ICSSR Scholarship

The Indian Council of Social Science Research (ICSSR) provides a 2-year full-time research work program in any of the Social Science disciplines in India. The ICSSR Doctoral Fellowship is offered only to the scholars registered for the Ph.D. program in any of the disciplines of Social Science such as Sociology and Social Anthropology, Political Science, Public Administration, Economics, International Studies Social Geography & Population Studies, Commerce and Management, Social Psychology, Education, Social Linguistics, Socio-Cultural Studies, Law, International Law, National Security & Strategic Studies, and other allied Social Science disciplines. The primary goal of the ICSSR Doctoral Fellowship is to empower young Social Science researchers.

Note: ICSSR scholarship application for 2023 still needs to be updated. However, the expected date for 2023 will be declared soon.

Table of Contents

• ICSSR Scholarship Eligibility Criteria
• ICSSR Scholarship Rewards and Benefits
• ICSSR Scholarship Application Process
• ICSSR Scholarship Documents Required
• ICSSR Scholarship Terms and Conditions
• ICSSR Scholarship Contact Details

ICSSR Scholarship Eligibility Criteria

The scholarship is provided to research scholars registered for doctoral in Social Science discipline. The other eligibility criteria for the ICSSR scholarship application are given below:

• The candidates should be registered in a Ph.D. program from any of the UGC recognized Indian University/ Institute, deemed universities or the colleges having University approved Ph.D. courses.
• The candidate should have scored at least 45% marks at graduation level and 55% marks in the post-graduation level or an equivalent grade in any Social Science discipline (Relaxation of 5% for SC/ ST students).
• Students with NET/ SLET/ MPhil degree from a recognized university/ institute or the students registered after qualifying the Research Entrance Test (RET) conducted by the respective university are eligible to apply for the fellowship.
• The applicant should be less than 40 years of age at the time of scholarship application (Relaxation of 5 years for SC/ ST students with disability).

ICSSR Scholarship Rewards and Benefits

The benefits offered by the different ICSSR scholarship types are given below:

Centrally Administered Doctoral Fellowship

• Selected students get a fellowship grant of INR 20,000 per month and a contingency grant of INR 20000 per annum for a period of 2 years.

Institutional Doctoral Fellowship

• Selected candidates get a fellowship grant of INR 20,000 per month and a contingency grant of INR 20000 per annum for a period of 2 years.

Short-term Doctoral Fellowship

• The fellowship amount of INR 20,000 per month and a contingency grant of INR 10000 for the duration of the Fellowship i.e. for 6 months.

Contingency Grant:

• This is a one-time grant of up to INR 62,500 per annum.

ICSSR Scholarship Application Process

The scholarship application is done online and then the application hardcopy along with all the supporting documents should be sent to the ICSSR office by post. The step-by-step application process of the ICSSR scholarship for Ph.D. is explained below:

• Interest applicants should visit the ICSSR Fellowship Portal.
• He/ she should click on the ‘Login for Applicant’ tab at the top right corner of the homepage.
• The candidate should register on the portal by entering details such as full name, gender, date of birth, aadhar number, email ID, mobile number, etc.
• After successful registration, the applicant should log in to the portal by entering the email ID as the username in the login form.
• The links to apply for the various fellowship programs are displayed on the left-hand side of the page.
• The applicant should fill in all the required fields in the ICSSR scholarship online application form and should upload all the necessary documents in the PDF format along with the application.
• It is recommended to save the application as a draft before uploading all the documents.
• The files that are uploaded along with the application should not contain any special characters. 
• The candidates can view the submitted application on the dashboard after a successful login to the portal.
• The applicant should take a printout of the application available on the dashboard in PDF format.
• The Program/ Grant type should be written on the envelope enclosing the application and the supporting documents.
• The application along with the photocopy of all the supporting documents attested by the affiliating university/ institution should be sent via post to the ICSSR office address:  The In-charge, RFD Division, Indian Council of Social Science Research, Aruna Asaf Ali Marg, New Delhi 110067.

