INSPIRE SCHOLARSHIP : SCHOLARSHIP FOR HIGHER EDUCATION (SHE)
INSPIRE Scholarship for Higher Education (SHE) is a scholarship programme implemented by the Department of Science and Technology (DST), Government of India. It is a scholarship scheme that comes under Innovation in Science Pursuit for Inspired Research (INSPIRE), a flagship programme of DST. Meant for meritorious students undertaking bachelor’s and master’s courses in Natural and Basic Sciences, INSPIRE Scholarship offers 10,000 scholarships every year. Under SHE, each selected candidate receives INR 80,000 annually for pursuing any subject of Natural or Basic Sciences.
INSPIRE Scholarship – Key Dates
The scholarship is announced every year during the mid of October and ends at the end of the month of December. INSPIRE Scholarship for Higher Education 2019 has been announced. Find below the table indicating the tentative dates of the scholarship.
Key Dates of INSPIRE Scholarship
| S.No. | Event | Key Dates |
| 1. | Online application starts | 1st November 2019 |
| 2. | Online application closes | 31st December 2019 |
| 3. | Release of list of shortlisted candidates | April/May* |
Note: The above-mentioned date is tentative and subject to change on the discretion of DST.
INSPIRE Scholarship – Rewards
Under the scheme SHE, each selected candidate gets a scholarship amount valued at INR 80,000 per annum for the study of Science and Technology and pursue research as a career. The maximum period for which the students can avail the benefits of this scholarship is five years or till the completion of the course (whichever is earlier). Find below the complete details of the benefits granted under this scholarship.
Awards & Benefits of INSPIRE Scholarship
| Total Scholarship Value | Benefits |
| INR 80,000 per annum | Cash payable to selected students is INR 60,000 per annum |
| INR 20,000 as summer time attachment fee is paid to those candidates who undertake summer time research project |
Note: All the selected candidates need to undertake summer research projects under the guidance of an active researcher in a recognised research center of India.
INSPIRE Scholarship – Eligibility Criteria
In order to apply for SHE, the applicants must have passed class 12 in 2019 (only) and pursuing courses in Natural Sciences at the B.Sc. or Integrated M.Sc. level. Given below is the detailed information about the eligibility criteria of this scholarship.
- The applicant must be within the age group of 17-22 years.
- The candidate must be among the top 1% of the successful students in terms of aggregate marks in his/her class 12 board exam.
- The applicant must be enrolled 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 applicants who are among the top 10,000 rankers in Joint Entrance Examination of IIT, AIEEE (top 20,000 rankers) & cleared CBSE-Medical (AIPTM) and have opted to study Natural/Basic Sciences are eligible.
- The candidates 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 pursuing courses in Natural/Basic Sciences leading to B.Sc. and M.Sc. degree are also eligible.
- The applicants who are KVPY (Kishore Vaigyanik Protsahan Yojna), National Talent Search Examination (NTSE), Olympiad Medallists and Jagadish Bose National Science Talent Search (JBNSTS) scholar and are pursuing courses in Natural/Basic Sciences leading to B.Sc. and M.Sc. degree are eligible.
- The subjects that come under the scope of Scholarship for Higher Education (SHE) are mentioned in the table given below.
Subjects under the scope of INSPIRE Scholarship
| S.No. | Name of subjects |
| 1. | Physics |
| 2. | Chemistry |
| 3. | Mathematics |
| 4. | Biology |
| 5. | Statistics |
| 6. | Geology |
| 7. | Astrophysics |
| 8. | Astronomy |
| 9. | Electronics |
| 10. | Botany |
| 11. | Zoology |
| 12. | Biochemistry |
| 13. | Anthropology |
| 14. | Microbiology |
| 15. | Geophysics |
| 16. | Geochemistry |
| 17. | Atmospheric Sciences |
| 18. | Oceanic Sciences |
| 19. | Ecology |
| 20. | Marine Biology |
| 21. | Genetics |
| 22. | BioPhysics |
INSPIRE Scholarship – Key Documents
While applying for the Scholarship for Higher Education, applicants need to submit some important documents in support of their application lack of which might lead to their rejection. Find below the list of all the important documents that a candidate needs to upload while filling his/her scholarship application.
Important Documents of INSPIRE Scholarship
| S.No. | Name of Document | Type and size of file |
| 1. | Applicant’s passport size photograph | JPEG format with size not more than 50 KB |
| 2. | Community/caste certificate in case the applicant belongs to OBC/SC/ST category | PDF format with size not more than 1 MB |
| 3. | Eligibility note or advisory note if provided by the State/Central Board | PDF format with size not more than 1 MB |
| 4. | Class 12th mark sheet | PDF format with size not more than 1 MB |
| 5. | Class 10th mark sheet or certificate (for proof of Date of Birth) | PDF format with size not more than 1 MB |
| 6. | Certificate specifying rank/award in JEE (Main)/ JEE (Advanced)/ NEET/ KVPY /JBNSTS/ NTSE / International Olympic Medallists (if the candidate is eligible under this criterion) | PDF format with size not more than 1 MB |
| 7. | Endorsement Form signed by the Principal of the College/Director of the Institute/Registrar of the University | PDF format with size not more than 1 MB |
| 8. | First page of applicant’s SBI bank passbook | PDF format with size not more than 1 MB |
INSPIRE Scholarship – Selection Process
All the scholarship applications sent by the potential INSPIRE scholars are evaluated on the basis of the specified eligibility criteria. On the basis of this evaluation, a list of shortlisted candidates is prepared.
