Know All About Fulbright Nehru Master’s Scholarships for USA

Designed to assist outstanding Indian students wishing to pursue a master’s degree at a US university. The scholarships are offered to students planning to pursue a postgraduate degree in the fields of Arts and Culture Management, International Affairs, Environmental Science/Studies, Economics, International Affairs, Higher Education Administration, Public Health, International Legal Studies, Urban and Regional Planning, Women’s Studies/Gender Studies, Public Administration, and Journalism and Mass Communication.

Commonly, the award is conferred to individuals who can demonstrate leadership qualities, earned a US bachelor’s degree equivalent with 3 years of professional experience and are committed to returning and contributing to their communities.

Selected candidates will be able to avail of the scholarships for a period of 2 years. Here’s everything you need to know about USIEF Fulbright Nehru Scholarships in the US.

Fulbright Nehru Scholarship Eligibility

All interested candidates must abide by the following guidelines and requirements for the Fulbright Nehru Scholarships.

• Applicants must prove themselves to be responsible Indian citizens with the ability to provide a full and fair picture of the Indian culture and civilisation, thus, facilitating a better understanding and friendship between the US and India.

• Should not be residing within the US, both during the recruiting and placement cycle, i.e. February 2023 to July 2024. This also includes Indian citizens applying for or holding a US permanent residency.

• Indian citizens who have received permanent residence from any other country will not be considered eligible.

• Applicants should present proof of high academic and professional achievements and qualifications.

• They must also provide proof of adequate English language proficiency to complete their proposed degree or programme and adjust to life in the US as an international student.

• Applicants employed at the time of application must be eligible for leave.

• They should demonstrate being in good health.

• Candidates will be required to provide an undertaking to return to India after completing their fellowship.

• All candidates who need to travel abroad during the application cycle starting July 2023 to July 2024 should inform USIEF of the same.

Apart from the guidelines mentioned above, there are certain Academic and Professional requirements for Fulbright Nehru Scholarships that applicants must satisfy before applying.

• All applicants must have a bachelor's degree from a recognised Indian university which is equivalent to a US bachelor’s degree.

  • They should have secured at least 55% in the final examinations

  • Accepted degrees include a four-year Bachelor’s degree or a master’s degree or a full-time postgraduate degree from a recognised Indian university or institution (if the bachelor’s degree is of less than 4 years).

• Candidates should have at minimum a 3-year professional experience relevant to the proposed field of study at the time of application.

• They should also demonstrate good leadership qualities and community service experience.

• Candidates should not have earned a degree from another US university or be enrolled in another US degree programme.

• Those employed at the time of application need to follow the instructions about Employer’s Endorsement. They will need to obtain the endorsement from the respective administrative authority on the FN Master’s Endorsement Form, wherein, the employer should indicate that the appropriate amount of leaves will be granted for the duration of the fellowship.

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Why Apply for Fulbright Nehru Scholarships?

Among the benefits of Fulbright Nehru Scholarships that Indian applicants can experience include:

• Candidates will receive J-1 visa support

• The fellowship will sponsor a round-trip economy class trip from the awardee’s home city to the host institution in the USA. 

• The fellowship will also cover the tuition costs as well as the living expenses.

• Additionally, as per US guidelines, the fellowship will also cover accident and sickness costs.

As per the official website, the grant has been designed to provide financial support to the fellows, however, there may be costs that may not be covered by the fellowship and must be addressed by other sources. In addition to this, the fellowship will only cover the applicant and not their dependents.

How to Apply for Fulbright Nehru Master’s Scholarships?

Those interested in receiving the postgraduate grant must follow the ensuing instructions on how to apply for Fulbright Nehru Master’s Scholarships.

• Candidates will need to create an account with the official website of USIEF for Fulbright Nehru Scholarships.

• They will need to provide their email address and other details to create the account. The email address will become the username.

• Interested candidates can fill out the application forms after logging into the account. However, they are not required to complete the application form in one sitting. In other words, candidates can partially fill out the form, log out of their account and re-login, to fill up the remaining sections of the form.

• Candidates are advised to check all the information they provide on the form thoroughly before submitting the form, as once the form is submitted, candidates will not be able to edit the same afterwards.

• When adding your responses to questions on the online application form for Fulbright Nehru Scholarship, candidates will have to adhere to the character limits.

• Compile the necessary documents and save them as PDF documents to preserve formatting and special characters used in the document.

• They must also ensure that the application is free of grammatical and spelling errors before submitting the form.

Along with checking the grammatical and spelling errors in the form, candidates are advised to go through the latest updates to be aware of any changes introduced by USIEF before submitting the application form.

Documents Required for Fulbright Nehru Masters Scholarship

There are several documents that need to be submitted while applying for the renowned scholarship in the US. Here is a list of the documents required for Fulbright Nehru Masters Scholarships:

• Resume/CV

• Scanned copies of the mark sheets and academic transcripts, including the degree certificates.

• Scanned copies of the proof of professional experience.

• A statement of letter

• Study research objective

• If applicable, a portfolio

• Three recommendation or reference letters

• FN Masters application annexure

• Acceptance letters from or correspondence with US universities

• FN Masters Endorsement form, if applicable

• A writing sample

There may be other documents that candidates may have to submit along with the application form. Therefore, keep an applicant checklist ready at hand, when filling out the application form, which may help you reduce mistakes during the application process.

Eligible Fields for Fulbright Nehru Scholarships?

As outlined above, candidates from select backgrounds will be able to apply for the Fulbright Nehru Scholarships, as has been detailed in brief below:

• Arts and Culture Management

• International Affairs

• Environmental Science/Studies

• Economics

• International Affairs

• Higher Education Administration

• Public Health

• International Legal Studies

• Urban and Regional Planning

• Women’s Studies/Gender Studies

• Public Administration

• Journalism and Mass Communication

Candidates interested in applying for the scholarship must send in their application before the application deadline for Fulbright Nehru Master’s Scholarship 2024-25 by 17 May 2023. Subsequently, select candidates will be notified to participate in the placement process which would include interviews, attempting required tests, approval of the scholarship applications by the Board, orientation and training before departing to the US and more.

Timeline for Fulbright Nehru Masters Scholarship

To avail of the Fulbright Nehru Masters Scholarship, candidates will have to abide by the timeline and placement process as defined by USIEF, as outlined below.

*FFSB - Fulbright Foreign Scholarship Board is the authority responsible for approving the applications that have been shortlisted and finalised by USIEF.

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Note: The timeline defined above has been provided for reference purposes only. Therefore, keep a check on this page or the official website for any changes in the application or the scholarship itself.

Applying for Fulbright Nehru Masters Scholarship to study in the USA is one of the greatest opportunities available for Indian students. Therefore, it is important to follow all the guidelines and regulations stipulated by USIEF. The scholarship has helped several Indian students to achieve their dream of studying at some of the best universities in the world.