PhD fellowships in Karnataka

Which state fellowships can a PhD scholar in Karnataka apply for?

After our checks, four schemes were left. Any full-time science scholar can apply for one of them. For two others your community certificate decides the matter, and for the last one it depends on which VTU campus you are studying in.

We could not find any current notification for a PhD fellowship from the Social Welfare or Scheduled Tribes Welfare Department. So we give no amount for it (see below). We also did not find any other Karnataka state university which has its own PhD fellowship with a public call. If your university does have one, the research section will be having the circular.

How does KSTePS score DST-Ph.D. applicants without a test or interview?

The Karnataka DST-Ph.D. Fellowship started in 2018–19. The Karnataka Science and Technology Promotion Society (KSTePS) runs it from Vijnana Bhavana in Banashankari. There is no income or community condition.

As per the KSTePS programme guidelines for 2025–26, the scholar has to be on a full-time PhD in science or engineering. The university, institution or affiliated college has to be in Karnataka, with UGC or AICTE recognition. Your registration should not be more than 24 months before the closing date, and the coursework must be passed before selection begins. In the master’s in science, engineering or technology you need 60%. Also you need Karnataka domicile, or else six years of study in the state. Minimum 30% of the awards go to women, because the scheme comes under the state’s gender budget. Part-time scholars cannot apply.

The score is a formula, not an interview

KSTePS does not hold any test or interview. To your master’s percentage it adds 20 for NET, GATE or GPAT, or 10 for SLET or KSET. After that the total is scaled to 100. A national test holder gets (master’s % + 20) ÷ 120 × 100. For a state test holder it is (master’s % + 10) ÷ 110 × 100. If you have neither test, your master’s percentage itself becomes the score. The 60 awards are then divided among subject groups, in proportion to how many applications came from each group.

Once it is scaled, the bonus counts for very little. Take example of a chemistry M.Sc. scholar with 76% and a NET. Her score is (76 + 20) ÷ 120 × 100 = 80. Without NET she would be only four points behind. Mostly it is your master’s marks that decide the result, and NET is not compulsory.

Who qualifies for the Backward Classes Welfare fellowship, and why is it offline?

The Backward Classes Welfare Department instructions for 2025–26 (No. BCWD-16/1/2025, 22 December 2025) have some rules which many scholars do not expect.

• First-year scholars only. The full-time PhD must have started on or after 10 February 2025, and the registration has to be within two years of the closing date.
• Karnataka universities only, which means a statutory university in the state or an institution coming under one.
• Income and age. The family income limit is ₹4.5 lakh for Category I and ₹3.5 lakh for II(A), III(A) and III(B). You show it with a Tahsildar certificate in your own name that has not expired. Age should be 35 or below, and 55% in the master’s is needed.
• Exclusions. If you are employed in government, an aided institution or a public-sector body, you cannot apply. Anyone already selected for some other fellowship is also out, and SC, ST and minority candidates are not covered by this scheme. One family can claim for two sons at most, but there is no such limit for daughters.

The form is on paper, and you submit it at the office of the District Backward Classes Welfare Officer of the district where your university is, not your home district. Attach your SSLC marks card, residence certificate and the first-year fee receipt. The university has to give one certificate that you are not holding any other fellowship, and it must be in the format the department gives. Give details of an Aadhaar-seeded bank account in your own name, because joint accounts and minor accounts get rejected. Last is an indemnity bond on ₹100 stamp paper. If you leave the PhD in between, you and your parents have to pay back the amount received.

Selection is on master’s marks, reservation by category, how much grant is available, and attendance. The helpline number given in the notice is 8050770004.

What happened to the ₹25,000 minorities fellowship in 2022?

The Directorate of Minorities has a “JRF model” fellowship for Muslim, Christian, Jain, Buddhist, Sikh and Parsi scholars. As per an order of 24 January 2017, it was ₹25,000 a month, with ₹10,000 a year for contingencies. Then on 28 June 2022 the government issued Government Order No. MWD 198 MDS 2022, and for new applicants the amount came down. From 2022–23, a PhD fellow gets ₹10,000 a month for three years, and only once per course. Renewals of the 2021–22 batch and earlier continued at the old rate. The scheme page of the directorate still show ₹10,000, and the 2026–27 notice does not mention any amount. So take ₹10,000 as your figure while planning.

