ICSSR Doctoral Fellowship (Full-Term, Short-Term and Contingency Grant schemes) 2026‑27

The ICSSR Doctoral Fellowship is a monthly grant for full-time PhD students in social and human sciences. This is for doctoral students, not for school or undergraduate entrants. The Indian Council of Social Science Research (ICSSR), under the Ministry of Education, runs it and announces calls for Doctoral Fellowships every year.

The 2026-27 call is closed. Online applications for it ended on 4 August 2026, after an extension. The last date of online application was 04-08-2026. The next call’s dates have not been published in the sources reviewed.

What you get

The name covers three schemes. You may put in an application for only one of them in any financial year. (i) Full-Term Doctoral Fellowship Scheme (Centrally Administered), (ii) Short-Term Doctoral Fellowship Scheme, (iii) Contingency Grant Scheme.

Full-Term holders receive the monthly amount and the yearly contingency money. The total tenure is two years. The first award letter covers one year. It starts on the date the letter is issued.

Short-Term holders get support for at most six months, ending early if the thesis goes in first. Its ceiling equals six months of the Full-Term fellowship amount plus contingency for six months. The guidelines give no separate rupee figure for this scheme.

The Contingency Grant is a consolidated Rs. 62,500. The first instalment is Rs. 40,000. The balance comes later, after the thesis paperwork is accepted. That covers a Thesis Submission Certificate, a summary of 3000 to 4000 words, and audited accounts with a utilisation certificate.

Scholars routed through an ICSSR Research Institute get the same duration and value as the Full-Term scheme. Amounts and tenure can change, since the value and duration follow the Ministry of Education’s directions issued from time to time.

Who can apply

• Nationality and institution: You must be an Indian research scholar registered for a PhD at a UGC-recognised university, deemed university, approved college, Institute of National Importance or ICSSR Research Institute. Doctoral Fellowships shall be awarded to Indian research scholars, who are registered for Ph.D. in UGC recognized Universities
• Full-time study: Doctoral Fellow should be a full-time bonafide Ph.D. student at the affiliating university/ institution throughout the duration of fellowship tenure.
• Topic approval: Your research topic must be confirmed by your institution’s DRC or authorised statutory body by the last date. Application submitted by those scholars whose research proposals and topics have not been approved by the statutory bodies of their respective institutions will be summarily rejected.
• Age: You can be no more than 40 years old on the last date of application. There shall be an age relaxation of 5 years for SC/ST/OBC-(NCL) candidates & Persons with benchmark Disability (PwD).
• Marks: You need at least 55% in Post-Graduation, or equivalent grades, in any social science discipline. Five per cent (5%) relaxation of marks will be given to SC/ST/ OBC-(NCL) candidates & Persons with benchmark Disability (PwD).
• UGC NET: NET is required. A maximum of 10 per cent of the fellowships may be awarded to candidates who are not NET qualified but their proposals are found outstanding, so non-NET candidates can still be considered.
• UGC Non-NET fellowship holders may apply. Candidates drawing UGC NonNET Fellowship are eligible to apply.
• Short-Term applicants must also have completed at least three years of research work for Ph.D degree.
• Contingency Grant applicants must meet all Full-Term conditions and be at an advanced stage of research. The candidates meeting all conditions of the Full-Term Doctoral Fellowship (2.1 to 2.6) are eligible to apply for Contingency Grant for the purposes of field trip, stationery and computer consumable related expenses.
• Who cannot apply: Anyone who has already held UGC JRF, RGNF, MANF, ICSSR, ICAR, CSIR, ICPR, ICMR, ICHR, JNMF or any similar major doctoral fellowship. Candidates who have already availed UGC Junior Research Fellowship (JRF) / Rajiv Gandhi National Fellowship (RGNF) / Maulana Azad National Fellowship (MANF) / ICSSR / ICAR / CSIR/ ICPR / ICMR / ICHR / Jawaharlal Nehru Memorial Foundation Fund Fellowship (JNMF) or any such major doctoral fellowship are not eligible to apply. Earlier ICSSR defaulters are also excluded until cleared. Defaulters of any previous ICSSR fellowship / project / grant will not be eligible for consideration until the applicant obtains the clearance from the concerned administrative division.

How to apply

These steps follow the 2026-27 guidelines. The next call may change them.

1. Get your topic confirmed. Your institution’s DRC or statutory body must approve it, and you upload a certificate of this with the form. The topic mentioned in the research proposal must have been confirmed by the DRC/authorised statutory body of the institution on or before the last date of call for applications and a certificate to this effect must be uploaded during submission of online application.
2. Collect forwarding letters from your supervisor and your affiliating institution. The scanned copy of forwarding letters by the supervisor and affiliating institution should be uploaded in the online application form. Official formats are on the ICSSR call page.
3. Go to app.icssr.org and log in. The applicant login is the same portal used for fellowship applications.
4. Fill the form in English or Hindi. The applications can be filled either in English or in Hindi.
5. Upload scanned copies of your documents (see the list below), including your PG mark sheet, certificates and research proposal.
6. Submit online only. The applicants must submit the application form for the doctoral fellowship schemes through online mode only. Apply early, because applicants are also advised to apply well before the last date in order to avoid last moment rush.

If you are at an ICSSR Research Institute, choose that institute in the online form. The applicants applying for Doctoral Fellowship Scheme through ICSSR Research Institutes will apply through the ICSSR website in online mode and select the ICSSR Research Institute through which their application is routed in the online application form.

