INSPIRE SHE scholarship: ₹80,000 a year, eligibility, courses, how to apply (2024 rules)

The INSPIRE-SHE scholarship gives ₹80,000 a year (₹60,000 scholarship plus ₹20,000 mentorship grant) for up to 5 years to students in the top 1% of their Class XII board marks, or with qualifying JEE/NEET (AIPMT) ranks, who study B.Sc., B.S. or Integrated M.Sc. in basic and natural sciences.

All amounts and rules here are from the official DST/INSPIRE documents of 2024. When we read the portal home page in October 2026, it showed only results for the 2024 batch and no open application window for 2026 or 2027. For the current call, check only online-inspire.gov.in.

How much money does INSPIRE-SHE give?

Answer: ₹80,000 a year, made of a ₹5,000 monthly scholarship (₹60,000 a year) plus a ₹20,000 yearly mentorship grant, for a maximum of five years.

• The 2024 FAQ says 12,000 scholarships, each valued at ₹80,000, are announced annually (from the SHE-2017 batch onwards).
• Scholarship: ₹5,000 per month, which is ₹60,000 a year.
• Mentorship grant: ₹20,000 every year for a summer research project of 6 to 8 weeks under a researcher at a recognised research centre, outside your own institution. Group projects are not accepted and only 1 project per academic year counts.
• Tenure: a maximum of five years from the 1st year of the course, or until the course is completed, whichever is earlier.
• Scholarship for the 1st and 2nd years is released together in the second year of the course (₹1,20,000 for two years).

Who is eligible for INSPIRE-SHE?

Answer: students in the top 1% of their Class XII board result, or with JEE/AIPMT ranks (and a few other talent routes), who have joined a basic or natural science degree course.

Basis	Requirement (as per 2024 FAQ)
Class XII board marks	Aggregate marks within the top 1% of Class XII of any State/Central board, and studying Natural and Basic Sciences at B.Sc., B.S., B.Sc. with Research (4 years) or Int.M.Sc./M.S.
JEE / AIPMT rank	Rank in the JEE of IIT and AIPMT (within top 10000 ranks), and studying the same courses
IISER, NISER and similar	Top 1% in Class XII and Integrated M.S. at IISERs, NISER, DAE Centre for Basic Sciences-University of Mumbai and Visva-Bharati
KVPY	Selected under KVPY and studying Bachelor/Master courses in Natural Sciences
NTSE / JBNSTS / Olympiad	NTSE scholars, JBNSTS scholars and International Olympiad medallists in Bachelor/Master courses in Natural Sciences

Other conditions

• Age: 17 to 22 years.
• Only students who passed Class XII in the year and joined an eligible course in the same year can apply.
• Income limit: the FAQ and guidelines we read do not mention any family-income limit.
• You cannot take scholarships from more than one source at the same time; proof of giving up the other one (such as a Scholarship Surrender Certificate) must be produced.
• The documents do not give a separate percentile cut-off for each board. The top 1% selection is done by the Board Inclusive Model (see below).

Which courses and subjects are covered?

Answer: B.Sc., B.S., B.Sc. with Research (4 years) and Integrated M.Sc./M.S. in 18 basic and natural science subjects.

Covered subjects: Physics, Chemistry, Mathematics, Biology, Statistics, Geology, Astrophysics, Astronomy, Electronics, Botany, Zoology, Biochemistry, Anthropology, Microbiology, Geophysics, Geochemistry, Atmospheric Sciences and Oceanic Sciences.

Not supported: Engineering, Medicine, Military Science, Defence Studies, Agriculture, Psychology, Seed Technology, Home Science, Geography, Economics, Education (including B.Sc.-B.Ed.), Biotechnology, Computer Science, Computer Applications, Bioinformatics, Instrumentation, Information Technology, Physical Education, distance courses at Open Universities and other professional courses.

Later, for M.Sc.: after a 3-year B.Sc. you can join a 2-year M.Sc., and after a 4-year B.Sc. with Research a 1-year M.Sc., anywhere in the country. A longer list of 30 subjects is valid at M.Sc. level (for example Ecology, Marine Biology, Genetics, Biophysics, Biostatistics, Bioinformatics, Biotechnology, Data Science, Environmental Science, Materials Science, Nano Science, Remote Sensing and GIS). M.Tech is not supported. A break of one year or more between B.Sc. and M.Sc. stops the scholarship.

You can change subject or college only in the 1st year of B.Sc., and the new subject must be among the 18.

How to apply for INSPIRE-SHE and which documents are needed?

Answer: apply online only on online-inspire.gov.in, in the year you pass Class XII and join the course, with your Class XII and Class X mark sheets, the college endorsement certificate and, if you use a rank route, the rank or award certificate.

1. When the call for applications is advertised on the portal (the FAQ says the call is advertised on the INSPIRE web portal), open online-inspire.gov.in.
2. Register as a new user on the portal and sign in with your registered email id.
3. Fill the online application and upload your documents. Applications are accepted online only.

Documents (as per the FAQ)

• Class XII mark sheets (mandatory)
• Class X mark sheet/certificate, as proof of date of birth (mandatory)
• Endorsement certificate in the prescribed format, signed by the Principal of the college, Director of the institute or Registrar of the university (mandatory)
• Eligibility Note/Advisory Note, if provided by the State/Central board (not mandatory)
• Certificate of rank or award in JEE (Main)/JEE (Advanced)/NEET/KVPY/JBNSTS/NTSE/International Olympiad, if you are eligible under that route (mandatory)

Incomplete applications are summarily rejected.

Current position: in October 2026 the portal home page showed only results for the 2024 batch and no open application window for 2026 or 2027. The documents we read give no new dates, so we do not give any. The detailed instructions for filling the form are a separate document on the portal, which we did not read.

How is selection done and when will I know the result?

Answer: selection is by the Board Inclusive Model within the available number of scholarships, and on average it takes at least four months after the last date to apply.

• The calculation is pro rata: Board-wise Quota = valid applications of that board / total valid applications x scholarships available that year.
• Selected students get a Provisional Offer Letter in their portal account. Lists of selected and rejected students are also shown on the portal home page. If you do not get a letter, log in and check the dashboard notification.
• You must upload the required documents within the time limit given in the offer letter.
• The offer is provisional and is confirmed on the course/subject you pursue and on submission of the first-year B.Sc. mark sheet.
• As per the portal home page, INSPIRE does not conduct competitive exams to identify talent. The rank routes use ranks from exams already held.
• 2024 batch: the home page showed the 2024 result lists and an Evaluation Chart (Board Inclusive Model). We did not read that chart, so we do not quote board-wise percentages.

How is payment done and how do I keep the scholarship?

Answer: money is sent by Direct Benefit Transfer to your own SBI savings account, and it continues each year only if you pass all subjects in the first attempt with at least 60% marks or 7.0 CGPA.

• Open a normal savings account in State Bank of India (SBI) only, in your own name. Joint accounts and accounts in other banks are not accepted. The account must be linked with Aadhaar.
• Upload the signed first page of the passbook and Aadhaar or Aadhaar enrolment slip on the portal within 6 months of the provisional offer letter, or the offer is cancelled.
• Every year, upload the Performance Report (signed by the Head of Institution) and the mark sheets together on the portal. Files are PDF, maximum 1 MB each. Do not send anything by post.
• Uploading within 2 months of the result is preferred; a maximum of 12 months is allowed.
• After documents are approved, release usually takes 3-4 months.
• If you fail a subject, miss an exam, or score below 60% or 7.0 GPA, that year’s scholarship is forfeited; it can resume the next year if performance is within the range. The offer is withdrawn if you discontinue the course.