INSPIRE-SHE Scholarship: Everything you need to know
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What is the Inspire Scholarship for Higher Education (SHE)?
The INSPIRE Scholarship for Higher Education (SHE) is a program by the Department of Science & Technology, Government of India, aimed at enhancing the participation of youth in science education and research.

Who is eligible to get the scholarship?
The INSPIRE SHE scholarship is available to the following categories of students:

Students who have scored within the top 1% of their Class XII examination of any State/Central Education Board in India and are pursuing courses in Natural and Basic Sciences at the B.Sc., B.S., and Integrated M.Sc./M.S. level.  OR

Students who have secured ranks within the top 10,000 in the Joint Entrance Exam (JEE) of IIT or National Eligibility cum Entrance Test (NEET), and are currently pursuing Natural and Basic Science courses in India at the B.Sc., B.S., Int. M.Sc./M.S. level.  OR

Students who have scored within the top 1% of their Class XII examination of any State/Central Education Board in India and are pursuing Integrated M.S. courses in Natural and Basic Sciences at institutes like IISERs, NISER, Department of Atomic Energy Centre for Basic Sciences-University of Mumbai, and Visva-Bharati, Shanti Niketan.  OR

National Talent Search Examination (NTSE) scholars, Jagadish Bose National Science Talent Search (JBNSTS) scholars, and International Olympiad medallists pursuing Bachelor/Master level courses in Natural Sciences are also eligible.

Note: The Kishore Vaigyanik Protsahan Yojana (KVPY) scheme is no longer active. You may continue to find reference to this on websites and portals.

Which courses are eligible for the INSPIRE scholarship?
The scholarship is available to students pursuing courses in Natural and Basic sciences at the B.Sc. or Integrated M.Sc. levels.

UG-level: (1) Physics (2) Chemistry (3) Mathematics (4) Biology (5) Statistics (6) Geology (7) Astrophysics (8) Astronomy (9) Electronics (10) Botany (11) Zoology (12) Biochemistry (13) Anthropology (14) Microbiology (15) Geophysics (16) Geochemistry (17) Atmospheric Sciences & (18) Oceanic Sciences 

PG-level: (1) Physics (2) Chemistry (3) Mathematics (4) Biology (5) Statistics (6) Geology (7) Astrophysics (8) Astronomy (9) Electronics (10) Botany (11) Zoology (12) Biochemistry (13) Anthropology (14) Microbiology (15) Geophysics (16) Geochemistry (17) Atmospheric Sciences & (18) Oceanic Sciences (19) Ecology (20) Marine Biology (21) Genetics (22) Biophysics (23) Biostatistics (24) Bioinformatics (25) Biotechnology (26) Data Science (27) Environmental Science (28) Material Sciences (29) Nano Science (30) Remote Sensing & GIS

Can engineering or medicine or law students apply for the INSPIRE scholarship?
No, students enrolled in professional courses such as engineering, medicine, or law are not eligible for the INSPIRE SHE scholarship.

Are there specific colleges/universities where a student needs to enroll to avail the INSPIRE SHE?
INSPIRE SHE is available for qualified students who enroll into allowed courses in Natural and Basic sciences at the B.Sc. or Integrated M.Sc. levels from any UGC recognized university, or college. 

Does the student have to take any action when in school to avail this scholarship?
No. Students must perform well in their 12th standard Board examinations to be eligible for the scholarship.

How many INSPIRE SHE scholarships are available each year?
Under the SHE component, 12,000 scholarships, each valued at INR 80,000, are announced annually for students pursuing Bachelors and Masters level courses in Basic and Natural Science areas.

What are the acceptance rates for various boards?
Here is the bar plot illustrating the acceptance rate (%) for the top 10 boards, based on the number of applications received. 

As can be seen from the chart, the acceptance rates vary significantly among the different boards. For example, the acceptance rate for Uttar Pradesh, which received the highest number of applications, is around 70.7%, while for the Central Board of Secondary Education (CBSE), the acceptance rate is around 17.9%.

Is there a board-wise quota for INSPIRE scholarship? What is the board inclusive model?
Yes, there is a board-wise quota for the INSPIRE scholarship. The quota is calculated using the "Board Inclusive Model", where the quota for a board is determined by the ratio of valid applications from that board to the total number of valid applications, multiplied by 10,000.

When should a student apply for the scholarship? After school immediately upon joining a course, At the end of Year-1, or later?
No, you can't apply for the INSPIRE scholarship in Year-2 of your B.Sc course. The scholarship is only open to students who apply in the same year they complete their 12th standard examination and enroll in an eligible course.

