Premium

Only 1 applicant for Maharashtra’s open category foreign PhD scholarship, 9 spots vacant

82 applications received for 30 available spots for postgraduate degree/diploma scholarship; only 23 selected

3 min readPuneUpdated: Feb 20, 2026 09:43 AM IST

Only one applicant applied for Maharashtra government’s PhD ‘Scholarship for Higher Education at Foreign Countries’ for open category students in 2025-26, leaving the remaining nine spots vacant. In all, 82 applications were received for the 30 available spots for postgraduate degree/diploma scholarship under the scheme, but only 23 were selected after scrutiny.

The selection list was shared by the Higher and Technical Education Department in a government resolution on February 16, several months after similar foreign scholarship schemes run by other departments released their lists. The Other Backward Bahujan Welfare Department and the Minority Development Department declared their list of selected students in July 2025 and November 2025, respectively. The Minority Development Department selected 75 students while the Other Backward Bahujan Welfare Department selected 72 students.

The delay in the Higher and Technical Education Department’s list compared to other departments has been criticised by education activist Kuldeep Ambekar of Student Helping Hands. He said, “Every year, advertisements are issued late, the selection process is deliberately delayed, senior-level meetings are not held on time and budget planning is not completed on time. All this sloppy management directly affects the students… As a result, it becomes impossible to go abroad in the current academic year and students suffer a huge educational loss.”

ALSO READ | International students seek Covid compensation from UK universities

Ambekar added the poor response to the open category scheme was due to lack of awareness among students at the college and university level. “Neither proper publicity is done, nor guidance camps are conducted, nor counselling is given to the students,” he said.

Vinod Mohitkar, Director of Higher and Technical Education, did not respond to calls for comments.

The scholarship

* The scholarship was started in 2018-19 as “meritorious students from open category are deprived of higher education opportunities at prestigious foreign universities due to their financial hardship”.

* To be eligible, a student and one parent need to be domiciles of Maharashtra. The student should be admitted abroad to an educational institution or university ranked within 200 in the latest QS (Quacquarelli Symonds) World Ranking on merit.

Story continues below this ad

* The annual income of the family should be less than Rs 8 lakh. Lastly, the candidate’s age should not exceed 35 years for the postgraduate scholarship and 40 years for PhD scholarship.

* Selected students are provided with full tuition fees, personal health insurance, subsistence allowance, contingency expenses allowance, and a one-time economy class round trip air travel expense.

Soham Shah

Soham Shah is a Correspondent with The Indian Express, based in Pune. A journalism graduate with a background in fact-checking, he brings a meticulous and research-oriented approach to his current reporting. Professional Background Role: Correspondent coverig education and city affairs in Pune. Specialization: His primary beat is education, but he also maintains a strong focus on civic issues, public health, human rights, and state politics. Key Strength: Soham focuses on data-driven reporting on school and college education, government reports, and public infrastructure. Recent Notable Articles (Late 2025) His late 2025 work highlights a transition from education-centric reporting to hard-hitting investigative and human-rights stories: 1. Investigations & Governance "Express Impact: Mother's name now a must to download birth certificate from PMC site" (Dec 20, 2025): Reporting on a significant policy change by the Pune Municipal Corporation (PMC) following his earlier reports on gender inclusivity in administrative documents. "44-Acre Mahar Land Controversy: In June, Pune official sought land eviction at Pawar son firm behest" (Nov 9, 2025): An investigative piece on real estate irregularities involving high-profile political families. 2. Education & Campus Life Faculty crisis at SPPU hits research, admin work: 62% of govt-sanctioned posts vacant, over 75% in many depts (Sept 12, 2025): An investigative piece on professor vacancies at Savitribai Phule Pune University. "Maharashtra’s controversial third language policy: Why National Curriculum Framework recommends a third language from Class 6" (July 2): This detailed piece unpacks reasons behind why the state's move to introduce a third language from class 1 was controversial. "Decline in number of schools, teachers in Maharashtra but student enrolment up: Report" (Jan 2025): Analyzing discrepancies in the state's education data despite rising student numbers. 3. Human Rights & Social Issues "Aanchal Mamidawar was brave after her family killed her boyfriend" (Dec 17, 2025): A deeply personal and hard-hitting opinion piece/column on the "crime of love" and honor killings in modern India. "'People disrespect the disabled': Meet the man who has become face of racist attacks on Indians" (Nov 29, 2025): A profile of a Pune resident with severe physical deformities who became the target of global online harassment, highlighting issues of disability and cyber-bullying. Signature Style Soham is known for his civil-liberties lens. His reporting frequently champions the rights of the marginalized—whether it's students fighting for campus democracy, victims of regressive social practices, or residents struggling with crumbling urban infrastructure (as seen in his "Breathless Pune" contributions). He is adept at linking hyper-local Pune issues to larger national conversations about law and liberty. X (Twitter): @SohamShah07 ... Read More

Click here to join Express Pune WhatsApp channel and get a curated list of our stories

Loading Recommendations...

Mar 15: Latest News

Live Blog