This study tracks and analyzes young scholars in different university tiers with comparable academic starting point by comparing the academic trajectories and disparities over a decade after their receipt of the Youth Fund of National Natural Science Foundation of China （NSFC）. The research investigates the impact of key construction policies and institutional hierarchies on the long-term academic development of these scholars. Findings indicate that key construction policies in universities have effectively improved research conditions and enhanced talent retention， with scholars at key construction institutions exhibiting significant advantages in academic development. However， the policies have also intensified resource disparities across institutions. High-competition funding is increasingly concentrated in key construction universities， significantly limiting the opportunities for scholars at non-key construction institutions. The growth in general program funding has predominantly benefited scholars at key construction universities， with little improvement for those in general institutions. Moreover， scholars at non-core key construction universities show no significant academic development advantage over those at general institutions， suggesting that the hierarchical structure of resource allocation constrains a broader reach of the policy benefits. Overall， disparities in academic resources and research environments have progressively widened the development gap among scholars of different institutional tiers. These results underline the enduring impact of resource inequities on scholars’ academic trajectories， meanwhile providing important references for the design of equitable and effective policy frameworks in the future.