ICSSR Scholarship Documents Required

The important documents to be sent along with the ICSSR fellowship application form are listed below:

• Abstract of the Research Proposal (300 words)
• Detailed Research Proposal (3000 words). Short-term and Contingency grant students should also submit the status report of the ongoing research work duly signed by the respective supervisor.
• 1-page academic CV of the applicant
• Brief academic CV (2-3 pages) of the Supervisor
• Forwarding letter from the head of the institution duly stamped and signed on the letterhead of the institution
• Self-attested certificate and mark sheets of Matriculation/ Graduation/ Postgraduation/ MPhil
• Self-attested copy of Ph.D. registration certificate
• Self-attested SC/ ST/ Disability certificate issued by the authority (if applicable)

Research Proposal Format

The research proposal should be presented in two parts:

• Abstract of the research proposal in about 300 words
• Detailed research proposal of about 3000 words

The Detailed Research Proposal format should be as follows:

• Title: The research proposal should have a clear and meaningful title that defines the scope of the investigation.
• Introduction: The introduction paragraph should briefly explain the research problem to be investigated and its theoretical/ empirical context in the relevant area.
• Objectives of the Study: The general, as well as specific objectives of the study, should be clearly stated in the proposal.
• Research Questions or Hypotheses: The specific questions that are to be answered through the proposed research should be clearly formulated.
• Review of National & International Literature: The research proposal should summarize the current status of the research and major findings including self-research work in the specific area. 
• Research Methodology: The research scholars should describe in detail the scope and coverage of his/ her study, approach, and methodology with proper justification. The proposed approach should be innovative and effective 
• Relevance and Anticipated Outcomes: The relevance of the study and the anticipated outcomes should be clearly stated in the research proposal. The significance of the research problem and the contribution of the proposed study to the theory and the methodology as well as its practical importance to society and policymaking. The proposed outputs should also be described.
• Tentative Chapterisation: Details of the chapterisation should also be clearly described in the research proposal.
• Bibliography: ​​Bibliography should be prepared in the Chicago Manual Style.

ICSSR Scholarship Terms and Conditions

The terms and conditions to be fulfilled in order to avail of the ICSSR Doctoral fellowship are listed below:

• The research scholars are required to stay and work full-time at the respective affiliated university/ institute except for fieldwork with the approval of the respective supervisor.
• The applicant should not be appointed elsewhere(paid/ free) or receive any stipend/ scholarship/ salary from any other source during the study period.
• The student may undertake teaching assignments for a maximum of 4 hours every week which includes tutorial assistance, paper evaluation, and laboratory/ demonstration work.
• The fellowship is provided for a period of 2 years and can be extended under certain exceptional circumstances.
• The allocated contingency grant can be used for the purchase of books, stationery, computer-related costs, and fieldwork expenses.
• The ICSSR reserves all rights to publish the completed Ph.D. thesis provided the research work is recommended for publication by the ICSSR expert committee.
• The candidates should not be receiving any other grant/ award from any other source.
• The ICSSR follows the Government of India Rules and Directives with regards to the SC/ ST/ Disabled candidates.
• The defaulters of any previous ICSSR grant/ fellowship are not eligible for consideration until the candidates receive clearance from the concerned administrative department.
• A single candidate is not eligible to apply for the same type of fellowship grant more than once.
• The selected candidates should undertake full-time research in India. Only data collection can be undertaken outside India in certain exceptional cases. 
• The scholar should not have been subjected to any disciplinary/ legal actions/ penalties in his/ her research career.
• Books/equipment purchased by the scholars outside the contingency grant should be deposited with the affiliating/ administering institution and a certificate of the same should be submitted along with the final report.
• Preference is given to students from the less represented sections of the society such as women and candidates from educationally backward areas/ districts, Minority community, etc.
• The ICSSR reserves the right to cancel any fellowship without any prior notice or reasoning.
• Incomplete applications are rejected and are not considered for the scholarship.
• The final authority regarding the guidelines or any other issue is rightful with the ICSSR.

ICSSR Scholarship Completion

Centrally Administered Doctoral Fellowship

• If the scholar plans to leave the fellowship before its full-term, he/ she has to inform the same to ICSSR in advance.

The scholar may be able to retain the grant released from the joining date to the leaving date if he/ she produces the following documents:

• Updated progress report of the said period duly forwarded by the respective supervisor.
• An Undertaking for submission of the Ph.D. thesis within a reasonable time.
• Account statements and Utilization certificate in the prescribed format for the admissible amount.
• Refund of the unspent amount (if any) paid in the favor of ICSSR, New Delhi.

Contact Details

• Address: Indian Council Of Social Science Research (ICSSR), JNU Institutional Area, Aruna Asaf Ali Marg, New Delhi - 110067
• Contact Number: 91-11-26741849/ 91-11-26741850/ 91-11-26741851
• Fax: 91-11-26741836

For more details, visit our Scholarships 2023 Directory.