DST INSPIRE Scholarship: DST INSPIRE Scholarship for Higher Education is a scholarship course presented by the Department of Science and Technology (DST) which is regulated by the Government of India. It is a scholarship plan that appears under Innovation in Science Pursuit for Inspired Research (INSPIRE), a flagship course of DST. Intended for exemplary students commencing bachelor’s and master’s courses in Natural and Basic Sciences, DST INSPIRE Scholarship grants 10,000 scholarships each year. Under this Scholarship, each selected student gets INR 80,000 yearly for seeking any subject of Natural or Basic Sciences.
DST INSPIRE Scholarship Rewards
Under the DST INSPIRE Scholarship, each selected student receives a scholarship amount of INR 80,000 per year for the course of Science and Technology and persevere research as a career. Students can avail of this scholarship benefits for a maximum time period of five years or till the end of the course. Let us know the reward amount available for eligible students.
| Total Scholarship Amount | Benefits |
| INR 80,000 per year | The amount payable to chosen students is INR 60,000 per year |
| INR 20,000 as summer time attachment fee is paid to those students who undergo summer time research project |
Note: All the selected students need to engage with summer research projects under the supervision of an active researcher in a recognised research center of India.
DST INSPIRE Scholarship Important Dates
The scholarship is declared each year during the mid of October and ends at the end of December. DST INSPIRE Scholarship for Higher Education 2019 has been published on the official website. Here are the tentative dates related to this scholarship.
| Event | Important Dates |
| Online application Commencement | 1st November 2019 |
| Online application procedure ends on | 31st December 2019 |
| Declaration of shortlisted students | April/May 2020 (Extended) |
Note: The dates mentioned above are tentative and subject to change on the choice of DST.
DST INSPIRE Scholarship – Eligibility Criteria
To apply for DST INSPIRE Scholarship, the student should have qualified class 12th and seeking courses in Natural Sciences at the B.Sc. or Integrated M.Sc. level. Here is the complete information about the eligibility guidelines of this scholarship.
- The student should come under the age group of 17-22 years.
- The student should be among the top one percent of the victorious students in terms of marks obtained by them in class 12th board exam.
- The student should be registered in courses of Natural and Basic Sciences at the BSc, BS, and Integrated MSc/MS level in the same year of passing class 12.
- The students who are among the top 10,000 rankers in Joint Entrance Examination (JEE) IIT, top 20,000 rankers of AIEEE and have cleared CBSE-Medical (AIPTM) and have chosen to study Natural/Basic Sciences are eligible.
- The students who are admitted to Indian Institutes of Science Education and Research (IISER), National Institute of Science Education and Research (NISER), Department of Atomic Energy Centre for Basic Sciences (DAE-CBS) at the University of Mumbai for seeking courses in Natural/Basic Sciences leading to B.Sc. and M.Sc. degree are also eligible.
- The students who are scholars of KVPY (Kishore Vaigyanik Protsahan Yojna), National Talent Search Examination (NTSE), Olympiad Medallists and Jagadish Bose National Science Talent Search (JBNSTS) and are seeking courses in Natural/Basic Sciences leading to B.Sc. and M.Sc. degree are eligible.
Subjects under DST INSPIRE Scholarship
- Physics
- Chemistry
- Mathematics
- Biology
- Statistics
- Geology
- Astrophysics
- Astronomy
- Electronics
- Botany
- Zoology
- Biochemistry
- Anthropology
- Microbiology
- Geophysics
- Geochemistry
- Atmospheric Sciences
- Oceanic Sciences
- Ecology
- Marine Biology
- Genetics
- BioPhysics
DST INSPIRE Scholarship Application Process
The application forms for DST INSPIRE Scholarship for Higher Education are received online through the official website of the INSPIRE course. Below are the steps to be followed for the application procedure.
- Students need to register first on the DST INSPIRE Scholarship portal. The students should enter their details such as name, gender, date of birth, email, password, eligibility norms and verification code for successful registration.
- Students will receive the user ID and password on their designated email ID where they have to click on the activation link to activate their account.
- Students should hold the scanned copies of all the needed documents as separate files before they start filling the application form.
- Students should log in to the DST INSPIRE Scholarship portal using their username and password.
- Now they should fill in all the items like personal details, enrolment data at B.Sc. and Integrated M.Sc. level, senior secondary educational details, national level competitive exam details, contact information in the scholarship application form.
- Students also need to upload all the required documents during filling the application form.
Students need to analyse the listed details before the submission of the form by clicking on the ‘Print Preview’ button. - Students should make sure that all the information and provided documents are accurate.
- Now, click on the ‘Submit’ button.
- After the final submission of the application, the student can take the print out of the application form for their reference.