For conditions, see the 2026–27 notice of 14 August 2026. You must be living in Karnataka and belong to one of the six communities. Your admission has to be to a full-time PhD in a statutorily recognised university. Family income from all sources should not cross ₹8 lakh a year. Upper age is 35. If you have a job in any government or private institution, you can’t apply. Applications are made through Seva Sindhu, and for 2026–27 the window was 10 August to 31 October 2026. The money is paid only into an account which is Aadhaar-seeded and active on the NPCI mapper, so check that at your bank first.

There are two clauses in the 2022 order which do not fully agree with each other. Clause 10 says anyone holding a UGC, CSIR, ICAR or university fellowship is not eligible. Clause 11 then says that when the other fellowship is less than the state amount, the difference will be paid. If you are getting a small stipend from your institution, ask the district minority welfare office how they are reading these two clauses. One more small point. In the order the wording is “universities recognised by the Government of India”. Nowhere it says Karnataka universities. If you live in Karnataka but are studying outside the state, ask the directorate if that case is covered.

Is VTU’s Jnana Yaana fellowship open to scholars at its research centres?

No. The Jnana Yaana Doctoral Fellowship regulations are from January 2020, and VTU put them up again on vtu.ac.in in February 2026. As per these regulations, only full-time scholars in VTU’s own postgraduate departments at Belagavi, Kalaburagi, Muddenahalli and Mysuru can get it. If you registered through a research centre in an affiliated engineering college, in Bengaluru or some other place, you are not covered. Our Bengaluru admission guide mentions the same point.

For scholars inside these departments, it pays more than any other state scheme on this page. You get ₹25,000 a month for 36 months, and contingency up to ₹20,000 a year, released every six months. A maximum of 40 fellowships are given in a year. Subjects covered are civil, mechanical, electronics and communication, and computer science engineering, along with nanotechnology, aerospace propulsion, MCA and MBA. An expert committee interviews the shortlisted candidates on their research topic, and the state reservation roster is followed. The regulations gives preference to topics which have an industry partner.

The fellowship is residential. You have to stay at the centre or within 15 km of it, and attend on all working days. For conferences there is special leave of 30 days a year. If you are on QIP or FIP, or you are getting any other financial assistance, you are not eligible. Shifting to part-time also ends the fellowship. Our VTU thesis format page explains how VTU wants the final thesis laid out.

Is there a state PhD fellowship for SC and ST scholars in Karnataka?

Practically, you can hold only one of these. The DST-Ph.D. guidelines ask you to choose. If you are already selected for some other fellowship, BCWD will not consider you. Jnana Yaana is same, no other financial assistance allowed with it. NET-JRF pays more than any of the state schemes, so if you have JRF, go with that only. The state fellowships are mainly useful for a scholar who could not get JRF. And for all four of them you have to be a full-time scholar. If you have a job, our part-time PhD in Bengaluru guide is more useful.

SC and ST scholars

The BCWD instructions keep SC and ST scholars out of that scheme. They can still apply for the DST-Ph.D. Fellowship like any other scholar. We did not find any current notification for a separate PhD fellowship from Social Welfare or Scheduled Tribes Welfare. There is one hint in the 2022 minorities order, which refers to a circular of the Social Welfare Commissioner dated 29 June 2004. As per that circular, SC and ST M.Phil. and PhD scholars with no research fellowship were paid ₹8,000 and ₹10,000 a month respectively. Use this as a lead only, and don’t count on the money. Ask the District Social Welfare Officer or the Scheduled Tribes Welfare officer whether any call is open this year. For national SC and ST fellowships, go to our national guide.

When do the Karnataka fellowship calls usually open?

The BCWD window we saw was open for less than three weeks. These are the dates the notices have shown so far.

• KSTePS. There were calls dated 27 September 2023 (closed 30 October) and 30 August 2024 (closed 30 September, then extended to 5 October). The 2025–26 round ran from 3 November to 20 December 2025. Watch ksteps.karnataka.gov.in from August.
• Directorate of Minorities. For 2025–26 the last date was extended to 31 January 2026. For 2026–27 they fixed 10 August to 31 October 2026 as the window. When we checked in September it was open.
• Backward Classes Welfare Department. Till now we have seen only one call, dated 22 December 2025 and closing on 9 January 2026. Start looking at bcwd.karnataka.gov.in from December.
• VTU Jnana Yaana. VTU posts the call on its website for the latest batch of full-time scholars. So at the time of registration itself, ask your department about it.

Keep one folder ready from the day of registration itself. It should have your marks cards, the PhD registration letter with its date, the coursework result, and your residence and income certificates. If you don’t yet have an Aadhaar-seeded account in your own name, open one early.