Fulbright-Nehru Masters Fellowships

The Fulbright-Nehru Master’s Fellowships are awarded to talented Indian students who demonstrate qualities of leadership, have sufficient academic qualification, and work experience. The fellowship is offered for one year or two years, depending upon the duration of the selected master’s degree program in USA university. Explore USA Universities.

The benefits granted under the Fulbright-Nehru Master’s Fellowships are:

J-1 USA student visa support facility.
Economic class flight fares - Round trip from student’s hometown to the institution in the USA.
Tuition fees (USIEF funding may not cover all costs and the scholar may need to supplement grant benefits with other resources).
Accident and Sickness coverage as per the U.S. Government guidelines.
Living and other related expenses (Accommodation cost and Spouse/Child care are not covered) Check: Student housing options in USA.

The Selection committee grants fellowship to only candidates that are committed to returning to India after course completion and who will contribute to making a transformative impact on the country’s development.

Highlights

Scholarship Type	Merit-Based, Need-Based
Offered by	Trust
Organization	United States- India Educational Foundation (USIEF)
Application Deadline	May 17 ,2023
Number of Scholarships	N/A
Amount	Variable Amount
Renewability	Yes, Yearly
International Student Eligible	Yes
Scholarship Website Link	https://www.usief.org.in/Fulbright-Nehru-Fellowships.aspx

Eligibility Criteria

Indian students must have completed their undergraduate degree from a recognized institution, that is equivalent to a US bachelor's degree such as:

four-year bachelor's degree; or
completed master's degree, or
full-time postgraduate diploma ( if UG degree is of less than four years' duration)

Applicants who fulfill this basic requirement must verify the eligibility criteria mentioned below:

Academic Qualification: Minimum 55% or higher in an undergraduate degree
Skills: Leadership skills and community service experience.
Professional Experience: Minimum of 3-years full-time (paid) experience in the related field of study.
Language Proficiency: Minimum acceptable IELTS score of 6.0 or equivalent TOEFL/PTE score.
- For the language test waiver, students must contact the USIEF.

Eligible Fields of Study

Each applicant should have enrolled in one of the fields of study:

Environmental Science/Studies	International Affairs
Economics	Urban and Regional Planning
International Legal Studies	Public Health
Arts and Culture Management	Higher Education Administration
Public Administration	Women's Studies/Gender Studies
Journalism and Mass Communication

Note: Each applicant should choose one field of study that matches his/her chief area of interest. The individual program may have a different structure and curriculum depending upon the academic host institution due to subspecialties, course offerings, and academic requirements.

Application Process

Fulbright-Nehru Master's Fellowships applications are accepted through an online process. As a prospective candidate, you have to complete the online Application form available here.

The step by step procedure to fill Fulbright Nehru Master’s fellowship is given below:

Step 1: Visit the web page and create an account.
Step 2: Provide personal details and click "Continue".
Step 3: Applicants will receive a pin by email which they would need to enter and proceed.
Step 4: Create a password and log in to the account.
Step 5: Provide personal, contact, and academic information.
Step 6: Provide information on language skills, study plan, personal statement, university preference, etc.
Step 7: Upload the required documents.
Step 8: Fill in the grant and additional information and submit the form.

Review the entire application before submitting it. The application should be free of grammatical and spelling errors.

Documents Required

Applicants are required to submit the below-mentioned documents along with their online applications:

Academic transcripts (scanned) from previous institutions, accompanied by certified English translations.
Statement of purpose
Updated CV/Resume
Academic degree and mark sheets
Experience Certificate
English Language Proficiency Test Scorecard
Minimum 3 Letters of recommendations (Professional and academic references for PG)
Copy of passport

Note: Applicants must go through the Instruction form and keep documents ready beforehand. This will help them to submit the form easily. Students should also be aware of Nehru Master’s Fellowship terms and conditions.

Selection Process

The candidate did not need to apply separately to U.S. institutions, this is done by IE/Fulbright Program, which will send their applications to four different institutions.

The awardees for the Fulbright Scholarship are selected based on their overall performance in academics, work/experience skills, competency, skills and experience in community service. The selection committee also reviews the CV and essay submitted by the student, at the time of application.

After a careful examination of all these, the candidates are shortlisted and are informed by the USIEF thereafter. Timeline and Placement Process for the Fellowship:

May 17, 2023	Application for Master’s 2024-2025
Mid-June, 2023	Applications are reviewed by the Field-specific experts
Mid-August, 2023	Short-listed candidates are Interviewed in Delhi
End-August, 2023	USIEF notifies the principal and alternate nominees for taking tests such as TOEFL & GRE
October, 2023	USIEF forwards applications for approval and placement
March/April, 2024	Finalists are notified
May/June, 2024	Training in the USA (Pre-academic)
July/August, 2024	Degree program Starts

Placement of shortlisted recipients is done by the Institute of International Education (IIE), New York. The recommended candidates are not required to separately apply to US institutions as the IIE/Fulbright program will apply on their behalf to 4 different institutions. While doing so, the preference of the candidates will be taken into consideration.

Note: Those candidates that have previously applied to the U.S. Institutes must notify USIEF immediately.

Grant Details

The Fulbright-Nehru master's Fellowships provide grants to students enrolled in the Master’s Program. It covers tuition fees and basic living expenses.

Terms and Conditions of Fulbright-Nehru Master’s Fellowships

The scholarship does not cover overall costs, therefore the scholar may need additional grant benefits with some other resources also. Check: Cost of studying in USA.

The fellowship does not provide any financial aid for dependents.
The Applicant must return to work in their home country, after the completion of their master's course or Research.
The benefit of the fellowship will not be extended after completion of the actual study i.e. a maximum of 2 years
Fulbright-Nehru applications are submitted online, otherwise stated.
The applicant can apply for fellowship only under the Fulbright-Nehru category.
No application will be taken into consideration after the deadline.
Extension/ Transfer of Visa sponsorship is not permitted.
Plagiarism in the application form will lead to disqualification.

The Fulbright-Nehru Master's Fellowships are specially designed for outstanding Indian students to pursue a master's degree program at selected U.S. colleges and universities.