NBHM Scholarship Schemes 2025
Official FAQ

This FAQ deliberately employs a conversational tone. All statements made here are provisional. They are meant only as guideposts to authentic sources of information (such as the advertisement). Any assertion they make or imply must be treated as tentative, pending confirmation from an authentic source.

In what follows:

Questions specific to the test and subsequent interview

Question: What are the cut-off scores for the interview shortlists (Master's / Doctoral) this year?
Answer: The cut-offs are not absolute but relative, in the sense that they depend upon the performance in the test of all the candidates this year. They are decided only after this year's test scores become available.

Question: While reading the advertisement, I noted that the test will have questions from advanced topics. What does "advanced topics" mean? Will they include topics like algebraic topology, functional analysis, algebraic number theory, representation theory?
Answer: "Advanced topics" refers to subjects questions from which have typically been featured in previous Doctoral Scholarship Written Tests but not so much in Master's Scholarship Written Tests. (The tests for the Master's and Doctoral Scholarships were separately held until 2019. The question papers for these tests along with keys, from 2005 onward, can be accessed at the following repository.)

Question: Can I appear for the test more than once? That is, can I appear for the test this year and for it again next year?
Answer: Yes (although, to be sure, we cannot make any commitment for what might or might not happen in the years to come). For one thing, an unsuccessful attempt at (NBHM) scholarship selection during a certain year---whether one didn't qualify for the interview stage or at the interview stage---has never by itself been cause for disqualification from selection in subsequent years. Besides, the test serves purposes other than the scholarships, and a person who is not eligible for either scholarship (even at the outset) could still be eligible to appear for the test.

Question: Is any support (e.g., reimbursement of expenses) available from NBHM for travel or stay towards taking the written test?
Answer: No. NBHM doesn't provide any support, financial or otherwise, to candidates for taking the written test.

Question: Is there a syllabus for the test / subsequent interview?
Answer: No. There is no prescribed syllabus. However, question papers from the previous years along with keys are available on this repository. "The Written Test" section of the advertisement carries all the guidance that we can provide in this regard.

Question: I am interested in joining the PhD / Integrated PhD programme in Mathematics of IMSc in 2024. Should I be writing the test?
Answer: You are advised to source this information from IMSc. NBHM plays a very limited role in the admission processes of IMSc or any other institution. It provides the test scores and other data, but takes no further part or responsibility.

Question: Is the cut-off score for the interview dependent upon the zone or uniform throughout the country?
Answer: The cut-off score on the test (for selection to the interview stage) is the same for the entire country across zones.

Question: Does any institution other than IISERs (Berhampur, Bhopal, Mohali, Pune, Thiruvananthapuram), NISER, IMSc, HRI, Krea, KSOM accept the NBHM test score for admission to its PhD / Integrated PhD / Master's programmes?
Answer: The ten listed institutions are the only ones with whom NBHM has an agreement to share directly the test scores and other performance data. However, there could be other institutions that use the publicly available information from the NBHM selection process: the interview shortlists are published on the web page and so are the lists of candidates finally selected for the scholarships.

Question: I want to know about the style of the NBHM Written Test this year. The number of sections in the test has been varying over the last few years. How can I prepare for this year's test? How many sections will it have?
Answer: The pattern of the test may vary from year to year. This year's test may follow the pattern of one from a previous year, or it may not. We cannot say. The only guidance that we can give in this regard appears already in the advertisement under section titled "The Written Test". Having said that, one thing is for sure about this year's test: there will be one or more sections in it featuring "advanced topics" and these will be given a higher weight in the calculation of the "D-score": see the "Interview Shortlists" section of the advertisement.

Question: I have applied for both the Master's and Doctoral Scholarships. Suppose my M-score is equal to or more than the M-cut-off but my D-score is less than the D-cut-off. Will I be interviewed for the Master's Scholarship?
Answer: Yes. As the advertisement says clearly, to qualify for the Master's Scholarship Interview, it is enough for one to have either (1) M-score at least the M-cut-off or (2) D-score at least the D-cut-off.

Questions about the NBHM Scholarship Schemes

Note: Lest the answers given below on eligibility be misinterpreted, let us mention once and for all here that qualification in the test and subsequent interview is a precondition for grant of the NBHM scholarships.

Question: Can I qualify for the NBHM Scholarship this year but defer availing it until next year or later?
Answer: No. The qualification cannot be deferred. However, candidates selected in the present round of selection for the Doctoral Scholarship have time until September 2026 to enrol in a PhD programme "in Mathematics" and claim the scholarship. Candidates selected in the present round of selection for the Master's Scholarship must enrol in a "Master's programme in Mathematics" for the academic year 2025--26 (or be already enrolled in such a programme) to claim the scholarship.

