Inlaks Shivdasani Foundation Scholarships: Your Guide to Eligibility and Opportunities

The Inlaks Shivdasani Foundation offers scholarships to Indian students, providing financial assistance to pursue courses at top institutions in the US, UK, and Europe. These scholarships aim to encourage young talents to broaden their vision and improve their skills, enabling them to bring substantial change to their communities in the future. The scholarships can provide up to USD 100,000 in funding for educational programs abroad.

Overview of Inlaks Scholarships

The Inlaks Shivdasani Scholarships are awarded to meritorious Indian students for full-time Master's, MPhil, or Doctoral programs at top-rated American, UK, and European institutions. The scholarships generally are awarded during May or June for studies commencing in September/October.

Key Highlights of Inlaks Scholarships

Particulars	Details
Application period	February to April
Scholarship rewards	Up to USD 120,000
Eligibility criteria	Indian citizens with undergraduate degrees from a recognized university. Must have received an admission offer from a top-ranked institution in the US, UK, or Europe. The applicant must be born on or after 1st January 1996. For Social Sciences, Humanities, Law, Fine Arts, Architecture and related subjects, applicants must have a minimum academic grade of 65%, CGPA 6.8/10, or GPA 2.6/4 from a recognized university/institution. For Mathematics, Sciences, Environment and related subjects, candidates must have a minimum academic grade of 70%, CGPA 7.2/10, or GPA 3/4 from a recognized university/institution.

Application Timeline

Application Opens: Typically from February.
Last Date to Submit the Application: Usually in April.
List of Shortlisted Candidates: Announced in May/June.
Interviews: Conducted in May/June.

Note: The timeline might change as per the discretion of the Inlaks Foundation.

Detailed Eligibility Criteria for Inlaks Scholarships

One of the most important eligibility conditions for Inlaks Scholarships is that applicants must be Indian citizens residing in India at the time of application. Here's a detailed breakdown of the eligibility requirements:

Citizenship and Residency: The applicant must be an Indian passport holder who is resident in India at the time of application. The applicant must be born on or after 1st January 1996.

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Educational Qualifications:
- Applicants must hold a degree from a recognized university in India.
- If you are in the final year of graduation and awaiting results, you are eligible to apply.
- Applicants who hold an undergraduate degree from a recognized university abroad must have resided continuously, been employed, or have been studying in India for at least two years after their undergraduate degree to be eligible to apply.
Academic Requirements:
- For Social Sciences, Humanities, Law, Fine Arts, Architecture and related subjects, applicants must have a minimum academic grade of 65%, CGPA 6.8/10, or GPA 2.6/4 from a recognized university/institution.
- For Mathematics, Sciences, Environment and related subjects, candidates must have a minimum academic grade of 70%, CGPA 7.2/10, or GPA 3/4 from a recognized university/institution.
Prior Admission: It is essential to have prior admission to the institution and course chosen at the time of application. The Foundation will not consider applicants without evidence of admission. An applicant may apply with either a conditional or an unconditional offer letter. If an applicant applies with a conditional offer letter and is shortlisted for the final interview, all conditions stated in the offer letter must be fulfilled before the final interview. Applicants who have an English language certification as a conditional part of their offer letter need to attain that certification before applying for the scholarship. Applicants who have received a deferred offer of admission must have a valid offer for the academic year to be eligible for the scholarships.

Required Documents

Applicants must keep scanned copies of essential documents ready for uploading during the application process:

Copy of Aadhar card or passport (first & last pages) as identity proof in JPEG or PDF format
Applicant’s updated resume/CV
Applicant’s photo in JPEG or PNG format
Any academic achievement and extracurricular attainments in PDF format
Offer letter from the institution/university as evidence of admission to a university or a course with full details of the institute’s financial requirements in PDF format
Reference letters in PDF format

Scholarship Coverage and Financial Conditions

The maximum funding provided by the Inlaks Shivdasani Foundation is USD 120,000. This amount is intended to cover tuition fees, living expenses, one-way travel, visa costs, and health allowance.

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If the tuition fee and living cost exceed USD 120,000, candidates must present evidence that they are capable of covering the balance of the costs at the time of the interview.

Exclusions

Applicants having a postgraduate qualification (e.g. Master’s or PhD) from an institution abroad are not eligible to apply.
Applicants who are already studying or have started their postgraduate education at an institution abroad are not eligible to apply.

