Has DST scrapped INSPIRE-SHE scholarship? No notice, list, budget or clarity leaves students wondering

Thousands of science students have been waiting for a whole year. “Usually, the scholarship is announced during the first semester, somewhere between August and December. So when there was no update, we knew something was wrong," said a second-year BS-MS student at Indian Association for the Cultivation of Science (IACS) Kolkata, referring to the DST INSPIRE - SHE scholarship.

There has been no word on the Department of Science and Technology’s (DST) flagship Innovation in Science Pursuit for Inspire Research - Scholarship for Higher Education (INSPIRE-SHE) in close to two years.

While earlier batches of students in undergraduate basic science programmes at institutions like the Indian Institutes of Science Education and Research (IISER), the Indian Institute of Science (IISc Bangalore) and the IACS Kolkata continue to receive the scholarship, those joining 2025 onwards haven’t. Several students told Careers360 their institutes have informed the 2025-26 batch that INSPIRE-SHE will not be awarded this year; the DST, however, has not issued any public clarification on the scheme's status.

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With the National Talent Search Examination (NTSE) and Kishore Vaigyanik Protsahan Yojana (KVPY) scholarships already gone – NTSE is under extremely prolonged ‘review’ and KVPY was merged with INSPIRE – the DST INSPIRE SHE was the last of the major scholarship schemes to support undergraduate students in the basic sciences.

INSPIRE Scholarship: What students have been told

In a recent post on X, Gatikrushna Mishra, a BS-MS student at IISER Thiruvananthapuram, shared a screenshot that appears to show an email forwarded by the Senate Scholarships and Prizes Committee (SSPC) at Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) Kanpur, relaying a communication from INSPIRE officials. According to the email, IIT Kanpur had recommended eligible students for the INSPIRE-SHE scholarship, but was informed that the "INSPIRE-SHE 2025 advertisement will not be announced. Hence, the list of students for SHE-2025 batch, if sent by you earlier in any case, could not be considered."

At IISc Bengaluru, students claim they were verbally informed by the academic administration that no INSPIRE-SHE list would be released this year, while students from IISER Thiruvananthapuram and IACS Kolkata said their academic administration have repeatedly told them they have received no communication from the DST.

Despite the widespread uncertainty and questions, the DST has not publicly clarified whether the scholarship has been discontinued, temporarily suspended or delayed for students admitted in 2025.

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Careers360 has sought a response from the Department of Science and Technology via email. The story will be updated if and when the department responds.

DST INSPIRE: Largest science scholarship; zero budget

The INSPIRE-SHE is the government’s largest merit scholarship for undergraduate students pursuing basic sciences.

Awarded to the top 1% of students in Class 12 from recognised education boards across India, as well as those who secure a rank within the top 10,000 in engineering or medical entrance tests (JEE or NEET exam), it provides Rs 5,000 per month (Rs 60,000 annually) along with a Rs 20,000 annual grant for those participating in summer research projects. Students must maintain their academic performance to continue receiving the scholarship.

The union budgets for 2025-26 and 2026-27 do not show any allocation for the DST’s Science and Technology Institutional and Human Capacity Building scheme, under which the INSPIRE Programme was funded in previous years. The scheme last received Rs 542 crore in the 2024-25 budget.

DST records show that the INSPIRE-SHE scholarship was awarded for the 2024 batch. According to the department's evaluation data, 21,392 students applied, of whom 16,687 met the first-level eligibility criteria. After the second round of evaluation, 11,200 students were selected for the scholarship. The Class 12 cut-off varied across boards, including 94.6% for Central Board of Secondary Education (CBSE); 95.4% for Council for the Indian School Certificate Examination (CISCE or ISC); 99% for the Kerala board; 93.33% for Tamil Nadu; 87.20% and 85.83% for Uttar Pradesh and Maharashtra boards, respectively.

However, students say no advertisement or selection process was announced for the next batch.

INSPIRE scholarship could help with expenses

A second-year BS-MS student at IACS Kolkata, who requested anonymity, said students from the 2025 batch began expecting the scholarship during their first semester but heard nothing from the DST.

Having scored 96% in ISC and going by past cut-offs, he was confident he would meet the eligibility criteria based on previous years' cut-offs. "None of my classmates who were eligible have received it. We approached the academic office, but they said they had no information and would inform us if they heard anything. We kept checking the INSPIRE website because there was nothing else we could do,” he said.