Question: Can I avail the NBHM Scholarship while enrolled in a part-time (not full-time) programme?
Answer: No. Those registered in part time programmes are NOT eligible.

Question: Can I get the scholarship while enrolled in a Master's / PhD programme in Mathematical Finance?
Answer: The scholarships are meant ONLY for pursuing programmes "in Mathematics" (see the advertisement for the definition of "in Mathematics").

Question: I am pursuing an MSc (Mathematics) 2-year degree and am currently in the 1st year. Would it make sense for me to apply for both the Master's and Doctoral Scholarships?
Answer: Yes, in so far as someone in that situation would, subject to selection and other conditions being met, be able to get the Master's Scholarship for the academic year 2025--26 and also the Doctoral Scholarship from the year 2026--27.

Question: I am enrolled in a 2-year "Mathematics and Computing" Master's programme. Am I eligible for the Master's Scholarship?
Answer: Yes. As the advertisement explains clearly, by virtue of the name of the degree it leads to containing the word "Mathematics" in it, your programme is deemed to be "in Mathematics".

Question: I was selected for the NBHM (Doctoral / Master's) Scholarship last year (or some years ago) but opted not to receive it. Am I eligible for selection this year?
Answer: The fact that you have been selected for a scholarship in the past (by qualifying in both the test and interview) does not by itself disqualify you from this year's selection to that scholarship. If, however, you have opted anytime in the past to receive a scholarship, then you are disqualified from selection this year for that scholarship. Let us make it clear that those who have enjoyed the NBHM Master's Scholarship (but have not drawn the NBHM Doctoral Scholarship) in the past are welcome---even encouraged---to apply for the Doctoral Scholarship this year.

Question: I am in the second year of a PhD programme in Mathematics. Am I eligible for the Doctoral Scholarship? Can I appear for the test?
Answer: Yes. The fact that you are already in the second year of a doctoral programme is by itself no disqualification for selection to the scholarship. However, be advised that the fact that you are already well into your PhD programme may have some influence on the final selection decision. Also, the tenure of the NBHM scholarship could be shortened for such candidates.

Question: I want to do research in cryptology for my PhD. Can I avail the NBHM Doctoral Scholarship in pursuit of that goal?
Answer: The answer depends on the name of the PhD degree. The Doctoral Scholarship is tenable for pursuit of a PhD degree "in Mathematics", with no restriction being placed on the area of research. It is NOT tenable for pursuit of a PhD degree in, say, "Computer Science" (or, more precisely, one that is not "in Mathematics"), even if the area of research happens to be a very mathematical one (e.g., cryptology).

Question: I plan to join a PhD programme in Applied Mathematics for the next academic year. But my academic record is not uniformly good. For instance, I have not consistently scored above 60% in my bachelor's. Would that affect my chances of being granted the NBHM Doctoral Scholarship?
Answer: As the advertisement states, selection for the scholarships shall be based primarily on the performance in the written test and subsequent interview, although the selection committee is at liberty to take into account all aspects of the academic track record of the candidate. The fact that you have not scored 60% or more in bachelor's is not by itself a disqualification.

Question: I have a bachelor's degree in Physics / Engineering but want to join a Master's programme "in Mathematics" for the next academic year. Am I eligible for selection for the NBHM Master's Scholarship?
Answer: Yes, very much. It does not matter how you qualify for the Master's programme "in Mathematics". A bachelor's degree "in mathematics" is NOT a precondition for eligibility.

Question: I am enrolled in an integrated PhD programme "in Mathematics" which leads on the way to a master's degree. Am I eligible for the NBHM Doctoral Scholarship?
Answer: Yes and no. You are eligible for the Doctoral Scholarship during the "PhD part" of the integrated programme. In other words, you are eligible for that scholarship only after receipt of your master's degree (or suitable certificate) as part of the integrated PhD programme. During the "Master's part" of the Integrated PhD programme, you are eligible only for the NBHM Master's Scholarship and not the NBHM Doctoral Scholarship.

Question: Can I simultaneously hold a CSIR-UGC NET Scholarship as well as a NBHM Doctoral Scholarship?
Answer: No. Generally, only one scholarship is tenable at a time.

Question: Suppose I get selected for the NBHM Doctoral Scholarship. Can I use that to secure admission to some PhD programme in Mathematics?
Answer: Being selected for the scholarship and securing admission to a PhD programme are two separate things. Neither guarantees the other (at least not that we know of). That said, being selected for the NBHM scholarship does seem to increase one's chances of getting admission to a PhD programme. In fact, some institutions insist on selection to some national scholarship (such as the NBHM) as a precondition for admission to their PhD programme.