AICTE Doctoral Fellowship (ADF)

About this scheme

The AICTE Doctoral Fellowship (ADF) is a flagship national research scheme launched by the All India Council for Technical Education. It provides financial assistance to meritorious, full-time Ph.D. scholars pursuing technical research at AICTE-approved institutions and universities across India. The fellowship offers ₹37,000 per month during Years 1 and 2 (Junior Research Fellow / JRF) and ₹42,000 per month during Years 3 to 5 (Senior Research Fellow / SRF), supporting doctoral research in AICTE-prescribed advanced technology thrust areas.

Eligibility

• Admission status: Must be admitted into a regular, full-time Ph.D. program in an eligible technical department (Engineering, Technology, Management, Design, Planning, Applied Arts & Crafts, Computer Applications, or Applied Sciences) at an AICTE-approved university or institute
• Minimum academic cutoff: At least 75% marks (7.5 CGPA out of 10) in both Bachelor's and Master's degrees. Relaxed to 70% marks or 7.0 CGPA for SC/ST/PwD applicants
• National examination: Must have a qualified, valid scorecard from a national competitive exam cleared within the last 5 years (GATE, NET, GPAT, CEED, CAT, CMAT, or GMAT)
• Age cap: Must be under 30 years old at the time of admission
• Age relaxations: Up to 35 years for SC/ST, Women, and PwD candidates. Up to 33 years for OBC candidates
• Research alignment: The Ph.D. research topic must be selected from the AICTE-prescribed list of advanced technology thrust areas

Benefits

• ₹37,000 per month during Years 1 and 2 (Junior Research Fellow / JRF)
• ₹42,000 per month during Years 3 to 5 (Senior Research Fellow / SRF)
• Financial support for up to 5 years of full-time doctoral research
• Research aligned with AICTE-prescribed advanced technology thrust areas
• Opportunity to work at AICTE-approved institutions and universities across India

Required documents

• Ph.D. Admission LetterOfficial verification of registration from your host institute
• Class 10 certificate (age proof)
• Undergraduate (UG) marksheets and degree certificate
• Postgraduate (PG) marksheets and degree certificate
• National Exam Scorecard (GATE, NET, GPAT, CEED, CAT, CMAT, or GMAT)Must be valid and cleared within the last 5 years
• Detailed Research ProposalOutlining focus area, methodology, and relevance to technological thrust areas
• Aadhaar card copy
• Bank passbook copy (Aadhaar-seeded, active personal savings account)No joint or Jan Dhan accounts allowed
• Category Certificate (SC/ST/OBC)(optional)Required if applying under age or score relaxations
• Disability Certificate(optional)Required if applying under PwD relaxations
• Undertaking/NOCSigned declaration stating you are not availing of any other fellowship (like NET-JRF) alongside a University No Objection Certificate (NOC)

Frequently asked