Courses Not Covered

The following subjects are generally not eligible for the Scholarship:

Business and Finance
Computer Science (However, exceptions may apply for Imperial College, London)
Engineering (However, exceptions may apply for Imperial College, London)
Fashion Design
Film and Film Animation (However, exceptions may apply for Documentary filmmaking)
Hospitality and Tourism
Indian Studies without Contemporary Relevance
Management Studies (i.e. MBA)
Medicine, Dentistry, and related therapies
Music (However, exceptions may apply for Western Classical singing)

Selection Procedure

The selection of candidates for the Inlaks Scholarships is based on merit. An independent Inlaks Selection Committee analyzes and evaluates applications based on the academic and extracurricular achievements of the applicants. Candidates who display unusual and special talent are called for an interview by the committee.

The selection process consists of three stages:

Review of eligible applications.
Online preliminary interviews with candidates chosen from the review.
A final in-person interview will be held in Mumbai with those who succeed in the preliminary interview.

Candidates who do not receive any communication from the Foundation by a specified date must assume that their applications have not been successful.

Terms and Conditions

In the case of film, dance, acting, and music (western classic) as the field of study, applicants can upload their work through a link.
Applicants whose proposed course of study/specific project needs them to travel to India during their tenure are not considered for the award of the scholarship.
The Inlaks Shivdasani Foundation runs joint scholarship schemes with Imperial College, London, Royal College of Art (RCA), London, School of Oriental and African Studies (SOAS), London, Cambridge Trust, Cambridge, and SciencesPo, Paris. Candidates admitted to these institutions may not need to provide evidence of covering their full tuition fee.

Other Awards and Fellowships Offered by Inlaks Shivdasani Foundation

Besides the Inlaks Scholarships mentioned above, the Inlaks Shivdasani Foundation also offers several awards/fellowships to talented individuals in the fields of Art, theatre, music, and research.

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Inlaks Fine Art Award

Objective & Award: To help young artists enhance their creativity with financial support, the Inlaks Fine Art Award provides INR 3 Lakh to a selected candidate for a period of 1 year.
Eligibility: Applicants must have recently passed graduation/postgraduation or be in the final year of the program at a leading Indian institute for visual arts in India. They must not be more than 30 years of age (by 31st December in the year of application).

Inlaks Music Award

Objective & Award: The selected candidates receive an amount of INR 1.2 lakh for one year and a chance to pursue additional training with an instrumentalist, musician (vocalist), or artists of other performing areas.
Eligibility: Applicants must be Indian citizens residing in India and practicing vocal music in the Indian classical tradition. A total of 2 or 3 candidates are selected based on their proposal for a skill enhancement program.

Inlaks Theatre Award

Objective & Award: The candidates receive a monthly allowance for a maximum period of 1 year.
Eligibility: Applicants must have passed graduation/postgraduation from a leading Indian institute for theatre arts in India and must not be more than 35 years of age (by 31st December in the year of application).

Inlaks Research Travel Grant

Objective & Award: Financial support for a maximum period.
Eligibility: Applicants must possess either a 1st-class bachelor’s (honors) degree or a 1st-class master’s degree. They must be registered in a Ph.D. program in the fields of Humanities and Social Sciences at a recognized Indian institution for at least 2 years but not more than 4 years.

How to Apply

When the opportunity is open to new applications, clicking the 'Apply Now' link will provide access to the application form. For detailed instructions on the application process, refer to the application instructions document.

Additional Scholarship Opportunities for Indian Students

Besides the Inlaks Shivdasani Scholarships, numerous other scholarships are available for Indian students looking to study abroad. Here are a few notable mentions:

Lady Meherbai D Tata Education Scholarship: Awards scholarships to Indian women graduates to support their tuition fees for higher education abroad.
Fulbright-Nehru Master's Fellowship: Supports Indian students pursuing a Master's degree in the United States.
Ms. Agatha Harrison Memorial Fellowship: Administered by the HRD Ministry for students interested in History, Political Science, and Economics at St. Antony College, Oxford University London.
National Overseas Scholarship: Launched by the Ministry of Social Justice and Empowerment to facilitate low-income students from specific categories to pursue higher education abroad.
Tata Scholarship - Cornell University: Available for Indian students admitted to Cornell University as undergraduates who demonstrate financial need.
Aga Khan Foundation International Scholarship: Provides scholarships for postgraduate studies to outstanding students each year.
Great Wall Program: Established by the Chinese Ministry of Education for UNESCO to sponsor students and scholars to study and conduct research in China.
Global Study Awards: Merit-based scholarship for students who have taken the IELTS exam and want to enroll in a full-time program in an English-speaking country.
GREAT Education Scholarships: Launched by the UK Govt. and the British Council for students wanting to study for a Master’s degree at participating UK universities.
Orange Tulip Scholarship: Allows talented students in India to study in the Netherlands with a partial tuition fee waiver.
Narotam Sekhsaria Scholarship: The scholarship is an interest-free loan to pursue higher studies in the field of Pure Sciences, Applied Sciences, Social Sciences, Humanities, Law, Architecture, and Management.

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