AICTE Quality Improvement Programme (QIP) 2026: Up to ₹15,000 Monthly Scholarship, Eligibility & Apply

At a glance

About the scheme

The Quality Improvement Programme (QIP) was established in 1970 by the All India Council for Technical Education (AICTE) to enhance the academic qualifications and research expertise of teaching staff across Indian technical institutions. Under this central initiative, sponsored regular teachers from AICTE-approved polytechnics and degree-level engineering or management institutions are admitted to Master's and Doctoral degree programmes at designated study centres. The programme enables faculty to engage with cutting-edge academic environments while receiving direct financial support, with all stipends and contingency grants credited directly into their Aadhaar-linked bank accounts via Direct Benefit Transfer (DBT).

Benefits

• Scholarship of ₹9,000 per month for Master of Engineering (ME) / Master of Technology (M.Tech) scholars for 2 years (no extension).
• Annual contingency grant of ₹5,000 per year for ME/M.Tech programmes.
• Scholarship of ₹15,000 per month for Ph.D. scholars for 3 years (can be extended by 1 year in special cases without scholarship).
• Annual contingency grant of ₹15,000 per year for Ph.D. scholars.
• Pre-Ph.D. travel allowance (TA) of ₹15,000 and daily allowance (DA) of ₹30,000 for 60 days of offline work (₹750 per day for offline periods during partial online/offline work; no TA/DA if parent and admitting institute are identical).
• Leave benefits including 15 days of casual leave and up to 30 days of medical leave per academic year.
• Maternity and paternity leave provided as per Government of India norms at full scholarship rates once during the award tenure.
• Direct credit of all allowances to Aadhaar-linked accounts via Direct Benefit Transfer (DBT).

Who can apply (eligibility)

• Applicant must be a full-time regular or permanent faculty member at an AICTE-approved institute with a valid AICTE Faculty ID.
• For Master's Programme (ME/M.Tech): Faculty from AICTE-approved polytechnic (diploma) institutes with a Bachelor's degree in the appropriate branch and at least 1 year of teaching experience at the polytechnic level.
• For Ph.D. Programme: Faculty from AICTE-approved degree-level engineering or management institutes with a Master's degree in the appropriate branch and at least 3 years of teaching experience at graduate-level institutes.
• Applicants must satisfy the specific department and institute admission criteria of the respective QIP centre.
• All eligibility criteria are determined as on the last date of application submission.

Who cannot apply

• Faculty without a valid AICTE Faculty ID or those not employed on a full-time regular/permanent basis.
• Scholars who obtain financial assistance from another organisation during the course (ineligible for AICTE scholarship during that period).
• Scholars facing termination for disciplinary reasons or misconduct (must refund all scholarships received).
• Candidates who discontinue the programme midway without completion (required to repay all scholarship amounts received).

Documents required

• Recent passport-size photograph (JPEG/PNG, up to 2 MB)
• Signature (JPEG/PNG, up to 2 MB)
• Aadhaar Card (PDF, up to 2 MB)
• Experience certificate covering current and past positions (Single PDF, up to 10 MB)
• No-Objection Certificate (NOC) from parent institute (PDF, up to 2 MB)
• Class 10 marksheet and certificate (PDF, up to 2 MB each)
• Class 12 marksheet and certificate (PDF, up to 2 MB each)
• Consolidated Bachelor's degree marksheet and degree certificate (PDF, up to 2 MB each)
• Master's degree marksheet and certificate (Compulsory for Ph.D. applicants; PDF, up to 2 MB each)
• Category certificate for SC, ST, OBC, or EWS candidates, if applicable (PDF, up to 2 MB)
• GATE, UGC-NET, CSIR-NET, or JRF certificate, if available (PDF, up to 2 MB each)

How to apply

1. 1Visit the official QIP portal (qip.aicte-india.org) and complete the registration by filling in academic, personal, and teaching details.
2. 2Upload all required documents and pay the non-refundable application fee (₹1,700 for General/OBC, ₹850 for SC/ST/PwD/Female candidates).
3. 3Undergo central eligibility screening to ensure all minimum service and academic criteria are satisfied.
4. 4Have your application forwarded to preferred QIP centres based on selected preferences for department-level shortlisting.
5. 5Attend the test or interview conducted by the respective QIP centre upon receiving email intimation.
6. 6Review the final merit list published by the National QIP Coordination Committee (NQCC) and confirm your admission offer by locking your preferred institute.

Frequently asked questions