- The list of shortlisted candidates is displayed on the online portal of INSPIRE and also on the website of the INSPIRE programme.
- The selected students need to download their provisional offer letter from the online portal of INSPIRE.
- The shortlisted candidates also need to upload the necessary documents on their web portal within the specified timeline for further consideration.
- The selected candidates receive their scholarship awards directly into their State Bank of India (SBI) bank account through DBT (Direct Bank Transfer).
INSPIRE Scholarship – Renewal
For the continuation of SHE scholarship in the subsequent years, INSPIRE scholars need to fulfil the criteria mentioned below.
- The students applying for renewal need to score at least 60% marks or 7.0 GPA on a 10.0-point scale in the annual examinations each year (or 2 semesters).
- If the candidate fails to secure the required marks in his/her B.Sc/BS/Int. M.Sc/Int. MS exam, the scholarship for that academic year will be cancelled. The scholarship is resumed in the next academic year if the student’s academic performance is satisfactory.
INSPIRE Scholarship – Terms & Conditions
There are a few rules that applicants need to follow in order to apply for this scholarship. Find below the list of terms and conditions that an applicant needs to keep in mind while applying for the SHE scholarship.
- INSPIRE-SHE is awarded to students for a period of five years, starting from the 1st year B.Sc., BS, Integrated M.Sc/MS or until the completion of the course, whichever comes earlier.
- Candidates must submit completed application as incomplete application form is entitled to be rejected.
- Subjects such as Engineering, Medicine, Military Science, Defence Studies, Agriculture, Psychology, Seed Technology, Anthropology, Home Science, Geography, Economics, Education (including B.Sc.-B.Ed. dual degree course), Biotechnology, Computer Science, Computer Applications, Bio-informatics, Instrumentation, Information Technology, Physical Education, courses in Distance Education mode at the Open Universities and other professional courses are not supported under SHE scholarship.
- The INSPIRE scholar must open a regular Savings Bank Account in any branch of the State Bank of India (SBI) only. The account must be in the name of the applicant and it should not be a joint account.
- The shortlisted candidates must 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 must clearly mention in the performance report if the scholarship should be 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 candidate is satisfactory, two years of scholarship, i.e., INR 1,20,000 is released during the candidate’s 2nd year of B.Sc, BS, Int. M.Sc/MS.
- Candidates availing any other scholarship from other sources are not eligible to receive this scholarship.
INSPIRE Scholarship – Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)
Find below the answer to some of the most common questions that come into the mind of students regarding the SHE scholarship.
Q1. Who can apply for INSPIRE Scholarship for Higher Education?
Applicants with the average marks within the top 1% of their class 12 exam of any State or Central Board and they must be pursuing courses in Basic & Natural Sciences at the BSc, BS, and Int. MSc/MS level. The applicant must fall within the age group of 17 to 22 years.
Q2. How many scholarships are disbursed every year among students?
10,000 scholarships at the rate of INR 80,000 per students are disbursed every year.
Q3. When should a student apply for INSPIRE SHE?
The students should apply for SHE in the same year in which they have passed their class 12 exam and have enrolled themselves in BSc, BS, Int. MSc/MS degrees, in Natural and Basic Sciences.
Q4. How can an applicant apply for the INSPIRE scholarship?
The applicants can apply online for SHE scholarship through the online portal of INSPIRE.
Q5. When can students expect to be intimated about their selection for SHE scholarship?
The selection process usually takes a period of at least four months due to the large volume of applications.
Q6. What should the applicant do if he/she gets selected but has not received the offer letter?
The applicant login to the online portal of INSPIRE where he/she will find the offer letter in his/her dashboard.
Q7. Since applicants are instructed to mention their registration number in all their correspondences, where can they find this number?
The students can find their INSPIRE registration number in the initial scholarship offer letter.
Q8. What happens in case the INSPIRE scholar who is pursuing 1st year BSc/BS/Int.MSc/Int.MS course discontinues it afterwards?
The scholarship offer will be withdrawn summarily and even after re-joining the course the offer will stand withdrawn.
Q9. What are the conditions of Summer projects to be undertaken by all the INSPIRE scholars?
It is mandatory for INSPIRE scholars to enrol themselves every year in Summer projects at recognised research centers of their choice across the country, outside their parent institutions.
Under the SHE scholarship programme, the INSPIRE scholars receive INR 20,000 per annum as Mentorship for undertaking Summer research programmes. The timeline of the summer project must be six to eight weeks and it must be clearly mentioned in the project report. Also, the students must keep in mind that the group project is not accepted. The scholars must send the following documents to the DST:
- An attested letter by the Research Guide where the INSPIRE scholar is enrolled for the summer project
- A report stating the objectives and results of the project
INSPIRE Scholarship: Other Related Programmes
You already know that SHE scholarship comes under the Innovation in Science Pursuit for Inspired Research (INSPIRE), a flagship programme of DST. Besides INSPIRE SHE, there are two other programmes that come under the ambit of INSPIRE Scheme. These programmes are as follows:
- INSPIRE Scheme for Early Attraction of Talent for Science (SEATS) – It aims to encourage talented young students to take interest in the subject of Science by providing them with INSPIRE Awards and INSPIRE Internship.
- INSPIRE Assured Opportunity for Research Careers (AORC) – It aims to attract and retain bright young scientists to strengthen the R&D foundation and base. It comprises of two components which include INSPIRE Fellowship and INSPIRE Faculty Award.