Documents Required
- Student ’s passport size photograph in JPEG format (File Size:50KB)
- Community/caste certificate in case the student belongs to OBC/SC/ST category in PDF format (File size: 1MB)
- Eligibility note or advisory note if provided by the State/Central Board in PDF format (File size: 1MB)
- Class 12th mark sheet in PDF format (File size: 1MB)
- Class 10th mark sheet or certificate (for proof of Date of Birth) in PDF format. (File size: 1MB)
- Certificate specifying rank/award in JEE (Main)/ JEE (Advanced)/ NEET/ KVPY /JBNSTS/ NTSE / International
- Olympic Medallists (if the student is eligible under this criterion) in PDF format. (File size: 1MB)
- Approval Form signed by the Principal of the College/Director of the Institute/Registrar of the University in PDF format. (File size: 1MB)
- First page of student ’s SBI bank passbook in PDF format. (File size: 1MB)
DST INSPIRE Scholarship Selection Process
- All the scholarship application forms sent by the potential INSPIRE scholars are evaluated based on the designated eligibility criteria. Based on this evaluation, a list of shortlisted candidates is prepared.
- The list of shortlisted scholars will be declared on the online portal of DST INSPIRE.
- The elected scholars require to download their temporary offer letter from the online portal.
- The shortlisted scholars also need to upload the required documents on the INSPIRE portal within the detailed timeline for further evidence.
- The selected scholars will get their scholarship rewards straight into their State Bank of India (SBI) bank account through DBT (Direct Bank Transfer).
DST INSPIRE Scholarship Renewal
- To continue with the DST INSPIRE Scholarship in the succeeding years, INSPIRE scholars have to fulfil the criteria specified below.
- The scholars applying for renewal of scholarship need to score at least 60% marks or 7.0 GPA on a 10.0-point scale in the annual exams each year (or two semesters).
- If the candidates fails to score the required marks in their B.Sc/BS/Int. M.Sc/Int. MS exam, the scholarship for that academic year will get dropped. The scholarship is continued in the next academic year if the student’s educational performance is satisfying.
- Terms and Conditions
- Students need to follow specific terms and conditions to apply for this scholarship.
- DST INSPIRE scholarship is bestowed to students for five years, starting from the 1st year B.Sc., BS, Integrated
- M.Sc/MS or until the course is completed by students (whichever comes earlier).
- Students should submit a completely filled application form else the form will be rejected.
- Subjects such as Engineering, Medicine, Military Science, Defence Studies, Home Science, Geography,
- Economics, Agriculture, Psychology, Seed Technology, Anthropology, Education (including B.Sc.-B.Ed. dual
- degree course), Biotechnology, Instrumentation, Information Technology, Physical Education, Computer Science, Computer application forms, Bioinformatics, courses in Distance Education mode at the Open
- Universities and other professional courses are not supported under this scholarship.
- The INSPIRE scholar should open a regular Savings Bank Account in any branch of the State Bank of India (SBI) only. The account should be in the name of the student and it should not be a joint account.
- The shortlisted students should submit their year-wise performance report (signed by the Head of the Institution) and mark sheet of their BSc, BS, Int. MSc/MS course for the release of the scholarship. Head of the Institution refers to Vice-Chancellor/Registrar/Dean of Science in case of Universities and Principal/Vice-Principal/Proctor/Officer-in-Charge in case of colleges.
- The Head of the Institution should mention in the performance report if the scholarship were continued or not in that academic year.
- For the first time, the scholarship is released only after the approval of the performance report and mark sheet of 1st year B.Sc, BS, Int. M.Sc/MS. If the academic performance of the student is satisfactory, two years of scholarship, i.e., INR 1,20,000 is released during the student ’s 2nd year of B.Sc, BS, Int. M.Sc/MS.
- Students availing any other scholarship from other sources are not eligible to receive this scholarship.
Frequently Asked Questions on DST INSPIRE Scholarship
Question 1.
Who is eligible to apply for the DST INSPIRE Scholarship?
Answer:
Candidates who come under the top one percent of class 12th examination of any State or Central Board and students who are seeking courses in Basic & Natural Sciences at the BSc, BS, and Int. MSc/MS level are eligible. The student should fall within the age group of 17 to 22 years.
Question 2.
How much is the scholarship amount disbursed each year among students?
Answer:
10,000 scholarships at the rate of INR 80,000 per student are disbursed each year.
Question 3.
When should a student apply for the DST INSPIRE Scholarship?
Answer:
The students should apply for DST INSPIRE Scholarship in the same year in which they have passed class 12th exam and have registered themselves in BSc, BS, Int. MSc/MS degrees, in Natural and Basic Sciences.