This UGC scheme gives a monthly scholarship to SC and ST students in a postgraduate course in a professional subject. The University Grants Commission (UGC) UGC implements and monitors the scheme. The amount depends on the course: Rs. 7,800 a month for ME or M.Tech, and Rs. 4,500 a month for other professional courses.
I could not find a 2026-27 notice for this scheme. The UGC page still lists it, but the guidelines I found are the 2018-19 version, and the National Scholarship Portal’s 2024-25 list of UGC schemes does not show it. Read the Important dates section before you plan around it.
What you get
The guidelines set a monthly rate for each course type. The UGC page gives annual figures instead.
| Course | Monthly rate (2018-19 guidelines) | Annual figure (UGC page) |
|---|---|---|
| ME or M.Tech | Rs. 7,800 | Rs. 78,000 a year |
| Other professional PG courses | Rs. 4,500 | Rs. 45,000 a year |
The two sources give the figure in different forms, and neither says how many months the annual figure covers. Ask your institute how the money is paid. The award lasts two or three years, matching the length of your course. Payment starts from the date you join the first year of your PG course in the selection year. The money reaches you by direct bank transfer, and PFMS generates the payment files and the scholarship is paid for the complete duration of the PG course.
No extra grants are paid. No contingency is payable to students selected under the scheme from the 2017-18 selection year. Awardees receive only the scholarship amount.
Who can apply
- Category: SC and ST students only. General category and OBC candidates are not eligible to apply.
- Degree: You need a graduate degree in the relevant subject, and admission to a regular full-time PG course. Candidates must hold a graduate degree in the relevant subject and have PG admission for a regular full-time course in a professional subject.
- Course: Courses that need approval from councils such as MCI, DCI, PCI, RCI, Bar Council of India, AICTE, ICAR, INC and the Forensic Regulatory and Development Authority count as professional. Engineering and Technology, Management and Pharmacy are named examples.
- Not counted as professional: MA, MSc, MCom, MSW, and Mass Communication and Journalism degrees.
- Mode: Correspondence or distance mode PG courses are not eligible.
- Institution: Universities, institutions and colleges under section 2(f) and 12(B) of the UGC Act, deemed universities, government-funded institutions, and Institutes of National Importance.
- Year: Only students pursuing the first year of a PG course in the current academic year can apply.
- Age: UGC’s guidelines PDF sets the upper limit at 45 years for men and 50 years for women, counted as on 1 July of the year of application, and the age may be relaxed in exceptional cases.
- Family income and marks: The official guidelines I read do not set a family income limit or a minimum mark for entry.
How to apply
- Get admission to the first year of a regular full-time PG professional course first.
- Watch for UGC’s notice. UGC publishes the advertisement once a year in newspapers, Employment News and on its website, and applications then go online on the National Scholarship Portal.
- Apply online at scholarships.gov.in.
- Your institute checks the application. The host institution where you study must verify the online application.
- Link your Aadhaar. UGC uses Aadhaar as the identifier for disbursing scholarships from 2016-17 onwards, and your institute updates the Aadhaar details with your consent.
Documents you need
The UGC guidelines include an application form (Annexure I) with your personal, academic and SC/ST details. They also include a certificate of admission to the PG course, which must be signed by the head of department and the registrar, director or principal. The guidelines I read do not give a full checklist, such as caste certificate or mark sheets. Ask your institute which papers it needs.
How students are selected
Selection is based on merit after UGC receives the completed application with its documents. The scheme has 1000 slots a year. An undated UGC guideline copy says selections are completed by the end of August every year.
Renewal
- Renewal each year depends on an annual progress report from the head of your university, institute or college.
- In your first year, renewal depends on good conduct and the prescribed attendance.
- Students who are not promoted to the next year forfeit the scholarship.
- A change of course is not permitted.
- The award can be cancelled if you fail to pass the first year of the PG course in first division or an equivalent CGPA. It can also be cancelled if you discontinue studies for personal reasons, or if you are later found ineligible because of false information or incorrect bank details.
Important dates
The official sources I fetched give no 2026-27 advertisement date and no closing date for this scheme. The NSP’s list of UGC schemes for 2024-25 shows the National Scholarship for Post Graduate Studies and the Ishan Uday scheme, with no separate entry for this one. For 2026-27, the NSP lists the National Scholarship For Post Graduate Studies as open for student applications from 16-09-2026 to 30-11-2026. The official sources do not say whether that scheme replaces this one. UGC’s page still points to an older Canara Bank portal address, so use scholarships.gov.in for any application.
Official sources
- scholarships.gov.in/public/schemeGuidelines/guidelines_pgsprof_gl1819.pdf
- ugc.gov.in/pdfnews/6606183_pgspcscst.pdf
- scholarships.gov.in/All-Scholarships
Checked against these official sources on 5 November 2026.
