6 popular Fellowships offered in India

However, do not think that getting a fellowship is an easy task. Usually there are many interview/selection rounds which one needs to clear so as to be granted a fellowship. In India, there are many organisations which offer fellowships to students. In this article we will be talking about the objective with which these fellowships were started along with what is their eligibility and short listing criteria.

Young India Fellowship

This fellowship if offered by Ashoka University and it aims to groom and produce future leaders of tomorrow. The Young India Fellowship, sometimes referred to as YIF, brings together around 100 entrepreneurs/emerging leaders from across the country. This fellowship is offered as part of a one year residential post-graduate programme. There is no specific educational background needed to be eligible for this fellowship. Candidates from arts, commerce or science background can apply for this programme.

As part of YIF, eminent leaders, academicians and practitioners from India and abroad mentor the fellows on a regular basis. The official website claims that these mentors come from diverse sectors spanning media, consulting, non-profit organisations, banking, IT, etc. and they are committed to supporting the programme in the following ways:

• Guiding the Young India Fellows in developing insights into sectors of their interest
• Creating new opportunities for the Young India Fellows through their network
• Enriching the curriculum by giving lectures and interacting with students and teachers through seminars and other events.

The founding team of YIF consisted of Ashok Belani, Arjun Bhagat, Sanjeev Bikhchandani, Puneet Dalmia, Ashish Dhawan, Ashish Gupta, Vineet Gupta, Rakesh Jaggi, Vinati Kastia, Atul Nishar, Jerry Rao, Sunish Sharma, Pramath Raj Sinha, Saurabh Srivastava, Tiger Tyagarajan and Siddharth Yog.

Teach for India Fellowship

The Teach for India Fellowship is a two-year, full-time paid programme wherein graduates and other professionals work as full-time teachers at low income schools as well as educational institutes which do not have enough resources.

Candidates, as part of this fellowship, have to undergo a training process about which the official website informs by stating: “The training includes a five week, residential training before they start teaching; followed by on-going training and support throughout the two years delivered through conferences, training sessions, leadership forums, online resources and on the ground mentoring by a Program Manager”. The website further explains: “In the 2nd year of the program, each Fellow undertakes an assignment called the 'Be The Change' project wherein they ideate, plan and execute a project that benefits their classroom, the school or the society as a whole.”

Applications for the Teach for India Fellowship open in July for the programme starting the next year.

Eligibility criteria: There is no age limit to apply for this fellowship. However, students and professionals with a Bachelor’s degree from an accredited college or university are invited to apply. Applicants need to be either of Indian citizenship or of Indian origin.

Selection process: The selection process is a three-tier process, which involves:

• Review of online application
• Phone interview (However, some candidates can be directly called for the Assessment Centre stage after review of online application)
• Assessment Centre, a full day session, where candidates undergo a group discussion round, a sample teaching session, a written critical thinking test and a personal interview.

Candidates may even be asked to furnish references of people they have worked with professionally or of their professors. The references will have to vouch for the candidate’s performance and ability to adapt to the role.

Teach for India currently operates in five Indian cities: Mumbai, Pune, Delhi, Hyderabad and Chennai. At present there are around 700 fellows along with 437 alumni who are working with Teach for India.

Ashoka Fellowship

Established in 1981, Ashoka Fellowship is offered to social entrepreneurs who want some financial aid to formulate and devise innovative solutions to social problems, and thereafter, bring change in the society. Ashoka Fellows are known to work in over 60 countries spread across the globe.

At present more than 350 fellows are working in diverse fields under this fellowship.

Ashoka India provides a living stipend for an average of three years to fellows allowing them to focus full-time on building their institutions and spreading their ideas.

