MANF

Maulana Azad National Fellowship For Minority Students

6.5/10

Maulana Azad National Fellowship For Minority Students was launched in 2009 by the Ministry of Minority Affairs for providing financial aid to students for their higher studies.

Central Cash

States / UT: All India

Ministry / nodal: Ministry Of Minority Affairs

Scheme for: Individual

Scheme profile

DBT (direct benefit transfer): Yes

Scheme open date: 2009-01-01

Categories: Education & Learning

Sub-categories: Education and training grants, fellowship, stipend

Target beneficiaries: Individual

Tags: Fellowship, Higher Studies, Financial Assistance

Details

Maulana Azad National Fellowship For Minority Students was launched in 2009 by the Ministry of Minority Affairs for providing financial aid to students for their higher studies.

The objective of the Fellowship is to provide five year fellowships in the form of financial assistance to students from minority communities, notified by the Central Government, to pursue M. Phil and Ph.D.

The scheme covers all Universities/Institutions recognized by the University Grants Commission (UGC) as under :

  1. Central/State Universities (including constituent and affiliated institutions) included under Section 2(f) of UGC Act, 1956 and having valid accreditation from NAAC.
  2. Deemed Universities under Section 3 of UGC Act, i.e., Institution for higher education notified by Central Government to be deemed University, in consultation with UGC and having and having valid accreditation from NAAC.
  3. Institution fully funded by State / Central Government and empowered to award degrees.
  4. Institutions of National Importance as notified by Ministry of Human Resource Development.

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

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

Eligibility

  • 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

Exclusions

  1. Only 2 students per family are allowed to take benefit of this scheme.
  2. 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.

How useful is this scheme?

Public benefit analysis

A practical look at this scheme for citizens

AI-generated insights showing how useful, accessible, and practical this scheme may be — combining deterministic scoring rules with a public-policy LLM analyst.

6.5
/ 10
Public Benefit Score
Accessibility 6.0/10 Moderate
Rural usefulness 4.0/10 Moderate
Application complexity 3.0/10 Good
Financial impact 8.0/10 Good
Literacy barrier 5.0/10 Moderate
Women inclusivity 7.0/10 Good
Awareness 7.0/10 Good
Implementation reliability 7.0/10 Good
Bigger shape means a better fit for citizens
  • Accessibility6.0
  • Financial impact8.0
  • Rural utility4.0
  • Awareness7.0
  • Simplicity7.0
  • Inclusivity7.0

What problem does this scheme solve?

The Maulana Azad National Fellowship for Minority Students provides essential financial support for higher education to minority students, promoting educational equity.

Key challenges addressed

  • Financial barriers to higher education for minority students

Most beneficial for

  • Students from minority communities pursuing M.Phil and Ph.D.

Likely challenges

  • Complex application process and dependency on UGC-NET results

Practical insights for citizens

Practical for eligible students but challenging for those with limited access to technology

Rural challenges

  • Limited internet access in rural areas
  • Lack of awareness about the scheme

Digital challenges

  • High dependency on digital platforms for application

Implementation bottlenecks

  • Verification delays due to reliance on exam results

Awareness challenges

  • Low awareness among potential beneficiaries in rural areas

Application analysis

Application mode
Online
Documents burden
Minimal, no specific documents required
Verification complexity
Moderate, dependent on UGC-NET results
Office dependency
Low, primarily online process
DBT dependency
None
CSC support
Limited
Estimated citizen effort
Moderate, requires online application and exam preparation

Estimated beneficiary reach

  • Rural / urban reach Moderate
  • Gender reach Inclusive
  • Target income group Low to middle-income
  • Occupation reach Students in higher education

Benefit analysis

Benefit type
Cash
Benefit frequency
Monthly
Benefit practicality
High, as it supports living expenses during studies
Financial meaningfulness
High, as it significantly reduces financial burden
Long-term impact
Positive, as it encourages higher education among minority communities

Plain-language guidance

The Maulana Azad National Fellowship helps minority students with financial support for their higher studies. Eligible students can apply online after qualifying for the UGC-NET exam.

