INSPIRE Scholarship 2025-26: Registration (Soon), Eligibility, Dates, Result

The Department of Science and Technology is expected to start the INSPIRE Scholarship Application Process 2025-26 anytime soon in March 2026 which will conclude by the enfd of April 2026, tentatively. Candidates who are eligible & interested can fill out the registration form online at online-inspire.gov.in. As soon as it gets released officially, we will also provide a direct link to fill out and submit the INSPIRE Scholarship application form 2026. Applicants must submit it before the deadline.

Before applying for the INSPIRE Scholarship, the students should check the details about it. The following details include the important highlights of the INSPIRE Scholarship 2025-26 (SHE).

SEATS - INSPIRE Internship 2025-26 Highlights

Students who want to apply for the INSPIRE Internship 2025-26 (SEATS) can check the details on the same in the table below.

Conducted by the Department of Science and Technology, the Innovation in Science Pursuit for Inspired Research (INSPIRE) is aimed at attracting talent to the excitement and study of science at an early age, and to help the country build the required critical resource pool for strengthening and expanding the Signal and Telecommunication system and Research and Development base. The INSPIRE Scheme was approved by the Government of India in November 2008 at a total cost of about Rs 1979.25 crores. It was launched on December 13, 2008. 

The INSPIRE scheme has three components:

• Scheme for Early Attraction of Talent  (SEATS)
• Scholarship for Higher Education (SHE)
• Assured Opportunity for Research Careers (AORC)

Under the INSPIRE Scheme, students can opt for any of the following options:

• INSPIRE Internship (SEATS): Completed 10th and Pursuing 11th (Top 1% in 10th)
• INSPIRE Scholarship (SHE): Completed 12th (Top 1% in 12th)
• INSPIRE Fellowship (AORC): Completed any one MSc, M.Tech, B.Tech, B.Pharma, BSc Agriculture, BVSc(Veterinary Sc), MBBS, B.E, MSc, M.Tech
• INSPIRE Faculty: Awarded PhD Degree or Submitted PhD Thesis

As of yet, DST has not announced the INSPIRE Scholarship Dates 2025-26. The conducting authority will soon announce the official dates on its website. Candidates can check the important dates related to the INSPIRE SHE Scholarship 2026 in the table below.

The Scheme for Early Attraction of Talents for Science (SEATS) under the INSPIRE Program is the enrolment increasing phase. In this component of SEATS, students would be selected for summer/ winter camps on an annual basis to provide an opportunity for students to interact with global Leaders in science, to experience the joy of innovations on an annual basis through the INSPIRE internship. Annually, 50,000 students who are among the top one per cent in their Class 10 board examination and pursuing science in Class 11 would benefit through summer/ winter camps. These camps would nourish the curiosity of children in science; help them to think out of the box, and attract the students at an early age of 16-17 years (i.e. in 11th Class) to pursue a research career.

SEATS - INSPIRE Internship 2025-26 Highlights

Under the INSPIRE programme, Department of Science and Technology (DST), Ministry of Science and Technology, the Scholarship for Higher Education (SHE) is aimed at attracting students to study basic and natural Science subjects at undergraduate and postgraduate levels and pursue research as a career. SHE provided scholarships to interested and
deserving students at Rs 80,000 per annum. Each candidate will receive an annual scholarship of Rs 500 per month with a total value of Rs 60,000 (per annum). All the SHE scholars are required to undertake summer research projects under an active researcher in any recognized research centre across India. A summer time Mentorship grant of Rs 20,000 will be paid every year. Only candidates who have completed their Class 12 examinationin the year and have enrolled in B.Sc., B.S., Int. M.Sc./M.S. degrees, in Basic and Natural Sciences (in subjects listed below) in the same year will be able to apply for the scholarship. 
After completion of the project, the scholar should submit the following documents to the DST:
(a) A letter attested by the Research Guide where the scholar is enrolled for the project, and
(b) A report outlining the objectives and results of the project.
The minimum tenure of the project must be six to eight weeks. The duration of the project must be clearly mentioned in the project report. However, group projects will not be applicable.

Interested candidates must fulfil either of the eligiblity criteria and then apply for SHE Scholarship 2026:

• Meritorious Students with aggregate marks within top 1% of their Class 12 examination of any State/ Central Education Board in India are eligible. In addition, the student must be pursuing courses in Natural and Basic Sciences at the B.Sc., B.S., and Int.M.Sc./M.S. level.
• Those students who have secured ranks in the JEE of IIT, AIPMT (within top 10000 ranks), and are presently pursuing Natural and Basic Science courses in India at the B.Sc., B.S., Int. M.Sc./M.S. level
• Students with aggregate marks within top 1% of their Class XII examination of any State/ Central Education Board in India and pursuing Integrated M.S. courses in Natural and Basic
  Sciences at IISERs, NISER and Department of Atomic Energy Centre for Basic SciencesUniversity of Mumbai and Visva-Bharati, Shanti Niketan.
• Students who have been selected under Kishore Vaigyanik Protsahan Yojana (KVPY) and pursuing Bachelor/Master level courses in Natural Sciences, 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

Subjects offered under SHE

The following subjects under Basic and Natural Sciences are within the scope of INSPIRE Scholarship for pursuing B.Sc./B.S./Int. M.Sc./Int. M.S. courses:

The following courses are not supported under the SHE Scholarship:

INSPIRE Scholarship 2026 Tenure

Selected candidates will be supported for a maximum period of five years, starting from the 1st year B.Sc., B.S., Int. M.Sc./Int.M.S. or until the completion of the course, whichever is
earlier. Continuation of the scholarship for the selected candidates is based on good academic performance ( i.e., within range as given in question no. 20) in the examinations conducted by the University and upon the recommendation by the Head of the Institution.

INSPIRE Scholarship Amount 2026

After selection, each student will be provided with Rs. 80,000 per annum. The Inspire scholarship amount is segregated into annual scholarship (Rs. 60,000) and summertime attachment fees (Rs. 20,000). The annual scholarship of Rs. 60,000 is deposited to the student's account at Rs. 5,000 per month.
The scholarship will be transferred to the scholar’s State Bank of India (SBI) bank account directly through Direct Benefit Transfer (DBT) mode. Each scholar has to open a regular Normal Savings Bank Account in any branch of State Bank of India (SBI)ONLY. Joint accounts will not be considered valid.

It may also be noted that it usually takes 3-4 months to release the scholarship after the approval of relevant documents or sanction installment notification on INSPIRE Web Portal.