Government of India

NATIONAL BOARD FOR HIGHER MATHEMATICS

Department of Atomic Energy
Anushakti Bhavan, C.S.M. Marg, Mumbai-400 001
The Doctoral and Master’s Scholarship Schemes 2025
Scholarships for pursuing Doctoral and Master’s studies “in Mathematics”

Introduction
The National Board for Higher Mathematics (NBHM) invites applications to appear for its Schol-
arship Written Test—hereafter called “the test”—scheduled for:
Saturday, 25 January 2025, 10:30–13:30 hours, IST (Indian Standard Time)
The test constitutes the first phase of the two-phase selection process for grant of the following schol-
arships:
• NBHM Doctoral Scholarship 2025—hereafter called the Doctoral Scholarship
• NBHM Master’s Scholarship 2025—hereafter called the Master’s Scholarship
Aspirants for either one or both the scholarships must appear for the test. At the time of application,
they can choose to be considered for the Master’s Scholarship only, the Doctoral Scholarship only, or
both. (There is a single test for both scholarships, not two separate tests being held at the same time.)
The second phase of selection shall be an interview. Two separate shortlists shall be drawn up based
on the performance in the test, one for each of the scholarships. (The process of making these shortlists
is explained in more detail below.) Candidates on these shortlists shall be invited to appear for an
online interview. The final selection for grant of either scholarship shall be based primarily
on the performance in both the test and interview, although the selection committee shall
be at liberty to take into consideration other aspects of the academic track record.
The scholarships and the selection process for them are described in more detail below. The web
page carries even more information, such as an official FAQ that is updated continually.

Other Uses of NBHM Written Test Scores

The test scores are also used for screening of candidates for admissions to certain programmes (PhD /
Integrated PhD / Master’s) of the following institutions (arranged in alphabetical order):
• Harish-Chandra Research Institute (HRI)
• Indian Institute of Science Education and Research, Berhampur (IISER Berhampur)

• Indian Institute of Science Education and Research, Bhopal (IISER Bhopal)

• Indian Institute of Science Education and Research, Mohali (IISER Mohali)
• Indian Institute of Science Education and Research, Pune (IISER Pune)

• Indian Institute of Science Education and Research, Thiruvananthapuram (IISER Thiruvanan-

thapuram)
• Kerala School of Mathematics (KSoM)
• Krea University (Krea)

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 • National Institute of Science Education and Research (NISER)
• The Institute of Mathematical Sciences (IMSc)
As for how exactly the test scores are used by these institutions, that is outside NBHM’s purview.
Those interested are advised to source that information directly from the institutions in question.

The Scholarships
Definition of “Master’s programme”
For the purposes of this document, a Master’s programme is any of these:1
1. a two-year Master’s programme requiring a Bachelor’s degree for admission;
2. the final two years of a five-year Integrated Master’s programme;

3. the first two years of an Integrated PhD programme requiring a Bachelor’s degree for admission.
Thus the “final year of a Master’s programme” could mean the second year of a two-year Master’s
programme, or the fifth year of a five-year Integrated Master’s programme, or the second year of an
Integrated PhD programme.

Definition of “in Mathematics”

In this document, the phrase “in Mathematics” (always within quotes) appears several times. For
the purposes of this document, a programme is said to be “in Mathematics” if it satisfies both the
following conditions:

1. It is a recognised full-time programme offered by an accredited university or institution in India.

2. The name of the degree that it leads to contains at least one of the following:
(a) the word “Mathematics”;
(b) the word “Statistics”;
(c) the phrase “Mathematical Science” or “Mathematical Sciences”.
For instance, a programme leading to a degree in “Applied Mathematics” satisfies Condition 2a.

Details of the Doctoral Scholarship

The Doctoral Scholarship is intended to support pursuit of research leading to the PhD degree “in
Mathematics”.2 It is initially granted for a term of four years, but needs to be renewed every year, the
renewal being subject to satisfactory progress as judged by NBHM. It is extendable by one more year,
solely at NBHM’s discretion. It consists of a monthly stipend and a yearly contingency grant, the rates
of which are revised from time to time, following directives of the Government of India. In addition,
house rent allowance (HRA) is payable as per central government norms.3

1 Portions of such other programmes as integrated six-year M.Ed. programmes may also qualify for consideration as “Master’s

Programmes”. Clarification regarding this could be sought by writing to one of the Zonal Coordinators (see below) via email with
details of the programme in question.
2 The “post-Master’s” part of an Integrated PhD Programme “in Mathematics” qualifies for the Doctoral Scholarship.
3 Women scholars are entitled for maternity leave during which the benefits (the monthly stipend and HRA, the latter upon

production of a rent receipt) are payable, once during the term of the scholarship for a period not exceeding 180 days. If such
leave is availed, the term of the scholarship shall be extended by the extent of the availed leave.