Documents you need

Before you apply, keep these ready:

• Self-attested copies of your educational qualifications, including your UGC NET certificate, and proof of date of birth (birth certificate, secondary or higher secondary certificate). Self-attested copies of educational qualification (including UGC NET) and proof of date of birth (Birth Certificate/Secondary School Certificate /Higher Secondary School Certificate) must be uploaded with the application form.
• Post-Graduation mark sheet with the CGPA-to-percentage formula certified by your university. The submission of scanned copy of mark sheet of Post-Graduation along with CGPA to Percentage formula certified by the affiliating University is mandatory for submission of online application.
• Research proposal in English or Hindi. The Research Proposal should be either in English or Hindi.
• The 2(f)/12(b) certificate of your institution. The 2(f)/12(b) certificate of the institution should also be duly uploaded.
• For OBC (NCL) or EWS applicants, a caste certificate valid for 2026-27. If the certificates are not valid for the FY 2026-27, such applications will be considered in Unreserved Category.
• For PwD applicants, the disability certificate. In case of candidates applying for PwD category, scanned copy of Certificate of Disability should be uploaded in the online application form.

Selected candidates must also send joining documents. These include the age or SSC certificate, the Master’s degree and mark sheet, the PhD registration certificate, the joining report, an undertaking, a forwarding letter, the GIB and PFMS mandate forms, and any UGC NET, caste or disability certificates that apply. Age Certificate/SSC Certificate as proof of age; Master’s Degree; Master’s Marksheet along with university approved CGPA to percentage conversion formula; PhD Registration certificate; Certificate of recognition of affiliating institution by UGC under 2(f)/12(b). Hard copies go by speed post to the Deputy Director (Research), ICSSR, New Delhi. The hard copy of the original documents must be sent immediately by speed post to: The Deputy Director (Research)

How students are selected

• A panel of subject experts evaluates applications, and merit lists are prepared from their reports. The fellowships shall be awarded on the basis of evaluation of applications by the panel of subject experts. Based on the evaluation reports of the Expert Committee(s), merit lists shall be prepared for awards.
• Central reservation rules apply to SC, ST, OBC (NCL), EWS and PwD candidates. Reserved-category candidates who score above the unreserved cut-off in their discipline are placed in the General list. Candidates who had applied under reserved categories (i.e. EWS, OBC (NCL), SC, ST & PwD), but received marks above the cut-off of unreserved category within their respective disciplines during evaluation by the expert committees, have been duly placed in the list of General Category as per Government of India rules.
• Shortlisted applicants may be called to present before an ICSSR expert committee. In case ICSSR feels the need, it may invite any short-listed applicant for presentation before an Expert Committee of ICSSR.
• Proposals in ICSSR’s priority areas get a preference. The 2026-27 guidelines list 32 broad domains. Strong proposals outside these areas can still be recommended. The research proposals which may not be reflected in the priority areas shall also be considered if, in the opinion of the Experts Committee, its focus is on an important issue covered under social sciences and adjudged as outstanding.
• Results for 2026-27 were declared on 6 October 2026. Declaration of Results of ICSSR Call for Doctoral Fellowship 2026-27 (6 October, 2026) The merit list is on the ICSSR website, and selected candidates receive a provisional award letter.

Renewal

• The first Full-Term award covers one year. The renewal of the Fellowship for the subsequent years shall be subject to the receipt of satisfactory Annual Progress Report and Statement of Expenditure for the entire fellowship grant released for first year.
• The first year’s money comes in two parts. The second instalment of 1st year will be released only after completion of six months and on receipt of a detailed Six-Monthly Progress Report in the prescribed format duly forwarded by Supervisor.
• Second-year instalments need the Council’s approval of the extension. The instalments of second year will be released only after the approval of extension of fellowship for the second year by the Council.
• The final year is paid in parts, but the two official sources differ on how many. The 2026-27 guidelines say three instalments, while the scheme page says two instalments. Check your award letter.
• Publication is required. During the course of the Phd, the scholars are required to publish at least two research papers in peer-reviewed journals on the theme of the research undertaken and submit a copy of the same to the ICSSR. You must also acknowledge the ICSSR in the PhD thesis.
• Plagiarism limit: ICSSR does not accept contents beyond 10 percent on Similarity Index.
• Approved leave for maternity, medical or similar reasons can defer the tenure. the tenure of fellowship shall be deferred by that period but the total amount of fellowship sanctioned shall not exceed the fellowship duration mentioned in the award letter.
• No other job or stipend is allowed, though you may teach. The Fellow shall not accept or hold any appointment (paid or otherwise) or receive any emoluments, salary, stipend etc., from any other source during the tenure of the award of fellowship. However, a fellow may undertake teaching assignments of not more than six hours a week.
• Leaving early needs notice. No scholar will be allowed to leave the fellowship under clause 8.1 before completion of three months of fellowship period. If the scholar leaves it within three months, he/she will have to refund the already disbursed fellowship amount in full to the ICSSR.

Important dates

• 15 June 2026: online applications for 2026-27 opened. Start of online application 15-06-2026
• 14 July 2026: original last date, later extended. Extension of Last Date for Online Application Submission to August 04, 2026
• 4 August 2026: final last date for online applications.
• 6 October 2026: results declared.
• 9 to 16 October 2026, extended: upload window for full-term awardees on the ISMP portal. The last date for uploading documents on the ISMP Portal has been extended to 30 October 2026, and the last date for receipt of hard copies of the documents at ICSSR has been extended to 4 November 2026. That date has now passed.