IISc Research Fellowships: Stipends, Eligibility, Documents and How to Apply

The IISc Research Fellowships are the monthly stipends the Indian Institute of Science in Bangalore pays to students in its postgraduate and doctoral programs. You do not apply for them separately. You apply for admission to a Ph.D., M.Tech. (Research), M.Tech., M.Des. or Integrated Ph.D. program, and if you join, the fellowship runs from your date of joining. You can read the full scholarship details on our listing, but this guide focuses on what the money actually looks like and where applicants trip up.

Before anything else, a direct word for Pakistani students. Nothing in the information available to us says this fellowship is open to Pakistani nationals. The admissions requirements are built around Indian national systems: GATE, JAM and JEST scores, an ABC ID or APAAR ID, and payment through Indian methods like UPI and net-banking. Admissions and fellowships follow Indian national standards and institute regulations. If you hold a Pakistani passport, check eligibility for your nationality directly with IISc before you spend time on documents. Do not assume you qualify.

The monthly amounts, program by program

The stipend depends entirely on which program you join, and the gap between master's and doctoral rates is large.

Doctoral students start as Junior Research Fellows and move up to Senior Research Fellow, which is the structured progression IISc describes. Integrated Ph.D. students begin on a lower rate and step up into the JRF and SRF bands later.

Be clear-eyed about what "fully funded" means here. The coverage listed is a stipend for living expenses during coursework and research. The information we have does not spell out tuition waivers, housing, travel or health cover, so confirm those with the institute rather than assuming they are included. A master's stipend of Rs. 12400 a month is modest support, not a full salary.

Where the money actually comes from

IISc pays regular scholarships, but much of the funding is channelled through national agencies depending on your mode of entry. The named agencies are CSIR, UGC, DBT, ICMR, MHRD, AICTE, DAE and DST. So a student who entered through a particular national exam or fellowship route may be funded by that agency rather than the institute directly.

There are also corporate and institutional scholarships for deserving students, from GE, Infosys, IBM, HP, Tata, Philips, Bell Lab, Microsoft and the Department of Electronics and Information Technology. Treat these as extras you may become eligible for after joining, not as a separate scholarship you can target from outside.

The two-year and five-year limits

Support duration is strictly regulated. M.Tech., M.Des. and M.Tech. (Research) students get a maximum of two years. Ph.D. students get up to five years. If your research runs longer than that, the fellowship does not stretch with it, so plan your timeline early with your supervisor.

Continuing to receive the money also depends on maintaining the required academic standing and meeting credit requirements. This is not a one-time award you collect and forget.

The salary rule that rules out many working professionals

If you receive a salary from an employer or sponsor, you are not eligible for IISc or government fellowships. This catches people who plan to keep a job, or who are on paid study leave. You cannot draw both. Decide which income you are keeping before you accept a place.

The other condition people overlook is administrative: you must send your joining report immediately upon joining to activate the fellowship. Since the stipend starts from the date of joining, a late report can mean a late start to your payments.

Paperwork for the admissions portal

Because the fellowship comes through admission, the documents are admission documents. Gather these before the portal opens:

• Passport photo image file in .jpg or .jpeg format, below 500KB
• Signature image file in .jpg or .jpeg format, below 500KB
• 10th standard schooling certificate and marks
• 12th standard schooling certificate and marks
• Undergraduate degree certificates and semester-wise marks
• Postgraduate degree certificates and marks, if applicable
• National entrance test scorecards (GATE, JAM, JEST, NET JRF and similar)
• ABC ID or APAAR ID
• Research publications and conference details, if applicable

The ABC ID or APAAR ID and the Indian entrance test scorecards are a strong signal of who this process is designed for. If you cannot produce these, raise it with IISc before applying. For general preparation of transcripts and certificates, our documents checklist for international scholarships is a useful reference.

Filling in the online application

1. Register on the online admissions portal with a valid name, date of birth, mobile number and email address.
2. Verify your email through the confirmation link and your mobile number through the OTP.
3. Log in and fill in personal details, educational history and employment details if you have any.
4. Choose your program preferences and disciplines across course or research categories.
5. Upload your passport photograph and signature files.
6. Review the form, pay the application fee by net-banking, debit card, credit card or UPI, and submit.

If you want more than one department or discipline, you submit a single application form covering research and course programs. Do not create several accounts.

Timing: May to August

The usual pattern is that the online portal opens in May, applications and fee payments close in June, and the academic term starts on the first working day of August. That said, the deadline varies by program and entry cycle, so confirm the exact deadline for your program on the official portal instead of relying on a general month.

Entrance test results are a separate clock. Once results are declared, you have three days to update your scores through the applicant dashboard. Miss that window and your application may be weaker or incomplete.

Mistakes that cost applicants

The most painful one is a name or date of birth mismatch. These must match your 10th certificate and degree certificate exactly, and they cannot be changed later. Check spelling, spacing and date format before you register.

Second, people wait for exam results before starting the form. You do not need to. Keep your national entrance exam roll numbers ready and enter them in the initial application even while scores are pending, then update within the three-day window.

Third, confirmation emails from the admissions system sometimes land in spam or junk folders. If the verification link does not arrive, look there before assuming something broke.

Finally, apply with the right expectations. This suits a student who is genuinely eligible under Indian admission rules, wants research training at a strong science and engineering institute, and can live on the stated stipend. It is a poor fit for anyone planning to keep a paid job, and Pakistani students should treat eligibility as unconfirmed until IISc says otherwise. If you are weighing other options, our all India scholarships roundup is a good next stop.

Frequently asked questions

When does the fellowship start paying?

Scholarships and fellowships begin from the date a student formally joins the institute. Send your joining report immediately so the fellowship is activated.

Can I keep my job and still get the stipend?

No. Students who receive a salary from an employer or sponsor are not eligible for IISc scholarships or fellowships.

How long is the Ph.D. fellowship paid?

For a maximum of five years. Master's programs (M.Tech., M.Des. and M.Tech. Research) are capped at two years.

How do I add my entrance test scores after applying?

Log in to the admissions dashboard, choose the option to update test results, and submit your score within three days of the result being declared.

Can Pakistani students apply?

The available information does not confirm eligibility for Pakistani nationals, and the process relies on Indian entrance exams and Indian identity numbers. Check eligibility for your nationality directly with IISc before applying.

For current dates and rules, go to the IISc admissions portal, and keep our IISc fellowships scholarship page handy for the summary.