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 The current rates are as follows: monthly stipend |37,000/- for the first two years, to be increased
to |42,000/- for the subsequent years, based upon the recommendation of the committee appointed
by the scholar’s institution to monitor the scholar’s progress; yearly contingency grant |40,000/-. The
above rates and durations apply to a selected candidate joining a PhD programme afresh. For those
that are already in a PhD programme (prior to August 2025) and those in the “post-Master’s” part of
an Integrated PhD programme, they may vary.
A precondition for tenability of the scholarship is that throughout its term the candidate must be
enrolled in a PhD programme “in Mathematics”. This means that the candidate must get enrolled in
such a programme by September 2026 (if not already enrolled) and such enrolment must continue for
the entire duration of the scholarship. If the enrolment should cease for any reason, the scholarship
shall also cease at the same time. The scholarship shall be administered only through the scholar’s
institution.
The NBHM Doctoral Scholarship is not payable at the same time as another doctoral scholarship
(for example, CSIR, UGC, DST-INSPIRE). It is open only to Indian nationals.

Grant of the Doctoral Scholarship

To be offered the Doctoral Scholarship, one must satisfy all these three conditions:
• be selected for the scholarship, following the test and subsequent (doctoral) interview;
• enrol by September 2026, or be currently enrolled, in a PhD programme “in Mathematics”;

• must not have drawn the (NBHM) Doctoral Scholarship in the past.4

Details of the Master’s Scholarship

The Master’s Scholarship is intended to encourage and support talented students to study mathematics
at the Master’s level. It carries a monthly stipend of |8,000/- payable during the two year period (or
part thereof) of a Master’s programme “in Mathematics”. Eligibility is limited to the following two
types of students:
• those who shall join (the first year of) a Master’s programme “in Mathematics” for the academic
year 2025–26
• those who have joined (the first year of) such a programme in the academic year 2024–25.
The first type of student shall be eligible to get the scholarship for the entire two year duration of their
Master’s programme. However, the scholarship shall be sanctioned initially only for the first year
and renewal for the second year is subject to satisfactory performance in the first. The second type of
student shall only be eligible to get the scholarship during the second year of their programme (during
the academic year 2025–26).
A precondition for tenability of the scholarship is that throughout its term the candidate must be
enrolled in a Master’s programme “in Mathematics”. If the enrolment should cease for any reason,
further payments under the scholarship shall also cease. The scholarship shall be administered only
through the scholar’s institution.
The NBHM Master’s Scholarship is not payable at the same time as another Master’s scholarship
(for example, DST-INSPIRE, KVPY, those offered by the scholar’s institution). It is open only to Indian
nationals.

4 Merely having been selected for the NBHM Doctoral Scholarship in the past is not however a disqualification for the present

round of selection, provided the Scholarship has never been drawn in the past.

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Grant of the Master’s Scholarship
To be offered the Master’s Scholarship, one must satisfy all these three conditions:
• must be selected for the Master’s scholarship, following the test and the subsequent (Master’s)
interview;
• must enrol in a Master’s programme “in Mathematics” for the academic year 2025–26, or, must
have enrolled in such a programme for the academic year 2024–25.5
• must not have drawn the NBHM Master’s Scholarship in the past.6

The Selection Process

Zones and Zonal Coordinators
For purposes of administration of the selection process for the scholarships, the country is divided into
five geographical zones, each headed by a coordinator. The names, affiliations, and addresses of the
zonal coordinators are listed at the end of this advertisement.

The Written Test

The test is scheduled for Saturday, 25 January 2025, 10:30 to 13:30 hours, IST (Indian Standard
Time). It shall be a test of core mathematical skills useful for studying mathematics at the Master’s
and Doctoral levels, as judged by the committee of experts appointed by NBHM. There is no prescribed
syllabus, but question papers from previous editions (2005 onward) along with keys are available at
this repository.7 The pattern and level of difficulty of the test may vary from those of previous editions.
Nevertheless the papers in the repository should provide valuable guidance on what the test is all
about.

