Central Government ICSSR Post-Doctoral Fellowship: ₹31,000 a Month

11 November 2026, 4:12 AM • Harish Sharma • Category: All India Schemes

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News: Central Government ICSSR Post-Doctoral Fellowship: ₹31,000 a Month
Date: 11 November 2026, 4:12 AM
Author: Harish Sharma
Category: All India Schemes
Source: See the official portal for details — the link is inside the story.

Photo: Heidy Garcia, Wikimedia Commons (CC BY 4.0)

If you want to do research after a PhD in social sciences, the ICSSR Post-Doctoral Fellowship is for you. It is a scheme of the Indian Council of Social Science Research (ICSSR). A selected young researcher gets ₹31,000 a month as fellowship. The fellowship is for 2 years. Its aim is that young Indian social science scholars should stay connected with research after their PhD and build a career in teaching and research. It is given for research in subjects like economics, sociology, political science, history, education and management. The fellowship covers economics, sociology, political science, history, education, management and other social science disciplines.

How much money is given

The ICSSR Post-Doctoral Fellowship pays as follows.

Fellowship: ₹31,000 a month — for the entire period.
Contingency: ₹25,000 a year — for research expenses.
Duration: 2 years — it cannot be extended.
Salary protection — if the fellow is employed at an institution, he or she may get the salary and allowances admissible at the parent institution.

This fellowship is given for full-time research. The fellowship is paid directly into the researcher’s bank account every month. The fellowship amount can be revised from time to time as per the directives of the Ministry of Education.

Who can apply

This fellowship is for young and mid-career social science researchers.

The applicant must hold a PhD degree in a social science discipline.
Age not more than 45 years. SC, ST and PwD applicants get 5 years of relaxation.
The fellow must work under the guidance of a senior social scientist at the level of Associate Professor or above, with proven research supervision experience.
The applicant must have the ability to do original and quality research in social sciences.
The fellow works at a university or research institute in India.

How to apply

Applications are made online on the icssr.org portal. First check the new notice on the portal, then fill the application and upload the PhD certificate, research proposal, list of publications and the guide’s consent. The guide’s consent must also be submitted with the application. Applications for the 2026-27 cycle opened on 22 June 2026 and closed on 12 August 2026. The list of provisionally recommended awardees was published on 20 September 2026. This list is not final — the final selection happens after document verification. Check icssr.org for the next cycle dates. Never pay anyone for applying.

Frequently Asked Questions

Q1: How much money is given under the ICSSR Post-Doctoral Fellowship? A: ₹31,000 a month and a ₹25,000 yearly contingency. Q2: For how many years is the fellowship given? A: For 2 years; it cannot be extended. Q3: Who can apply? A: Young researchers with a PhD in social sciences; age up to 45 years (5 years of relaxation for reserved categories). Q4: Is the 2026-27 cycle open? A: No, applications closed on 12 August 2026; the provisional list was published on 20 September 2026.