Fellowship Cuts Push Minority Scholars to the Brink of Higher Education and Research

The number of fellowships available to minority students in India has dropped sharply, mainly after MANF was canceled in 2022.

Shahid, a Ph. D. student at Jamia Millia Islamia, grew up in Muzaffarnagar, Uttar Pradesh. His family never had anyone go to college before. After earning his Master's in 2021, he got into a doctorate program with dreams of becoming a professor.

The fellowship that helped him pay for it - Maulana Azad National Fellowship - was gone the same year he started. Now, it was meant to fund M Phil and ph. D. Work for minority applicants. Without it, his path became harder to follow.

“It was a dream to get into a Ph.D. programme,” Shahid said. “But without a fellowship, survival became the first challenge.”

Fellowships: The Backbone of Research Access

This fellowship has long been a lifeline for first-gen students stepping into research. And the university Grants Commission reported 6,722 beneficiaries from MANF between 2014, 15 and 2021 - 22, with 738.85 crore paid out. It seems hard to ignore how its end left a gaping hole.

Shahid had no choice but to take on loans, ask family for help, and do freelance gigs. He kept applying for the JRF, but it was too competitive - no guarantee of success. Without steady income, survival became harder and so did his academic progress.

He missed key conference slots like IIT Kanpur and kalyani University because registration costs were simply too high. “I had my work ready,” he said, “but not the means to present it.”

A Systemic Decline in Fellowship Support

The shuttering of MANF aligns itself with a larger narrative of shrinking fellowship and scholarship for minority students. For example, Maulana Azad Education Foundation's grant plunged by 99% in the year 2022, which practically put a cap to its functioning in terms of helping education.

The scaling down of other schemes too, is a fact. Begum Hazrat Mahal Scholarship was only given partial support, and Padho Pardesh Scheme, which was the interest subsidy for educational loans abroad, was discontinued.

Another major point leading to this change is, the Budget allocation. Merit-cum-Means Scholarship has been drastically cut while the actual disbursement under Post-Matric and Pre-Matric has been almost zilch, in spite of initial allocations. Altogether these patterns show that though money is made available practically accessibility to fellowships is being restricted.

From Research to Survival

The impact of fellowship cuts is being felt beyond Ph.D. scholars. Blessy K. Abraham, a student at Dr. B. R. Ambedkar University Delhi, says rising education costs have forced her to rely on crowdfunding.

“Scholarships earlier made education manageable,” she said. “Now they barely cover anything.”

In the absence of reliable fellowships, students are increasingly turning to part-time work, teaching assistantships, or informal financial support—often compromising their academic focus.

Experts Flag Long-Term Consequences

Experts warn that weakening fellowship systems could deepen structural inequalities. Salman Khurshid, former Union Minister for Minority Affairs, has argued that such schemes were introduced to address systemic disadvantages identified by the Sachar Committee.

“If support systems are withdrawn, the idea of equal opportunity becomes hollow,” he said.

Academic voices echo this concern. Zoya Hasan of Jawaharlal Nehru University describes the trend as “structural exclusion,” cautioning that reduced financial support could further lower minority participation in higher education and research.

Uncertain Future for Aspiring Scholars

Further complicating the situation is the policy uncertainty. Scrutiny of irregularities in the scholarship grant process has stalled decisions, and as a result, many schemes have not been implemented and the students have been kept waiting.

At Jamia, Shahid is still trying to finish his thesis but the money problems have not only slowed down his academic progress but also changed his goals.

"My first intention was to have a career in teaching, " he said. "At this point, I only want a steady job."

While India is on the path to build a knowledge-based economy, the decreasing number of fellowships is prompting an urgent question: is it the country's policy to allow financial constraints to determine who has the right to engage in research and higher education?