Selection criteria:

Candidates are selected and evaluated on the following basis-

• New idea
• Social impact
• Creativity
• Entrepreneurial quality
• Ethics and motivation

Selection process: Candidates are selected for this fellowship through a four step process:

• Step 1- First opinion Interview is conducted wherein candidates are interviewed extensively and their “new idea” is evaluated extensively. After this reference checks are conducted.
• Step 2- Second opinion Interview is conducted by a reviewer from outside India, which usually lasts around 3-5 hours.
• Step 3- National Panel consisting of three leading social /business entrepreneurs acts as a peer-to-peer review process.
• Step 4- Executive Board Review round is conducted where Ashoka Venture Staff and Second Opinion Interviewer collaborate to write the candidate’s profile that presents the main elements of candidacy and demonstrates how each criterion is satisfied.

The New India Fellowship

This fellowship is awarded to scholars and writers working on different aspects of the history of independent India. The New India Fellowship is offered in an 18 month cycle. As per the official website, “From a large pool of several hundred applications, about twelve proposals are short-listed, with these candidates appearing before a jury. Each round, between three and six fellowships are awarded. The duration of the fellowships is twelve months.” As part of this fellowship, an amount of Rs 90,000 a month is paid to fellows.

Candidates are informed about the New India Fellowship through advertisements released in leading journals. The trustees assess the proposals and make a short list from the submissions. The shortlisted candidates are called for an interview, before a jury consisting of eminent people from the fields of scholarship, business, and social service.

Only Indian nationals can apply for this fellowship which also includes those nationals who are currently living abroad. Fellowship holders are expected to write original books. Fellowship holders may choose to write a memoir, reportage or even a thickly footnoted academic study. The subject covered should be oriented towards economics, politics or culture.

The website informs that: “The books that result from the New India Fellowship convey original research in an accessible manner to different constituencies. To that end, each book is published by a prestigious publishing house. The Trustees have wide experience of publishing with leading firms (Oxford University Press, University of Chicago Press, Blackwell, Penguin) in India and abroad.”

TISS Fellowship

Tata Institute of Social Sciences (TISS) offers various fellowships to students/professionals which are as follows:

UGC Junior Research Fellowship

Junior Research Fellowship is available to scholars who have qualified for it through the National Eligibility Test conducted by the University Grants Commission (UGC). The value of the fellowship is Rs 8,000 per month for the first two years and for the next two years it is Rs 9,000 per month. A contingency grant of Rs 10,000 per annum for the first two years and Rs 20,500 per annum for the next two years is also available.

Rajiv Gandhi National Fellowships

Scheduled Caste candidates admitted into the MPhil and PhD programmes are eligible to apply for the Rajiv Gandhi National Fellowship awarded by the UGC. The Fellowship offers Rs 8,000 for the initial two years and Rs 9,000 for the remaining three years. The contingency grant available is Rs 10,000 per annum for the initial two years and Rs 20,500 for the remaining three years. As part of this fellowship House Rent Allowance will be given as per the UGC pattern to students who are not provided with hostel accommodation.

School of Rural Development Fellowship

The School of Rural Development provides three MPhil and two PhD fellowships amounting up to Rs. 5,000 per month.

Other Fellowships

A few fellowships are available with Jamsetji Tata Centre for Disaster Management and TISS-LSE Research Fellowships.

NCBS Fellowships

National Centre for Biological Sciences (NCBS) fellowship programmes aim to provide an opportunity to candidates who would like to perform their research works at NCBS laboratories.

The official website informs: “NCBS Fellows are expected to play leading scientific roles in the laboratory of their hosts and in NCBS as a whole. Their research projects will be in close collaboration with those of their hosts and stimulate interactions within and outside the NCBS community”. It further informs: “The host laboratory at NCBS will provide resources and space, with the possibility of additional support, as needed. Fellows may also choose to hold a part of their Fellowship in laboratories outside NCBS for collaborative work and training in skills relevant to their program of research.”

Candidates who want to apply for this research fellowship need to choose a lab from NCBS, inStem or CRG with which they would like to be associated with on a collaborative project. They can even select more than one laboratories to work on their research project.

Candidates are eligible to apply for this fellowship if they hold a PhD and should have a proven record of research accomplishments and at least one original first author publication.