science and Technology
Critics of the revised rules
Academic eligibility
Department of Science and Technology
The revised rules make students who fail or fall below the required marks ineligible for the scholarship.
Critics of the revised rules
Critics said the tighter rules could make it harder for students to retain support.
Financial support
Department of Science and Technology
The mentorship grant is limited to the third and fourth years.
Critics of the revised rules
Critics said the reduction in support could make it harder to fund education and research projects.
DST announced the revised rules and opened applications for the 2025 batch of INSPIRE-SHE.
The application window for the 2025 batch is scheduled to close.
- Monthly scholarship
- ₹5,000, or ₹60,000 annually
- Mentorship grant
- ₹20,000 annually, now available only in the third and fourth years
- Maximum five-year support
- Cut from ₹4 lakh to ₹3.4 lakh
- Annual awards
- Around 12,000 INSPIRE-SHE scholarships
- Eligible applicants
- Candidates aged 17-22 who passed Class 12 in 2025
What people are saying
INSPIRE-SHE scheme is not scrapped. It is being redesigned currently. Hence, there has been a delay in announcing the call.
These are substantial revisions, and not for the better
The reduction in the fellowship amount is a big setback, as with fees in colleges constantly on the rise, fewer students would be able to support their education with this fellowship. The allocated funds per student should actually increase, not decrease in the revised guidelines.
In the first two years, the ₹20,000 grant is what lets a student take up a proper research project, and that early exposure often decides who stays in science