Fellowships In India You Need To Know About

Students are no longer forced to pursue their masters right after they have completed their graduation. The current job market looks for experience a lot more than specific and overbearing degrees on the CV. This new development has created a popularity for Fellowships across the globe and specifically in our country.

In basic words and adhering to the context of this article, a fellowship refers to a number of short term opportunities that a person can have access to for a few months or years because of his/her association with a particular organisation or academic institution.

Currently,In India,there are a variety of fellowships and are available either for all irrespective of their academic background and future aspirations or are specifically devised for the promotion of a certain field of study.

These two kinds of fellowships and details regarding them have been mentioned below-

A. Education/Rural/social development sector

1. Teach for India Fellowship: https://apply.teachforindia.org/

TIF is one of the most widely known and extremely reputed fellowships in Town. As a part of the fellowship, the fellows are placed in different low-income and government-funded schools for a period of two years. The aim is to provide the fellows with an opportunity to experience and understand the grass-root level working of the Indian Education System.

This fellowship,in many cases, has acted as a platform through which people from mainstream backgrounds have changed  their professional course to learn the ways of the social sector.

They are currently also looking for interns,please contact them via mail for further details if you interested in joining the movement.

2. Swachh Bharat Fellowship: https://www.ncertbooks.guru/swachh-bharat-fellowship/

In order to strengthen the government’s Swachh Bharat Initiative,this district level fellowship was established.There is a training mechanism in place after which the selected candidates are placed in rural areas for about eleven months.

There are no strict criterias for application and anyone who posses a degree along with the zeal to work hard and wants to create a change in the society can apply.A basic google form needs to filled to enroll for the fellowship.

3. SBI Youth for India Fellowship: https://youthforindia.org/

This fellowship is a great example of what the private sector can do to help reduce the inequalities in the urban and rural sides of the nation.The fellowship has gained momentum and is now backed by a strong and equipped alumni.

The program works in collaboration with a number of famous and noteworthy NGO’s which helps the students not only to contribute but also helps them to measure the changes they make.

4. William J Clinton Fellowship: https://www.successcds.net/Scholarships/william-j-clinton-fellowship-2019-application-dates.html

This fellowship was established by the American Indian Foundation for creating a pathway to students who are interested in being a part of long term service programmes. Students should have a passion for working towards the betterment of the social and economic conditions in India. The recruitment process involves submitting a bunch of essays through which you need to prove your commitment, interest and sincerity towards the cause.

5. Gandhi Fellowship: http://gandhifellowship.org/

Hosted by Kaivalya Education Foundation, the fellowship is a residential programme for about two years. The foundation helps the fellow flourish by giving him/her the responsibility of handling the administration and other facets of about five schools. It is highly recommended for people who want to polish their leadership skills.

6. Prime Minister’s Rural Development Fellowship: https://www.tiss.edu/view/11/projects/all-projects/prime-ministers-rural-development-fellowship-progr/

The PMRD fellowship grants the fellows an opportunity to work closely or at times with the government. A year of paid volunteering position at a governing body after two years of the fellowship is an interesting and unique way through which the youth can be integrated into the working of the government.

7. Azim Premji Foundation Fellowship: https://azimpremjifoundation.org/faqs-category/about-fellowship

Azim Premji University has become extremely popular in the last few years for its qualitative research and skilled student base. There’s a lot of competition in the case of this fellowship and demands a higher qualification as compared to other fellowships that ask only for preliminary degrees. The students also receive a stipend of 35,000 rupees during the year-old fellowship.

B. Policy and related sector

8. LAMP Fellowship: https://www.prsindia.org/lamp

The Legislative Assistants to Members of Parliament (LAMP) is the best way to gain exposure in the field of public policy and law. The fellows are assigned a particular member of parliament for at least a year and their work revolves around researching and preparing for the upcoming debates, speeches as well as planning for the projects they want to take up.

The fellowship is world renowned as many students who are a part of it have gone ahead to study at Universities like Stanford and Oxford.

