Eligibility Criteria

• Be Indian nationals or permanent residents, currently residing in the states of Bihar, Chhatisgarh, Gujarat, Jammu & Kashmir, Jharkhand, Madhya Pradesh, Orissa, Rajasthan, Uttar Pradesh or Uttaranchal.
• Hold a Bachelor’s or a Master’s degree from a recognized Indian university with at least 55% marks. Applicants who already have two post-graduate degrees or equivalent will be given lower preference.
• Have at least two year’s full-time work experience relevant to their proposed area of study.
• Have experience in leadership and community service or development related activities.

• Meet necessary admission requirements and language proficiency standards of the foreign or Indian university. Selected candidates who need training in English language skills should be able to devote up to 6 to 9 months, if required, to pursue a residential language training program outside their state. This takes place during the pre-fellowship phase after the announcement of the fellowship and prior to the commencement of the academic program.
• Pursue a post-graduate degree that will directly enhance their capacity to excel in an academic, policy-making, practical or artistic field corresponding to the Ford Foundation’s grant-making areas.
• Present a plan specifying how they will apply their studies to social problems or issues in their own countries.
• Demonstrate their commitment to working for these issues following the Fellowship period.
• Individuals who already have a degree from abroad will not be considered.
• Individuals must currently reside and need not belong to one of the 10 target states.
• Individuals belonging to the 10 target states but currently living outside these states will not be eligible.