Has the Department of Science and Technology (DST) quietly discontinued its flagship ₹80,000 Inspire Scholarship (Inspire-She) per year for higher education?
Every year, approximately 12,000 Inspire-She scholarship Of ₹80,000 awards are given annually to students aged between 17 and 22 pursuing undergraduate and postgraduate studies in the basic and natural sciences. Eligible candidates include students who rank in the top 1% in their Class 12 board examinations or qualify for admission to top institutions through specified national level entrance examinations such as the Joint Entrance Examination (JEE).
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The applications cycle starts around September every year – after college admissions and competitive exam results – and ends by October–November. Scrutiny of forms and documents takes place till March next year and the final list comes by May-June. This means that a student applying in the 2024-25 cycle will only be part of the scholarship until 2025-26 – and will be counted as a “New Scholar” for 2025-26.
no 2025 notification
Every year since 2009-10 cycle, DST invites applications through a notification. In 2023, this application came on September 10 and in 2024 on September 1. But no notification was issued in 2025. It’s been 10 months, no official communication from DST.
On the official website of the scholarship, the final announcement is for the applicants of 2024 batch.
The Ministry of Science and Technology and DST did not respond to HT’s queries on reasons for not issuing the 2025 notification, whether the scholarship has been discontinued, or whether a new cycle will be announced for future batches.
Instead, students and former scholarship recipients say the responses to RTI applications have left them confused.
RTI response has left students confused
Praneet Sohane, a BSc student from Hamirpur, Uttar Pradesh, filed an RTI application on March 18, 2026. On April 15, he received a reply from DST: “This is to inform you that INSPIRE SHE-2025 Advertisement will not be announced.” HT has seen the reply.
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On the same day, he filed a complaint on the Centralized Public Grievance Redress and Monitoring System (CPGRAMS) regarding “closure of INSPIRE-SHE for 2025 and future batches”. Despite seeking reasons through appeal, without giving any reason, they were informed again that the applications would not be announced in 2025. HT has seen the reply.
“I enrolled in the BSc program relying on INSPIRE-SHE and did not apply for other scholarships because I expected support under the scheme. Due to the uncertainty I missed out on other merit-based scholarships. It is becoming financially difficult for me to continue my studies,” Sohen told HT.
Sohane has been admitted to Late Sunder Lal Shivhare Degree College, Hamirpur, which is affiliated to Bundelkhand University, Jhansi. Sohane scored 87% marks in the 2025 Uttar Pradesh Board Class 12 exams, which is more than the state’s 81% cut-off set for the top 1% students eligible for the INSPIRE-SHE scholarship.
On April 22, in response to an RTI filed by YouTuber and former INSPIRE-SHE scholar Vansh Sharma, the DST again said that “INSPIRE SHE-2025 advertisement will not be announced.” HT has seen the reaction.
Sharma, who runs a YouTube channel on science scholarships, internships and opportunities, said students contacted him in September last year after no notification came for the 2025 batch. “The students were worried and contacted me to get updates from DST. I filed an RTI and got a reply,” he said.
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The department reiterated the same position at the Student Scholarships and Awards Committee (SSPC) office of IIT Kanpur after students approached the institute seeking clarity.
Correspondence seen by HT shows that after a student wrote to the institute on May 23, the query was forwarded to DST the same day. On June 16, DST informed IIT Kanpur that “Inspire She-2025 advertisement will not be announced” and any student list submitted by the institutes will not be considered for processing. The SSPC office later sent communication to the students and said that any future updates from DST will be shared.
Avinav Alankar, students’ senate nominee at the SSPC office of IIT Kanpur, said neither the DST nor the institute has explained why the scholarship is being discontinued. “We are asking students to apply for charity scholarships and other scholarships wherever they are eligible,” he said.
Existing scholars continue to benefit
Each selected student is eligible to receive the scholarship for up to five years, subject to satisfactory academic performance and continuation in the approved basic science programme. Certainly, current INSPIRE-SHE scholars say they are receiving scholarships.
“First, I got the scholarship in February 2023, then in December 2024, and then in December 2025. I am meeting the criteria of minimum 70% marks in an academic year and my college administration has sent my documents to DST and I will get the scholarship again by December 2026,” said a student of IISER Bhopal of 2022-23 batch, requesting anonymity.
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Comprehensive Scholarship Restructuring
The development comes amid broader changes in India’s government scholarship. The National Talent Search Examination (NTSE) – which selects 2,000 Class 10 students annually for scholarships – has been under a ‘comprehensive review’ for a long time from 2021. Kishore Vaigyanik Protsahan Yojana (KVPY) was subsumed into INSPIRE-SHE in 2022.
INSPIRE-SHE comes under the Science and Technology Institutional and Human Capacity Building Scheme of DST. Allocation of the scheme was reduced in 2024-25 ₹₹900 crore in Budget Estimate (BE) stage ₹Rs 543.91 crore at the revised estimate (RE) stage – a cut of about 39.6% – while the actual expenditure was ₹542.38 crores. The scheme did not receive any separate budgetary allocation in the Union Budget for 2025-26 and 2026-27.
In August 2024, the core scheme of INSPIRE-SHE is Science and Technology Institutional and Human Capacity Building Scheme, along with two other major schemes – Research and Development (R&D); and innovation, technology development and deployment – were merged into the Vigyan Dhara scheme, which came into effect in January 2025.
Describing the merger as a “strategic integration”, the science ministry said in March 2025 that it would “increase efficiency in fund utilisation” and “establish coordination between sub-schemes and programmes”, aimed at ensuring a more streamlined approach to scientific research and innovation.
The ministry had described Vigyan Dhara as a “catalyst for India’s scientific progress” and said it would “enhance the country’s scientific research, innovation and technological development ecosystem”.
Science stream scheme allocated ₹₹1,425 crore in BE phase for 2025-26, which was later revised ₹Rs 2,009.14 crore – an increase of almost 41% – before valuation ₹1,425 crore in the budget of 2026-27.
Students, experts raise concerns
Some students say the confusion is affecting their careers.
Rishav Bhuin, a second-year BS-MS student at IISER Pune, who qualified under the top 1% board exam criteria in 2025, said his education was dependent on scholarships. “There are a lot of expenses that come with being away from home. Due to our financial constraints, I have had to postpone purchasing a laptop or tablet, which is necessary for coursework, coding, and assignments,” he said.
Dhrubjyoti Mahata, a student at IISER Tirupati, said he has not applied for any other government scholarship in 2025 as he hoped to receive INSPIRE-SHE. “My family is financially weak and I have been waiting for almost a year. We have not received any information. The government should either continue the scholarship or at least explain why it has been stopped,” he said.
IISER Kolkata professor Anindita Bhadra described the decision as “another disaster for higher education”. “Many students are already struggling to pay their fees. If scholarships are stopped completely, only well-to-do families will be able to send their children to IISERs,” he said.
Professor V Ramgopal Rao, Vice-Chancellor of BITS Pilani and former Director of IIT Delhi, said programs like KVPY and INSPIRE have been one of India’s most effective mechanisms for identifying and nurturing scientific talent. Rao said, “If India wants to become a global leader in science and technology, we cannot weaken the pipeline that produces our future scientists. Investing in young scientific talent is one of the best investments any country can make.”