Who should apply
Students from minority communities pursuing M.Phil or Ph.D.
Who may struggle
Those unfamiliar with online applications or lacking internet access.
Best application route
Apply online through the official UGC-NET portal.

This intelligence section is generated by an AI policy analyst combined with rule-based scoring. Scores and narrative are estimates derived from the publicly available scheme information shown on this page; actual experience may vary by state, district, and department. Always confirm details on the official portal before you apply.

Application Process

Online

  1. The candidates should apply and appear in UGC-NET / Joint CSIR-UGC Test for both i.e. Junior Research Fellowship (JRF) as well as Eligibility for Assistant Professor.
  2. This fellowship is awarded only through UGC-NET / Joint CSIR-UGC Test.
  3. Applicant have to visit the official portal https://nta.ac.in/ for UGC-NET and https://csirhrdg.res.in/ for CSIR-UGC.1. For the candidates who had already taken admission into M.Phil / Ph.D while applying for the concerned UGC-NET/ Joint CSIR-UGC Test, the validity period of the offer is three months w.e.f. the date of issue of Award letter.

Clarifications

Additional points from the scheme information published on myScheme (not legal advice).

Who can apply for fellowship under MANF scheme?

The candidate should belong to one of the minority communities notified under Section 2 (c) of the National Commission for Minorities Act, 1992, viz., Buddhist, Christian, Jain, Muslim, Sikh, Zoroastrian (Parsi).

Is it mandatory to appear in the UGCNET/Joint CSIR-UGC Test for MANF Fellowship?

Yes, this fellowship is awarded only through UGC-NET / Joint CSIR-UGC Test. Candidate should apply for both i.e. JRF and Eligibility for Assistant Professor.

What is the period for availing the award of MANF through UGCNET/Joint CSIR-UGC Test?

For the candidates who had already taken admission into M.Phil / Ph.D while applying for the concerned UGC-NET/ Joint CSIR-UGC Test, the validity period of the offer is three months w.e.f. the date of issue of Award letter. Other candidates have to join M.Phil / Ph.D within three years from the date of issue of the Award Letter.

Where will the MANF qualified candidate get the Award Letter?

The UGC uploads the Award Letters on its website: www.ugcnetonline.in. The qualified candidates can download their Award Letters from there.

Can I be considered for MANF if I have not declared my minority status while applying for UGC-NET/ Joint CSIR-UGC Test?

The result of MANF is prepared on the basis of information provided by the candidate in his/her Online Applying Form for UGC-NET/ Joint CSIR-UGC Test. The candidate, therefore, must exercise utmost care while filling the online application form. No requests for alteration in category, community or any other material information are entertained at a later stage.

How many Fellowships can be availed by the candidate at a time?

A scholar is eligible to receive only one fellowship at a time.

What is the mode of selection?

Community-wise selection of scholars at the national level will be done on the basis of their pro-rata population. Merit list is prepared from amongst the candidates who had applied for JRF as well as Eligibility for Assistant Professor but who qualify for Eligibility for Assistant Professor only.

Whether any candidate who has already taken admission into M.Phil/Ph.D. programme can be given preference as per the selection criteria?

The candidates, who have already taken admission in M.Phil/Ph.D. will receive precedence over other candidates.

What is the duration of fellowship?

For M.Phil :- Maximum duration is 2 years or date of submission of dissertation, whichever is earlier. For Ph.D. : - Maximum duration is 5 years or date of submission of Ph.D. thesis, whichever is earlier (2 years for JRF and remaining 3 years for SRF). For M.Phil + Ph.D. :- Maximum duration is 5 years or date of submission of Ph.D. thesis, whichever is earlier (2 years for JRF and remaining 3 years for SRF).

What is the rate of fellowship?

JRF- Rs.31,000/- p.m. for initial two years SRF- Rs.35,000/- pm. for remaining tenure HRA and Contingency is also paid as per guidelines of scheme.

