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The STFT Fellowship is the Science and Technology Fellowship Trust’s own scholarship for Bangladeshi citizens taking a master’s, MPhil or PhD in a science or technology subject — either inside Bangladesh or abroad. It is not the same scheme as the National Science and Technology (NST) Fellowship, even though both are advertised on the same government grant portal and both sit under the Ministry of Science and Technology. They have separate circulars, separate deadlines, separate eligibility rules and separate application fees. If you have landed here looking for the NST Fellowship, go to the NST Fellowship guide instead.
2026–27 cycle, as at 22 August 2026. The Trust’s circular (memo 39.09.0000.000.07.06.2023-178(9), dated 7 July 2026) sets these dates:
- Applications opened: 16 July 2026
- Online application closes: 15 September 2026, 4:00 pm
- Hard copy must reach the Trust by: 24 September 2026, within office hours
Verify against the current circular on stft.gov.bd before you rely on these dates — the Trust reissues them every fiscal year.
On this page
- Deadline and key dates for 2026–27
- Who is eligible
- Application fee
- Subjects covered
- How to apply, step by step
- The hard-copy submission (most common reason applications fail)
- STFT Fellowship vs NST Fellowship
- Official contacts
- Frequently asked questions
Deadline and key dates for 2026–27
The Trust published its fellowship circular (ফেলোশিপ বিজ্ঞুপ্তি) on 7 July 2026, calling for applications for higher study in science and technology subjects at home and abroad in the 2026–2027 fiscal year.
| Stage | Date (2026–27 cycle) |
|---|---|
| Circular published | 7 July 2026 |
| Online applications open | 16 July 2026 |
| Online applications close | 15 September 2026, 4:00 pm |
| Signed hard copy must arrive | 24 September 2026, office hours |
Bangladeshi fiscal years run July to June, so the “2026–27” cycle is the one advertised in mid-2026. A circular from an earlier fiscal year is not a guide to this one: the Trust changes the ranking band, the fee and the age limits between cycles.
Who is eligible
From the 7 July 2026 circular:
- Citizenship. The applicant must be a Bangladeshi citizen.
- Age at the closing date. Not more than 35 years for MS, MPhil or equivalent; not more than 42 years for PhD.
- For study abroad. Only applicants holding a final offer letter from a university ranked 1–400 in the Times Higher Education World University Rankings — the edition current when the circular was published — are considered eligible.
- English proficiency. A valid IELTS (Academic), TOEFL iBT or PTE Academic score, at the level set out in the Trust’s policy, must be held by the closing date.
- Governing policy. Eligibility and the submission procedure follow the Trust’s Fellowship Policy 2025 (re-amended), published on stft.gov.bd along with the attachment checklist.
The age limits are measured at the closing date for applications, not at the date you start the course — a distinction that catches out applicants who are close to the threshold.
Application fee
The 2026–27 circular sets a non-refundable application fee, paid online to the Trust:
- BDT 2,000 for an in-country (দেশে) application
- BDT 5,000 for an abroad (বিদেশে) application
Because it is non-refundable, confirm you meet the ranking-band and English-test conditions before paying — an application that fails those conditions does not get the fee back.
Subjects covered
The circular lists the science and technology fields in scope: physics, chemistry, mathematics, statistics, biology, medical science, public health and preventive medicine, biotechnology and microbiology, engineering and architecture, information and communication technology, computer science and engineering, geography and environmental science, agricultural science, food and nutrition science, marine science, aeronautical engineering, fisheries, veterinary science and animal husbandry, conventional and non-conventional energy, fuel research, nuclear power, nuclear technology, petroleum engineering, textile engineering, urban and regional development planning, exploration of minerals and petrology, industrial and production engineering, and robotics and artificial intelligence.
How to apply, step by step
- Check the ranking band first if you are applying for study abroad. Without a final offer from a university in the Times Higher Education top 400, the application will not be considered, and the fee is not refundable.
- Sit your English test in time. A valid IELTS Academic, TOEFL iBT or PTE Academic score must be in hand by the closing date.
- Apply online at grant.most.gov.bd/en/services/stft/stft-fellowship. Note the
/stft/segment — the/most/nst-fellowshippath on the same portal is the different NST scheme. - Pay the fee online to the Trust: BDT 2,000 in-country, BDT 5,000 abroad.
- Print, attest and post the hard copy so it arrives by 24 September 2026. See below — this is where applications most often fail.