Can I apply for an INSPIRE scholarship in Year-2 of my B.Sc course?
No, you can't apply for the INSPIRE scholarship in Year-2 of your B.Sc course. The scholarship is only open to students who apply in the same year they complete their 12th standard examination and enroll in an eligible course.

What is the procedure / documents required to receive the scholarship?
Submit a year-wise Performance Report in the prescribed format and the Mark Sheet from your B.Sc., B.S., Int. M.Sc./M.S. course. The blank format for the Performance Report is available on the INSPIRE web portal at https://www.online-inspire.gov.in.

The Performance Report must be signed by the Head of the Institution. This refers to:
The Vice-Chancellor, Registrar, or Dean of Science for Universities.
The Principal, Vice-Principal, Proctor, or Officer-in-Charge for Colleges.

Endorsements or attestations by officers other than those specified (e.g., Head of Department, Section Officers, Student Welfare Officers) will not be accepted.

The Head of the Institution should clearly indicate in the Performance Report whether the scholarship should be continued or discontinued for that academic year.

Along with the Performance Report, include a self-attested photocopy of the Mark Sheets (annual or individual semesters) received from the College or University.

Provisional mark sheets and result sheets downloaded from the internet will not be accepted.

In cases where original mark sheets are not available, a self-attested internet mark sheet duly attested by the Controller of Examination or Registrar of the College or University will be accepted.

I have a savings bank account with HDFC. Can the scholarship be disbursed to that?
No, the candidate will need to open an SBI savings account for the scholarship amount to be available

When will the scholarship amount be disbursed to the student?
The process of disbursing the scholarship funds is as follows:

The first installment of the scholarship is released after the approval of the 1st year B.Sc., B.S., Int. M.Sc./M.S. performance reports and mark sheets, provided the scholar's academic performance is satisfactory.

In the second year of the scholar's B.Sc./Int. M.Sc. course, two years' worth of scholarship funds (i.e., INR 1,20,000) will be released.

For subsequent years, the scholarship will be released after the approval of the yearly performance reports and mark sheets.

This means that the scholarship funds are distributed annually after the approval of the scholar's academic performance report. The first installment is released after the first year, and a larger sum is released in the second year. In the following years, the annual scholarship amount is disbursed upon approval of the scholar's yearly academic performance.

For how long can a student get the INSPIRE SHE scholarship?
The scholarship is provided for a maximum period of five years.

I was selected for the INSPIRE SHE scholarship after joining my B.Sc. course. Is there a minimum eligibility that needs to be satisfied before the scholarship is disbursed to my account?
Yes, there are minimum eligibility criteria that need to be satisfied for the scholarship to be disbursed. The scholarship may be withheld if:
The scholar has not submitted their performance reports or mark sheets.
The scholar's performance falls below 60% marks or a GPA less than 7.0 (on a 10-point scale) in their B.Sc. or M.Sc. examinations.

Under what circumstances would the scholarship be withdrawn?
If the scholar changes the subject of basic and natural science to any other field.
If the scholar discontinues the course in the middle of the academic year.
If the scholar changes the institution or college during the course of study.
If the scholar takes up a job during the tenure of the scholarship.
If the scholar is found to be involved in any type of misconduct.
If the scholar does not fulfill the minimum performance requirement of obtaining 60% marks or a GPA of 7.0 on a 10-point scale in the examinations every academic year.

What are Summer Projects?
As part of the INSPIRE Scholarship for Higher Education (SHE) program, scholars are encouraged to engage in hands-on research to foster scientific thinking and curiosity. To facilitate this, scholars must participate in a Summer Research Project each year during their summer holidays. These projects should be conducted at recognized research centers across India and should be outside the scholars' home institutions. This allows scholars to gain diverse research experience and broadens their perspective.

Each INSPIRE scholar receives an annual grant of INR 20,000, known as the Mentorship grant. This grant is intended to support the scholar's participation in the Summer Research Programmes. The grant will be directly transferred to the scholar's bank account.

Upon completing the Summer Research Project, the scholar is required to submit the following to the Department of Science & Technology (DST):

(a) A letter of attestation from the Research Guide under whom the scholar conducted the project.
(b) A project report that outlines the project's objectives and the results achieved.
The Summer Research Project should last for a minimum of six to eight weeks, and the exact duration must be clearly stated in the project report. It's important to note that group projects are not acceptable for this requirement; each scholar should conduct their own individual project.

About the Author : Neelesh is an expert in career guidance and is the co-founder of Opasis

Keywords : INSPIRE SHE Scholarships, Eligibility, Procedure