Young India Fellowship-Ashoka University

Profile

Given the unique nature of the programme there is no “one” kind of profile for a Young India Fellow. However, the following points are being presented to give a broad idea of what we look for. A Young India Fellow could be someone who has:

• A deep-rooted ambition to solve problems and make an impact on society
• Passion for an idea or issue which could have wider social/business/academic implications
• The humility to believe that he/she needs to learn more
• The willingness to think differently and chart a new course
• A demonstrated ability to overcome challenges
• Qualities of integrity, self-awareness, energy, initiative and open-mindedness
• An above-average academic record

Eligibility

Young India Fellowship Programme is open to all young men and women with:

• A recognized undergraduate or postgraduate degree
• Students who are in the final year of their undergraduate or postgraduate degree
• No more than 28 years of age on 31st May, 201​7

The Fellowship promotes diversity and applicants from all areas of specialisation are encouraged to apply. While applicants who have been educated in a vernacular language as their medium of instruction are welcome, it is expected that they will be able to converse, read and write in English.

Selection Process

Applicants are required to submit a detailed application dossier. The selection process includes the following stages: evaluation of the submitted application, telephone interview, a short on-the-spot essay writing test followed by a personal interview.

There is no application fee to apply to the programme.

The selection process will be carried out in four stages:

1. Application Assessment: All applications are reviewed by the selection committee consisting of faculty and executive members of the programme. Candidates are evaluated on the basis of their academic performance through school and college and their involvement in extra-curricular activities. Their interests and concerns along with their thoughts and motivation for a meaningful life as expressed in their essays also make an impression on the reviewer’s mind.
2. Telephonic Interview: Short-listed applicants are interviewed on the telephone before they are called for an in-person interview. Candidates will be notified in advance about when the telephonic interview will take place. It is typically a conversation regarding the information that the candidate has mentioned on their application and may include a discussion about their areas of interests. Most telephonic interviews will not be longer than 15 – 20 minutes.
3. On-the-Spot Essay Writing: Applicants short-listed for Personal Interview are required to write a short essay before their interview. The essay topics are drawn from the applicants’ area of interest/expertise.
4. In-person Interview: Applicants short-listed for Personal Interview are interviewed in Delhi, Mumbai, Kolkata and Bangalore. There could be several rounds of interview for a candidate on the same day, depending on the need for further assessment.

Applicants can choose one of the following two ways to apply:

Apply online by registering himself/herself on the YIF website. Once registered a system generated e-mail will be sent to the registered email id of the applicant.

Financial Aid

Young India Fellowship believes that talented and bright students can come from any corner of the country and can belong to any social or economic strata and hence, there should be no barrier for them to come to the programme. To make it possible for all deserving applicants to avail this opportunity, Young India Fellowship offers scholarships that cover, in full or in part:

• Tuition expenses for lectures and workshops delivered by the very best teachers and experts from around the world
• Boarding and lodging
• Cost of reading and case materials, library subscriptions and shared text books

The average cost of the programme per Fellow includes the tuition fee which is INR 6,00,000 and hostel fee which is INR 1, 70,000 with an additional INR 80,000 as food cost. Each Fellow is sponsored fully or partially by a sponsor. Please see the sponsor section of the website for details about the sponsors.

Details of scholarship break-up:

http://www.youngindiafellowship.com/Apply.aspx

Admissions Schedule

The Admission process for the YIF Class of 2017-18 will start from 22nd August 2016 and close on 28th Feb 2017. YIF offers a rolling admission process and is split into two rounds. Each round accepts applications within a specified timeframe and selects Fellows from the pool of applications from that round.
Please refer to the calendar below for important timelines for the two rounds.

Application and admissions calendar for the YIF class of 2017 – 2018