The hard-copy submission (most common reason applications fail)
Submitting online is not the end of the process. The circular is explicit that after the online form is completed, a physical package must reach the Trust, and that failure to do so means the application is treated as incomplete and is not considered for the fellowship.
The package must contain the printed copy of the application, three copies of the uploaded passport-size photograph, and all supporting documents. Photographs and photocopies must be attested by a First Class Gazetted Officer, and the attestation must carry the attesting officer’s name, designation and official seal. The papers are to be A4 size and spiral bound, in a sealed envelope, addressed to:
Chief Executive Officer
Science and Technology Fellowship Trust
11th Floor, National Science and Technology Complex (NSTC)
Agargaon, Sher-e-Bangla Nagar, Dhaka-1207
It must arrive by 24 September 2026, within office hours, by registered post, courier or by hand. Note that this is an arrival deadline, not a postmark deadline — posting on the 24th is too late.
STFT Fellowship vs NST Fellowship
These are two different schemes that are persistently confused, partly because they are advertised on the same portal and partly because the Trust’s office is inside the National Science and Technology Complex, whose initials are also “NST”. The differences that matter to an applicant:
| STFT Fellowship | NST Fellowship | |
|---|---|---|
| Run by | Science and Technology Fellowship Trust | Ministry of Science and Technology, Science-7 Branch |
| 2026–27 circular | 7 July 2026 | 12 July 2026 |
| 2026–27 closing date | 15 September 2026 | 27 August 2026 (extended) |
| Portal path | /services/stft/stft-fellowship |
/services/most/nst-fellowship |
| Study abroad | Yes — THE top-400 universities | In-country study |
| Application fee | BDT 2,000 / BDT 5,000 | No fee stated in the circular |
| Age limit | 35 (MS/MPhil), 42 (PhD) | 30 (MS/MSc), 35 (MPhil), 45 (PhD) |
| English test | Required | Not required |
You can hold only one government fellowship at a time: both schemes require a sworn undertaking that you are not receiving another fellowship or grant. Full detail on the other scheme is in the NST Fellowship guide.
Official contacts
From the circular itself:
- Support tickets: support.most.gov.bd/en/login
- Support phones: +880 1713-157012 and +880 1796-244480
- Chief Executive Officer: 02-41025855, [email protected]
- Trust website: stft.gov.bd
Frequently asked questions
What is the STFT Fellowship deadline for 2026–27?
Online applications close on 15 September 2026 at 4:00 pm, and the signed hard copy must reach the Trust’s Dhaka office by 24 September 2026. Both dates come from the Trust’s circular dated 7 July 2026. Deadlines are reset every fiscal year, so check stft.gov.bd if you are reading this after the 2026–27 cycle.
Is the STFT Fellowship the same as the NST Fellowship?
No. They are separate schemes with separate circulars, deadlines, eligibility rules and portal paths. The STFT Fellowship is run by the Science and Technology Fellowship Trust and funds study abroad as well as in Bangladesh; the NST Fellowship is run directly by the Ministry of Science and Technology’s Science-7 Branch. Applying to one is not applying to the other.
How much does it cost to apply?
BDT 2,000 for an in-country application and BDT 5,000 for an application to study abroad, paid online to the Trust. The fee is non-refundable.
Which universities count for the study-abroad track?
Only those ranked 1–400 in the Times Higher Education World University Rankings edition current at the time the circular was published, and you must already hold a final offer letter from one of them when you apply.
Do I need IELTS to apply?
You need a valid IELTS (Academic), TOEFL iBT or PTE Academic score, at the level specified in the Trust’s Fellowship Policy 2025 (re-amended), held by the application closing date. Any one of the three is acceptable.
What happens if I apply online but do not send the hard copy?
The circular states that the application will be treated as incomplete and will not be considered for the fellowship. The online submission alone is not a complete application.
Was the Trust previously called something else?
The Trust now publishes as the Science and Technology Fellowship Trust. Older documents, directories and funding-history records may show the earlier “Bangabandhu” form of the name; the Ministry’s own file paths still use the former abbreviation. Treat the two names as the same body rather than as a discrepancy when verifying a researcher’s funding history.
Sources
All figures on this page are taken from the Science and Technology Fellowship Trust’s fellowship circular for FY 2026–2027, memo number 39.09.0000.000.07.06.2023-178(9), dated 7 July 2026, signed by the Chief Executive Officer (Joint Secretary), and published via the notice board at stft.gov.bd. Checked 22 August 2026. Dates, fees, age limits and the ranking band are reissued each fiscal year — read the current circular before advising an applicant.