Interview Shortlists
For each test answer script, two scores, called M-score and D-score (M for Master’s, D for Doctoral),
shall be calculated. The M-score shall just be the raw score on the test net of any negative marking;
the D-score shall be calculated by giving a higher weightage to the scores on certain sections (those
with questions on more advanced topics), again net of any negative marking. The test booklet will
have clear instructions on how these two scores are calculated: see, for example, the question papers
for the tests held in April 2023 and January 2024, available on the repository.
Two cut-off scores, called M-cut-off and D-cut-off, will be announced by the selection committee
based on the test performance data. To be on the Doctoral Interview Shortlist (DIS), a candidate
• must have applied for the Doctoral Scholarship, and
• must have a D-score not less than the D-cut-off.

To be on the Master’s Interview Shortlist (MIS), a candidate

• must have applied for the Master’s Scholarship, and
• must have either an M-score not less than the M-cut-off or a D-score not less than the D-cut-off.
5 In the latter case the eligibility is limited to the second year of the Master’s programme during the academic year 2025–26.
6 Merely having been selected for the NBHM Master’s Scholarship in the past is not however a disqualification for the present

round of selection, provided the scholarship has not been drawn in the past.
7 The Master’s and Doctoral Written Tests were separately held until 2019. The Master’s Scholarship could not be admin-

istered during the academic years 2020–21 and 2021–22, owing to the COVID-19 pandemic. The two tests were merged into a
combined test in 2023, and they will stay merged for the foreseeable future.

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Test Centres
Arrangements are underway to have test centres in the cities listed below. However, some centres
could later be revoked for lack of sufficient demand or other reasons beyond our control. Applicants
shall be asked to fill out four choices of centres, in descending order of priority. Some centres have
limited capacity. The allotment of centres shall be on a first-come-first-served basis. Thus, in order
to be sure to get your preferred test centre, you must apply early. Candidates must make their own
arrangements for travel and stay to take the test.
• Zone 1 (North): Chandigarh, Delhi, Jodhpur, Shimla, Srinagar (Kashmir).
• Zone 2 (North Central): Bhopal, Indore, Kanpur, Patna, Prayagraj, Raipur, Srinagar Garhwal,
Varanasi.
• Zone 3 (West): Ahmedabad, Dharwad, Goa, Mumbai, Nagpur, Nanded, Pune, Vallabh Vidyana-
gar.
• Zone 4 (East): Agartala, Aizawl, Bardhaman, Berhampur (Odisha), Bhubaneswar, Dimapur,
Guwahati, Imphal, Jamshedpur, Kharagpur, Khurda (Odisha), Kolkata, Ranchi, Rangpo (Sikkim),
Sambalpur, Shillong, Siliguri, Tezpur.
• Zone 5 (South): Bengaluru, Chennai, Hyderabad, Kochi, Kozhikode, Madurai, Mangaluru,
Pondicherry, Salem, Thiruvananthapuram, Tirupati.

The Interviews
The interviews shall be conducted online. They are tentatively scheduled to be held in March 2025.
The dates and other details of the interviews shall be announced along with the Interview Shortlists
(DIS and MIS), two to three weeks after the test. Candidates who are on both shortlists shall be
interviewed only once (and not separately for the two scholarships). Such a candidate could end up
being selected for both scholarships, for only one of the two, or neither. Shortlisted candidates shall
be asked to upload details of their academic track record prior to the interview. The final selection for
the scholarships shall be based primarily on the performance on the test and interview, although the
selection committee shall be at liberty to take into account other aspects of the academic track record.

Application Procedure
Eligibility for the Written Test
Anyone who satisfies at least one of the following criteria is eligible to appear for the test:
• currently enrolled in a PhD programme “in Mathematics”;
• aspiring to enrol in such a PhD programme by September 2026;

• currently enrolled in a Master’s programme “in Mathematics”;

• aspiring to enrol in such a Master’s programme for the academic year 2025–26;
• aspiring for selection in the next round of recruitment for a programme (Master’s / Integrated
PhD / PhD) of an institution that uses the NBHM test scores for screening for admission to that
programme.

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Notes:
• Applicants need only self-certify at the time of the application that they satisfy one of the above
conditions. This certification shall be taken at face value.
• Nationality is no bar to write the test: the test is open to foreign nationals, although the NBHM
scholarships are open only to Indian nationals.
• It is understood that any applicant agrees with all the policies of NBHM:
https://www.imsc.res.in/„nbhm/ST current/policy.html

How to apply?
Applications to appear for the test shall be accepted exclusively online through the following portal:
https://nbhmexam.puchd.ac.in/

