StudyDesk Scholarships
About the fellowship
The AICTE Post-doctoral Fellowship, often shortened to APDF, supports researchers who have completed a PhD and wish to pursue full-time postdoctoral research at an AICTE-approved university or institute, with the aim of building a regular career in research and development. Two hundred fellowships are offered per year. The fellow is expected to carry out the proposed research independently for the whole tenure, and may not hold any other fellowship from a government or non-government source during that time.
Readers should be aware that this scheme has changed while its 2024-25 cycle has been running. News reports from October 2026 describe significant revisions to the eligibility criteria, the assistance on offer and the evaluation parameters, alongside an extended registration deadline. The original terms and the revised terms therefore differ, and both versions are given below so that applicants can see exactly what changed instead of being handed one blended figure.
Who can apply
- Hold a PhD from a recognised university in a relevant discipline: engineering and technology, management, design, planning, applied arts, crafts and design, hotel management and catering technology, computer application, applied sciences, or an interdisciplinary area. Revised reports also mention physics, chemistry and mathematics backgrounds.
- Be below 35 years of age on the date of application. Age relaxation of five years applies to SC, ST, women and physically challenged candidates, and three years to OBC candidates; where more than one relaxation could apply, the maximum is five years.
- Meet the marks condition at either the postgraduate or the undergraduate level. The original condition was 55% for general-category candidates; the revised reports put it at 60%, with a five-percentage-point relaxation for reserved categories (SC, ST, OBC, women and persons with disabilities).
- Hold quality publications in SCI, SCI-E or Scopus journals, or patents that have been granted.
- Identify a supervisor for the postdoctoral work — an approved PhD guide at the AICTE-approved university or institute where the fellowship will be held — and obtain that supervisor’s consent for mentorship. The supervisor must hold a PhD and must not be superannuated.
- Apply only once in a career: the fellowship can be availed a single time.
One further condition appears in current guides: candidates holding a regular employment or permanent service position may not qualify, since the fellowship is aimed at researchers pursuing full-time postdoctoral work. Applicants in regular service should check this point on the official portal before applying.
What you get — original terms versus revised terms
Under the terms the 2024-25 cycle opened with, a fellow received Rs 65,000 a month plus house rent allowance as per applicable norms, and an annual contingency grant of Rs 50,000 for research-related expenses. Under the revised terms reported in October 2026, the fellowship is Rs 80,000 a month plus applicable HRA, with a research grant of Rs 2,00,000 a year — usable for minor equipment, consumables, contingency expenses and domestic travel — and overheads of Rs 50,000 a year. The revised reports are explicit that the scheme provides no financial support for research personnel.
The tenure is initially one year. If the research work is found satisfactory by the expert committee, it is extended for a further year, giving two years in total, with no provision for extension beyond that.
How selection works
Shortlisting for evaluation takes into account the candidate’s accomplishments at PhD level, the professional standing of the supervisor and of the university where the research will be carried out, and the papers published at the time of application. The evaluation parameters reported for the revised cycle carry 50 marks in total: 10 for undergraduate percentage, 10 for postgraduate percentage, 10 for research publications and patents, 10 for the research proposal, and 10 for interview. A merit list is prepared on that basis, with preference given to candidates with more publications of higher impact factor and granted patents.
Documents needed
No single published document checklist was found in the sources checked. The items below are the ones the scheme’s own process descriptions require applicants to have in hand, and the portal’s current checklist should be treated as authoritative:
- PhD degree certificate — provisional certificates are accepted where the degree has not yet been formally awarded.
- Undergraduate and postgraduate marksheets, for the marks condition and the evaluation weightage.
- Evidence of quality publications or granted patents.
- Supervisor’s consent from an approved PhD guide at the host institution.
- Candidate ID provided by the host institute or university, through which the online application on the AICTE APDF portal is made.
How to apply
- Secure a supervisor and a host institution first: the application runs through a Candidate ID provided by the institute or university where the fellowship will be held.
- Fill in the online application form on the AICTE APDF portal via aicte.gov.in.
- Check the deadline on the portal itself before submitting — see the note below, because the published dates conflict.
A deadline conflict you should know about
Reports published on 18 October 2026, by Careers360 and Jagran Josh, state that the registration deadline for this 2024-25 fellowship has been extended to 15 November. The text of those reports does not state the year of that 15 November date, and other current guides for the same scheme listed 20 October 2026 — a date that has now passed. This article therefore reports the extension as “15 November” without asserting a year, and advises every applicant to confirm the live deadline on the AICTE portal before preparing an application. Do not treat either published date as settled until the portal confirms it.
FAQs
That depends on which terms apply to your application: Rs 65,000 a month plus HRA and a Rs 50,000 annual contingency grant under the original terms, or Rs 80,000 a month plus HRA with a Rs 2,00,000 annual research grant and Rs 50,000 overheads under the revised terms reported in October 2026. Confirm the applicable figure on the AICTE portal.
One year initially, extendable by one further year on satisfactory work — two years in total, with no further extension.
Current guides say regular employees and permanent service holders may not qualify, since the fellowship is for full-time postdoctoral research. Check the portal’s current conditions before applying.
Yes. You must identify a supervisor — an approved PhD guide at the AICTE-approved host institution — and obtain their consent for mentorship.
Extension reports say 15 November, but the year is not stated in the reports checked, and other guides listed 20 October 2026. Confirm the live deadline on the AICTE portal.
Verified 31 Oct 2026 against Careers360 (published 18 Oct 2026: PDF 2024-25 deadline extended to 15 Nov; 200 fellowships a year; revised fellowship Rs 80,000 a month plus HRA, research grant Rs 2,00,000 a year, overheads Rs 50,000 a year, no support for research personnel; revised marks condition 60% general with 5% relaxation for reserved categories; publications or granted patents required; 50-mark evaluation split 10 each for UG, PG, publications/patents, proposal and interview) and Jagran Josh (same extension and revised figures; age below 35 with 5-year relaxation for SC/ST/women/PwD and 3 years for OBC; 200 fellows a year), corroborated by PharmaTutor (portal open for applications through the Candidate ID provided by the host institute; 200 fellowships a year; tenure one year extendable by one more year to two years total; supervisor must be an approved PhD guide, not superannuated; original emoluments Rs 65,000 a month plus contingency Rs 50,000 a year) and Telegraph India / Careers360 (original terms: Rs 65,000 a month plus HRA, Rs 50,000 annual contingency; 55% marks condition; provisional PhD certificates accepted). The year of the 15 November extension date is not stated in the reports checked, and other guides listed 20 Oct 2026, so both dates are flagged rather than asserted.
