Visvesvaraya PhD Scheme 2026: Up to ₹43,750 Monthly Fellowship, Eligibility & How to Apply

At a glance

About the scheme

The Full Time PhD Candidate component under the Visvesvaraya PhD Scheme for Electronics and IT is implemented by the Digital India Corporation (DIC) under the Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology (MeitY). Designed to strengthen research and development and cultivate an innovative ecosystem in India, the scheme provides financial assistance across 1,000 full-time PhD seats in Electronics System Design & Manufacturing (ESDM) and IT/IT Enabled Services (IT/ITES). Seats are sanctioned directly to reputed academic institutions, which in turn enrol eligible research scholars through their institutional admission procedures.

Benefits

• Monthly fellowship of ₹38,750 per month for the 1st and 2nd year of PhD.
• Monthly fellowship of ₹43,750 per month for the 3rd, 4th, and 5th year of PhD (till completion or 5 years, whichever is earlier).
• Reimbursement of Rent (RoR) at 24%, 16%, or 8% of the fellowship amount for X, Y, and Z class cities respectively for candidates not using hostel accommodation.
• Research Contingency Grant of ₹1,20,000 per year per full-time candidate.
• Institutional overhead grant of ₹25,000 per year per candidate provided to the institution.
• Financial support of up to ₹1.50 Lakh to attend recognized international conferences from the 3rd year onwards for oral paper presentations.
• Six-month international lab visit support for 250 selected scholars from the 3rd year, offering ₹1.50 Lakh monthly fellowship and up to ₹1.50 Lakh for travel and visa expenses.

Who can apply (eligibility)

• Applicant must be newly enrolled as a full-time PhD candidate on an allocated scheme seat at a participating institution.
• Research topic must fall within Electronics System Design & Manufacturing (ESDM) or IT/IT Enabled Services (IT/ITES) areas.
• Candidate must be in good standing and successfully meet the academic requirements of the host institution.
• Candidate must be enrolled after the official notification and seat allocation under the scheme.

Who cannot apply

• Candidates currently availing any financial support or fellowship from other Central or State Government schemes are not eligible.
• Candidates enrolled prior to the notification of the scheme or seat allocation are not covered.
• Transfer of candidates from other existing scholarship schemes is strictly not permitted.
• Support is limited to additional seats and cannot be used for regular existing institutional PhD enrolments.

Documents required

• Admission offer letter or enrolment proof for the PhD programme from the participating institution
• Academic marksheets and degree certificates (postgraduate and undergraduate)
• Valid government photo identity proof (such as Aadhaar card)
• Bank account details for direct benefit transfer of fellowship
• Undertaking stating that no other government scholarship is being availed
• Any additional verification documents required by the admitting institution

How to apply

1. 1Eligible academic institutions submit seat allocation proposals online via the official portal at phd.dic.gov.in.
2. 2The PhD Cell of Digital India Corporation evaluates proposals and allots full-time PhD seats to institutions.
3. 3Allocated institutions issue admission notifications and invite applications for full-time PhD seats under the scheme.
4. 4Prospective research candidates must check notifications and apply directly to the respective institution following its admission process.
5. 5Selected candidates register with the host institution, which submits their verification details to the PhD Cell for grant disbursement.

Frequently asked questions