References

Guidelines
https://www.minorityaffairs.gov.in/WriteReadData/RTF1984/4861653625.pdf
FAQ
https://www.minorityaffairs.gov.in/WriteReadData/RTF1984/5811783342.pdf
Notification
https://www.minorityaffairs.gov.in/showfile.php?lang=1&level=1&ls_id=626&lid=788

Apply

Apply now

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Frequently asked questions

What is the purpose of Maulana Azad National Fellowship For Minority Students?
Maulana Azad National Fellowship For Minority Students is a government welfare initiative designed to support Individual, Individual through benefits related to Education & Learning, financial assistance, subsidies, social welfare, healthcare, education, or livelihood support.
Who can apply for Maulana Azad National Fellowship For Minority Students?
Eligibility for Maulana Azad National Fellowship For Minority Students may depend on factors such as income category, age, gender, occupation, state of residence, social category, and government-defined beneficiary criteria.
What benefits are offered under Maulana Azad National Fellowship For Minority Students?
Benefits under Maulana Azad National Fellowship For Minority Students may include financial assistance, subsidies, scholarships, insurance support, healthcare benefits, pension support, training assistance, or welfare services depending on the scheme guidelines.
Which department manages Maulana Azad National Fellowship For Minority Students?
Maulana Azad National Fellowship For Minority Students is managed by Ministry Of Minority Affairs and may be implemented through district offices, online portals, CSC centres, banks, or authorised government agencies.
Can users apply online for Maulana Azad National Fellowship For Minority Students?
Yes, eligible applicants may be able to apply online for Maulana Azad National Fellowship For Minority Students through official government portals, authorised service centres, or digital application systems depending on the implementation process.
Is Aadhaar mandatory for Maulana Azad National Fellowship For Minority Students?
Many government schemes may require Aadhaar verification, identity proof, or linked bank account details for beneficiary validation and direct benefit transfer processing.
Where can users apply for Maulana Azad National Fellowship For Minority Students?
Applications for Maulana Azad National Fellowship For Minority Students may be submitted through government departments, official scheme portals, CSC centres, district offices, welfare departments, or authorised service centres.
What documents may be required for Maulana Azad National Fellowship For Minority Students?
Applicants may need Aadhaar card, income certificate, residence proof, bank account details, caste certificate, photographs, educational records, or occupation-related documents depending on scheme eligibility requirements.
Is income certificate required for Maulana Azad National Fellowship For Minority Students?
Income certificate requirements may vary depending on beneficiary category, subsidy eligibility, and financial assistance criteria defined under Maulana Azad National Fellowship For Minority Students.
Is Maulana Azad National Fellowship For Minority Students a central government scheme?
Yes, Maulana Azad National Fellowship For Minority Students is a central government welfare initiative that may be implemented across multiple states through authorised departments and agencies.
Can students apply for Maulana Azad National Fellowship For Minority Students?
Eligible students studying in recognised institutions may apply for Maulana Azad National Fellowship For Minority Students depending on educational qualification, category, income limit, and academic eligibility.
Is scholarship amount provided under Maulana Azad National Fellowship For Minority Students?
Maulana Azad National Fellowship For Minority Students may provide scholarship assistance, tuition support, educational reimbursement, or financial aid for eligible students.
Can CSC centres help users apply for Maulana Azad National Fellowship For Minority Students?
Many government schemes may be accessible through nearby CSC centres, authorised digital service centres, or welfare facilitation offices.
How can users check the latest updates for Maulana Azad National Fellowship For Minority Students?
Users should verify official notifications, department announcements, application deadlines, and eligibility updates through authorised government portals or implementing agencies.
Are there deadlines for applying to Maulana Azad National Fellowship For Minority Students?
Some schemes may operate through fixed application windows, annual registration cycles, or department-specific deadlines depending on scheme implementation policies.
Can beneficiaries track application status for Maulana Azad National Fellowship For Minority Students?
Certain schemes may provide online application tracking, beneficiary verification systems, or status-check facilities through official portals.
Where can users get help for Maulana Azad National Fellowship For Minority Students in All India?
Users in All India may seek assistance through CSC centres, district welfare offices, government departments, agriculture offices, social welfare departments, or authorised facilitation centres.
Which nearby public services may help with Maulana Azad National Fellowship For Minority Students applications?
Depending on the scheme, users may require support from Aadhaar centres, CSC centres, banks, hospitals, post offices, or government welfare offices for document verification and application assistance.