He said the scholarship would have helped with living expenses while studying away from home. "For students at IISERs, where fees are much higher, the impact is even greater.”

A second-year BS-MS student at IISER Thiruvananthapuram, who requested anonymity, said she repeatedly contacted the institute administration through email and in person but received the same response each time. “Every time they said they had no information regarding the scholarship.”

Scoring 94.4% in the CBSE Class 12 examination, she expected to qualify based on previous years’ cut-offs. “Earlier cut-offs were around 93-94%. I was very hopeful that I would receive the scholarship,” she said.

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According to the student, the institute informed freshers during orientation that eligible students would automatically receive the INSPIRE-SHE scholarship and did not need to submit separate applications. “We were told not to worry because whoever was eligible would receive the amount. But after that there was complete silence.”

The uncertainty has also affected her family's finances. Originally from Guwahati, she said travelling to IISER Thiruvananthapuram alone is a considerable financial burden. Plus, there are the semester fees of over Rs 60,000 and separate mess charges. "Instead of increasing scholarships, it feels like they are being reduced or removed without any official explanation,” she added.

She said she had even opened a State Bank of India (SBI) account after knowing that the INSPIRE-SHE amount was credited through SBI.

She pointed out that some science institutes provide similar financial support. “NISER Bhubaneswar provides the DISHA scholarship to all students,” she said, referring to the National Institute of Science Education and Research.

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IISc: Separate funds

At IISc Bengaluru, Aryan Awasthi, a first-year BSc student, said around 10 students from a batch of nearly 120 usually receive the INSPIRE-SHE scholarship every year, but none from the 2025 batch have. "Our scholarship was supposed to begin in November, but by March we were told that INSPIRE would not continue."

According to Awasthi, institute officials informed students that the INSPIRE-SHE scheme had been discontinued for new entrants from 2025.

However, IISc Bengaluru provides institute-funded financial assistance of Rs 5,000 per month to undergraduate students. According to Awasthi, students selected for the INSPIRE-SHE scholarship earlier were not eligible for this financial aid, but with no INSPIRE-SHE for the 2025 batch, all undergraduate students are now receiving financial aid from IISc. "Every undergraduate now receives Rs 5,000 from IISc irrespective of INSPIRE."

Awasthi said the amount is significant because it almost entirely covers students' mess expenses. "With institute fees increasing every year and scholarships disappearing, students from economically weaker backgrounds will be affected the most,” he said.

However, he stressed that the institute’s financial support should not be seen as a replacement for DST scholarship. "This support is being provided by IISc, not by the government,” he said.

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INSPIRE ‘lost effectiveness’: IISER Kolkata BoG chairman

The uncertainty surrounding INSPIRE-SHE follows the discontinuation of the Kishore Vaigyanik Protsahan Yojana (KVPY) in 2022, another flagship programme that encouraged students to pursue basic sciences. Since then, INSPIRE-SHE has remained one of the few major merit-based scholarships available to undergraduate science students.

Arvind Natu, chairperson of IISER Kolkata’s Board of Governors and with IISER Pune since its inception, said the scholarship was launched with the right intent but gradually lost its effectiveness in attracting students to scientific research. "The scheme was started on a very good note. It was introduced in 2008 by then DST secretary T Ramasami with the intention of attracting students towards basic sciences."

However, he believes the scholarship amount has become less attractive over time.

According to Natu, many scholarship recipients eventually chose engineering or medicine over careers in basic science, so the objective of promoting careers in science was not being fully achieved. "Simply providing Rs 5,000 per month cannot draw enough students to basic sciences,” Natu said.

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At the same time, Natu warned that discontinuing the scheme without a replacement would leave undergraduate science students with little financial support. "It will certainly hamper students to some extent. At present, there is no other scholarship for undergraduate students in basic sciences. Even if Rs 5,000 is not enough to attract students today, it is still meaningful financial support, especially for those who need it," he said.

Recalling the early years of the IISERs, Natu said almost every student initially received the INSPIRE scholarship, which helped popularise basic science programmes.

"I think the government is considering introducing something that is more attractive and more feasible. I don't think they have scrapped it completely. It may come back in a different format," he added.