National Fellowship Scheme for Students with Disabilities in India

National Fellowship Scheme for Students with Disabilities in India

The National Fellowship Scheme for Students with Disabilities is a promise from India towards inclusiveness and empowering education for students with disabilities. It allows the students who suffer from disability to pursue their higher education at the MPhil and PhD levels with financial support towards this sector. This fellowship enables the winner to academically overcome themselves while remaining financially independent as an independent professional.

About National Fellowship Scheme for Students with Disabilities

The National Fellowship Scheme for Students with Disabilities is an example of fellowship for students with disabilities. Eligible students could belong to any category under the MPhil/ Ph D student category. Along with this, this is also part of a wider educational goal of the Indian Government towards bringing educational equity and reducing educational imbalances in higher education. The students after fulfilling the qualifying criteria get financial aid and their research works are not disturbed by monetary issues.

Scope of the National Fellowship Scheme

The National Fellowship Scheme has a comprehensive outreach across a broad range of fields of academic study. It facilitates progress for those students from diverse backgrounds who could not otherwise progress in their fields of study. The fellowship provides access to resources that also afford them the financial support they would require to be able to make a productive contribution and fully immerse themselves in their studies,  enriching the academic learning under development in their fields.

Eligibility Under National Fellowship Scheme

The following set of eligibility criteria need to be met by the candidates for joining the National Fellowship Scheme:

• Minimum Disability of 40%: The candidates should be having minimum 40% disability which has been certified by the competent authority
• Educational Qualification: Candidates holding post graduate qualification in an appropriate field are eligible to join MPhil or PhD courses.
• Age Limit: The applicants should not be more than a certain age. But again, that also depends on the conditions prevailing and by the institute.
• Requirements: Institutions Applicable candidates must be or apply to recognised institutes and establishments in India.

All these eligibility criteria ensure that the fellowship goes to those candidates who will always be in a real need of support for enrolment into higher education.

Required Documents to Apply for the National Fellowship Scheme

For applying the fellowship, the following documents must be submitted by the students:-

• Disability Certificate: Disability proof with a certification of at least 40%.
• Educational Qualifications: Photocopies of academic transcripts and certificates of previous educational qualifications of applicants.
• Identification Proof: Any government issued ID like an Aadhaar card, passport or voter ID.
• Bank Details: Information regarding applicant's bank account for the transfer of money.
• Admission Evidence: Documents proving that admission or registration has been received by a recognized institution.

Making sure that these documents are complete and up-to-date is essential for a smooth application process.

Online Application Process for the National Fellowship Scheme

The application process for the fellowship is hassle-free and can be done through the internet portal provided by the government. The following steps outline the processes involved:

• Step 1: Visit the website: Visit the spicmacay.in website that is the official link to the fellowship on either the MyScheme or the National Scholarship portal.
• Step 2: Registration/Login : You will have to register, for first time applicants but if you have already applied earlier then you simply need to log into the system to continue appropriately.
• Step 3: Fill the Application Form : Ensure all personal, academic, financial etc details provided are correct. Upload Necessary Documents: All the above relevant papers should be uploaded in the form of images .
• Step 4: Application Submission: Confirm the information and afterward forward the filled application. Candidates may either see a confirmation message or receive an email. This process would ensure that only the deserving students need not travel much to apply from all corners of India with very little travel and other logistics related difficulties.

Duration of National Fellowship Scheme for Students with Disabilities

The period of the fellowship overlaps with the time a student is undertaking the MPhil or the PhD program. In most cases, it will take about two years for a student undertaking an MPhil program. For a PhD student, support could be as long as five years. The duration will give the recipient financial security during the time and will allow for unbroken concentration on academic goals and research tasks.

Benefits of the National Fellowship Scheme for Students with Disabilities

National Fellowship Scheme offers the students all the following benefits:

The scheme offers all the following provisions:

• Financial Help: Monthly stipends are used to give them tuition fees, living charges, and all other academic-related expenses.
• Boost to Higher Learning: The more students who are disabled get some monetary security, pushing them to higher learning.
• Advancement in Inclusive Knowledge Environment: Such opportunity develops an inclusive environment for students with disabilities in the academic environment so that they may move to receive success in their respective fields.
• Access to Research: The fellowship allows students to participate in research, which promotes the increase of their contributions towards new knowledge, and change in society.

The scheme ensures students are academically supported while concurrently promoting a more holistic and balanced education system in India.

Atypical Advantage is India’s largest livelihood platform for Persons with Disabilities(PWD). Whether it is a singer looking for a show, a visual artist looking to sell their paintings, or job seekers with disabilities looking for career opportunities, it bridges the supply & demand side inefficiencies so that Persons with Disabilities can earn a dignified income. We have a large pool of 25,000+ talents with disabilities and have worked with 350+ corporates within a short span of 4 years. We were also featured on Shark Tank Season 2 and were declared the winner of the prestigious the National Startup Award for Social Impact, and the National Award for Best Organization empowering persons with disabilities in 2024, conferred by the Union Government.