9. CPL Fellowship: https://cplindia.org/

The Centre for Public Leadership was started as an initiative to help fellow policy and development enthusiasts.The fellowships gathers students who are eager in policy making and help them build their knowledge as well as their portfolio so that they can become the next generation of public leaders.

The whole mission is run by policy enthusiasts who are themselves trying to find their ground in the field which makes this space very safe,flexible and learning oriented.

C. Multidisciplinary fellowships

10. Ashoka Fellowship: https://www.ashoka.org/en-in/program/ashoka-fellowship

A space for Social Entrepreneurs.It provides a lifetime membership through which one can expand their circles and share knowledge which is an essential method of learning, especially in entrepreneurship.

11. Fulbright Nehru Scholarship: http://www.usief.org.in/Fulbright-Nehru-Fellowships.aspx

This scholarship is a gateway which can be accessed by outstanding Indian Students to get into American graduate Universities. The Fulbright fellowship explains the fields it is limited and the benefits it provides in great detail on their site.

This scholarship accepts a great number of applicants every year and a very small slice of that cohort is chosen.

12. Young India Fellowship: https://www.ashoka.edu.in/YIF/

In its true essence, it is a year old residential diploma course that helps young college graduates explore and find their specific interests out of the multitude of options that they have in front of them. It provides a worldview, a glimpse at multidisciplinary education and memories for a lifetime. YIF is currently one of the most talked about fellowships in the country.

13. Chief Minister Fellowship: https://mahades.maharashtra.gov.in/FELLOWSHIP/english/index.jsp

A brand new initiative that was started to unlock the potential that exists in our own backyards by the state government.The selected candidates are given a good amount every month as a stipend and a recognition if he/she completes the eleven month working period.

14. Jawaharlal Nehru Fellowship: https://scholarship-fellowship.com/jawaharlal-nehru-memorial-fund-scholarship-for-phd-study/

This fellowship is unique as it believes in nurturing the intellectual intellect of the country and provides them with a platform through which they can fully achieve their intellectual capabilities without worrying about their  financial needs.This fellowship is for anyone who is interested and has desperate love for unearthing the unknown properties of the known fields. 

16. Milaap Fellowship: https://career.webindia123.com/career/scholarships/scholarships_india/milaap-fellowship-program/index.htm

This fellowship is for students who want to change the dynamics of the country.Six months of living the rural life and experiencing and writing every situation,is whatthis fellowship class demands from its students

17. Sahapedia – UNESCO Fellowship: https://www.sahapedia.org/sahapedia-unesco-fellowship

An initiative to support art and cultural diversity of India.It helps one regain confidence,if lost about the spirit and force of the country,its heritage and past.This fellowship works on reigniting the flame of inspiration and curiosity among fellow researchers and others.

18. Kstart Fellowship: https://kstart.in/fellows/

If you are looking for gaining hands on knowledge when it comes to the field of venture capital and entrepreneurship,this internship is the place for you.It is a two year long work intensive course.

19. Vision India Fellowship: https://visionindiafoundation.com/fellowships/

The VIF has taken things a step ahead with t’s own new school of public policy and law.The fellowship is now called as the accelerator programme and is based on action oriented learning.

D. Architecture

20. Anant Fellowship: https://anu.edu.in/fellowship/

The fellowship is looked on as the Flagship programme of the Anant University.It’s open for post graduate students and banks upon the faith of keeping curiosity,creativity and invention alive among the upcoming students.

E. Technology Sector

21. Fossee Summer Fellowship: https://fossee.in/fellowship/2020

A six to eight week long fellowship which is open for all who have the zeal and ethics to complete a useful project by the end of the service period.

F. Biotechnology

22. Ramalingaswami Re-entry Fellowship: http://www.dbtindia.gov.in/schemes-programmes/building-capacities/building-critical-mass-science-leaders/ramalingaswami-re

It is primarily for anyone who is based internationally and is now interested in taking up positions in India.The recipient can apply for other scholarships as well.

This by no means is a complete and well rounded list of all the available fellowships,it is just an attempt at spreading the word about the existence of opportunities like these to a greater audience.