Scholarship
Maulana Azad National Fellowship For Minority Students(MANF)
Overview
About MANF
The Maulana Azad National Fellowship (MANF) was a scheme of the Ministry of Minority Affairs, Government of India, administered by the University Grants Commission (UGC). It gave financial support to students from minority communities who were pursuing research degrees at the M.Phil and PhD level.
Eligibility was tied to the communities notified as minorities by the central government: Muslims, Sikhs, Christians, Buddhists, Zoroastrians (Parsis) and Jains. The award was paid as a cash fellowship, a monthly stipend meant to cover the living and study costs of eligible research scholars while they completed their M.Phil or PhD research.
The Ministry of Minority Affairs has since discontinued the fellowship, stating that it overlapped with other fellowship schemes open to research scholars. If you are weighing this route, check its current status and terms through official government sources before you count on it.
Sources: myScheme – Maulana Azad National Fellowship (MANF) · Wikipedia – Research fellowships in India (MANF) · Wikipedia – Ministry of Minority Affairs
Who runs it
Provider
Ministry Of Minority Affairs
Central Government
University Grant Commission
At a glance
Key details
| Level | Central |
| Scheme type | Central Sector Scheme |
| Category | Education & Learning |
| Beneficiaries | Individual |
| Benefit type | Cash |
| Application mode | Online |
Calendar
Important dates
Across all open application cycles.
| Cycle | Stage | Date |
|---|---|---|
| Current | Applications open | 2009-01-01 |
| Current | Applications close | 2023-03-31 |
Who can apply
Eligibility criteria
| The applicant should be a part of one of the minority communities (Buddhist, Christian, Jain, Muslim, Sikh, or Zoroastrian (Parsi)). | |
| Applicant must qualify the UGC-NET or Joint CSIR-UGC NET examination. | |
| If applicant does not complete his/her research work during the period of fellowship shall not be eligible to apply again under this scheme. | |
| If applicant completely or partially availed any fellowship earlier shall also not be eligible for fellowship under this scheme. | |
| Employees of any university, college, educational institution, or central, state, or union territory government are not eligible for fellowships, even if they are on study leave or end of life (EOL) leave to pursue an M.Phil. or Ph.D. course |
Who cannot apply
Exclusions
- Only 2 students per family are allowed to take benefit of this scheme.
- Employees of any University/ College/ Educational Institutional/ Central/ State/ UT Government shall be excluded from availing fellowship, even if they are on Study Leave or EOL to pursue the M.Phil./Ph.D. course.
What you get
Award & benefits
- The rate of fellowship for JRF and SRF is at par with the UGC fellowship, presently the rates are as follows:
- Fellowship in Science Humanities and Social Science: ₹ 31,000/- p.m. for initial two years (JRF), and ₹ 35,000/- pm. for remaining tenure (SRF)- Fellowship in Engineering & Technology: ₹ 31,000/- p.m. for initial two years (JRF), and ₹ 35,000/- pm. for remaining tenure (SRF)- Contingency for Humanities & Social Sciences: ₹ 10,000/- p.a. for initial two years, and ₹ 20,500/- p.a. for remaining tenure- Contingency for Sciences, Engineering & Technology: ₹ 12,000/- p.a. for initial two years, and ₹ 25,000/- p.a. for remaining tenure- Escorts/Reader assistance (All subjects): ₹ 2,000/- p.m. in cases of physically and visually handicapped candidate
What to prepare
Documents required
Step by step
How to apply
- 1Apply online
https://nta.ac.in/
Source
Official links
Questions
MANF – FAQ
Disclaimer
Scheme details are compiled from myScheme, the Government of India’s official scheme-discovery platform, and are reproduced without alteration. Amounts, deadlines and eligibility change between cycles — always confirm on the official links above before applying. Expertie does not process applications or charge fees.