What the available evidence confirms
For the 2027-28 intake, no current ICT scholarship amount, eligibility schedule, deadline, application form or renewal rule could be verified from the sources available for this article. The directly opened institutional document already in the research record is the 2024-25 admission handbook, so its funding notes are historical reference points rather than promises for a new applicant.
That handbook’s undergraduate fee table says: “Fees of candidates belonging to SC/ST/OBC/VJNT/SBC is reimbursed by Govt. of Maharashtra.” This is a dated note covering the categories named in that table. It does not explain whether the student pays first and claims later, the covered fee components, the income or domicile conditions, required certificates, application portal, payment timing, or whether the same rule applies in 2027-28. Do not subtract the old fee from your budget or assume reimbursement is automatic. Confirm the current Maharashtra scheme notice and ICT instructions for your exact programme, campus and category before accepting an offer.
The distinction between reimbursement and a scholarship matters. Reimbursement may affect when money returns to a family, while a scholarship may have its own eligibility, award amount and continuation terms. The old table does not establish a current net fee or cash-flow schedule. Keep the full published fee available in your working budget until the responsible authority confirms what you qualify for and when the benefit is credited.
Postgraduate fellowships are programme-specific
ICT’s 2024-25 handbook describes some postgraduate fellowships in relation to a valid GATE or GPAT score, merit, availability and continued academic performance. The same source does not support treating a fellowship as a universal benefit for every postgraduate student. It distinguishes coursework-only M.Sc. by-papers routes from programmes with thesis or other structures; the handbook says the M.Sc. by-papers programmes do not carry fellowships. These are historical statements from the 2024-25 handbook, not confirmed terms for a 2027-28 entrant. Read the handbook and use the current notice for the exact programme before relying on an award.
An entrance score used for admission is not, by itself, proof of a fellowship. Ask the department or admission office to confirm whether the award is attached to your specific degree, whether the score must be from a named year, how merit is calculated, how many awards are available, and what academic standing is required to continue receiving it. Also ask whether the stated amount is monthly, semester-wise or a total award, and whether it is paid during project or thesis periods. No verified current amount, award count or payment calendar is available here, so none is quoted.
A practical funding check before you accept
Use this sequence for each offer:
- Fix the scope. Record the full programme name, campus, admission year, category and fee schedule. ICT’s handbook covers more than one campus, and an aid rule tied to one course or location should not be transferred to another.
- Identify the funding authority. Separate a Government of Maharashtra reimbursement, an ICT or department fellowship, and any external scholarship. For each one, save the current official scheme or institute notice; a search result title or an older handbook is not enough to confirm terms.
- Match every eligibility condition. Check domicile, category or income limits, qualifying examination and score year, merit rank, attendance or academic-progress conditions, and whether another award can be held at the same time. Treat any condition not printed in the current notice as unconfirmed.
- Confirm the application path and dates. Ask which portal or office receives the application, whether a separate institute form is needed, the deadline, and when a complete application is considered valid. Request a document checklist rather than preparing from last year’s requirements.
- Plan cash flow conservatively. Obtain the current fee schedule and payment dates. Until the authority confirms the amount and disbursement timing in writing, budget for the full fee and do not treat a possible reimbursement as an upfront reduction.
- Keep proof and renewal dates. Save the application acknowledgement, certificates, fee receipts and award decision. If the award continues only after satisfactory performance, confirm the exact threshold and review date before planning later semesters.
For the next cycle, start with the current ICT admissions and scholarship notices on the official ICT website, then verify any state-funded benefit against the responsible Maharashtra department or scheme portal. The 2024-25 handbook is useful for knowing which questions to ask, but it cannot answer the current-cycle amount, eligibility, deadline or payment timing. If the institute has not yet published those terms, mark the aid as unconfirmed and compare offers using the full payable fee.
For a fair comparison, make one row per programme offer and keep separate columns for the full fee, confirmed aid, unconfirmed aid, application deadline and expected payment date. Count an award as confirmed only when the responsible office has matched your application to the current rules. If you are waiting for an eligibility decision, compare the offer on its full fee and note the possible benefit separately. This avoids comparing one institute’s gross fee with another’s assumed post-scholarship cost. Keep the notice or written office response that supports each figure, along with the date you checked it.