The portal shall open around 04th December 2024 and remain open until 22nd December. Applicants
can choose to be considered for the Doctoral Scholarship only, or the Master’s Scholarship only, or both.
An application fee (along with applicable collection charges) needs to be paid online at the time
of the application. For applications completed on or before 15th December 2024 (23:59 hrs, IST), the
application fee8 shall be |400 for a single scholarship and |600 for both scholarships. From 16th
December until the close of the portal for fresh applications (scheduled for 23:59 hrs, IST, Sunday the
22nd December 2024), the application fee shall be |800 for a single scholarship and |1000 for both
scholarships.
The application process is quite simple. Applicants must first open an account on the portal by
registering and validating a genuine email address. A registration number is generated at the
time of registration, which uniquely identifies the account. Only one application can be submitted
from one account. The application is not complete unless the application fee is paid and the
application is submitted (within the deadline) with all details duly filled out, including the
transaction number (from SBI Collect acknowledging the payment of application fee).
No changes to the application shall be entertained once it is submitted.

Centre Allotments and Admit Cards

Centre allotments shall be done after the portal closes for applications. Admit Cards showing the
centre allotted shall be available for download around 31st December. Two original copies of the
Admit Card must be prepared by each candidate. Both copies must be carried to the test. Two prints
of the same recent colour passport-size photograph of the candidate will be needed for this purpose.
Once the centre allotments are done, candidates shall be allowed a short window of time during
which they can request a change of centre, for a non-refundable fee of | 200.

Payment Issues
For any query regarding application fee payment, candidates must contact SBICollect. Such queries
cannot be addressed by the application portal administrators. Applying early is recommended
so as to allow time for resolution of unforeseen issues.

8 All application and other fee amounts mentioned in this document are exclusive of collection charges, which are extra.

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Answer Key, Test Scores, and Interview Shortlists
The answer key to the written test shall be published soon (within hours) after the end of the test.
Candidates shall be allowed a short window of time (not less than 24 hours) during which they can
challenge the key (for a fee of |150 per question, which shall be refundable if the challenge is honoured)
by logging into the portal. In about two to three weeks after the test, the test scores shall be uploaded
to the portal and the interview shortlists published on the web page. Applicants shall then be able to
check their own individual total test score, both M-score and D-score, by logging into the portal. They
shall also have a short window of time in which to apply for revaluation (for a fee of |250, which shall
be refundable if the revaluation leads to any change in the scores).

Important Dates
04 Dec 2024 Online application portal scheduled to open
15 Dec 2024 Last date for applications with fee of |400 (single scholarship)/ |600 (both scholarships)
16 Dec 2024 Application fee changes to |800 (single scholarship)/ |1000 (both scholarships)
22 Dec 2024 Deadline for applications; end of the day (23:59 hrs, IST)
31 Dec 2024 Admit Cards to be ready for download from the portal
25 Jan 2025 The written test to be held during 10:30–13:30 hrs, IST
15 Feb 2025 Interview Shortlists published on the web page and test scores uploaded to the portal
March 2025 Interviews to be held (exact dates to be decided later)
15 Apr 2025 Final selection results for the Scholarships to be announced

There might be some slight changes to the above schedule due to technical or administrative reasons.
All such changes shall be published exclusively on the web page.

Contact Details of Zonal Coordinators

The contact details of the Zonal Coordinators given below are to be used only if it is absolutely neces-
sary and only as a last resort. Before trying to contact a Zonal Coordinator, ensure that all avenues of
resolving your problem through the portal are exhausted, and keep in mind that the clarification you
seek may already be provided by the official FAQ at:
https://www.imsc.res.in/„nbhm/ST current/faq.html
The FAQ is updated from time to time. Email is the preferred mode of communication (in case you
absolutely need to contact a zonal coordinator).
• Zone 1 (North): Professor Gurmeet Kaur Bakshi, email: [email protected], Department of
Mathematics, Panjab University, Hans Raj Gupta Hall, Chandigarh 160 014.
• Zone 2 (North Central): Professor R. Thangadurai, email: [email protected], Harish-
Chandra Research Institute, Chhatnag Road, Jhusi, Prayagraj 211 019.
• Zone 3 (West): Professor Vivek Mohan Mallick, email: [email protected], Depart-
ment of Mathematics, Indian Institute of Science Education and Research, Homi Bhabha Road,
Pashan, Pune 411 008.
• Zone 4 (East): Professor Pradipta Bandyopadhyay, email: [email protected]. Stat-
Math Division, Indian Statistical Institute, 203, B T Road, Kolkata 700 108.
• Zone 5 (South): Professor K. N. Raghavan, email: [email protected], School of Interwoven
Arts and Sciences, Krea University, 5655 Central Expressway, Sri City, Andhra Pradesh 517 646.