Funding

Partial / Stipend · Self Funded

Fellowship•India · Sonepat

Young India Fellowship

Ashoka University

Application Deadline

Closed · March 31, 2026

Reopens ~Mar 2027

Official Page

The Young India Fellowship is Ashoka University’s year-long residential programme leading to a Post-Graduate Diploma in Interdisciplinary Studies. Around 100 fellows join each class, drawn from India and abroad, and live on campus at Rajiv Gandhi Education City in Sonepat, Haryana, inside India’s National Capital Region. The year runs across eight terms of roughly six weeks each, with about 18 core and elective courses taught by Ashoka faculty, visiting faculty and practitioners.

Fellows also take a year-long Critical Inquiry and Expression module and complete the Experiential Learning Module, an eight-month project with a partner organisation carried out in teams of three or four. Each class starts in July and closes with convocation in early July the following year. Ashoka University is a liberal arts and sciences institution with more than 2,800 students on campus from 28 Indian states and 21 other countries.

Benefits & funding

  • A Post-Graduate Diploma in Interdisciplinary Studies from Ashoka University on completion.
  • Every offer holder in the Class of 2027 received a minimum scholarship worth a 25% waiver on tuition, roughly INR 1,99,500. Ashoka states that no fellow in that class pays the full programme fee.
  • The Chancellor’s Scholarship is awarded on merit with no separate application, and covers full tuition or a combination of support.
  • A need-based scholarship covers the gap between programme costs and what a family can pay, assessed from income tax returns, bank statements, salary records and asset details.
  • Programme fee for the Class of 2027 before scholarships: tuition INR 7,98,000, residence INR 2,05,000, essential services INR 5,400, and a meal plan advance of INR 70,000.
  • A hostel place on campus is part of the programme, and every fellow is enrolled in a health insurance plan.
  • Education loans are available through partner lenders including Credila, WeMakeScholars, Avanse Financial Services, Axis Bank and Propelld.
  • The Experiential Learning Module places fellows with an organisation for eight months of live project work, alongside mentorship and the alumni network.

Eligibility

  • A recognised undergraduate degree in any discipline, or an equivalent qualification.
  • Final-year undergraduates may apply and submit a provisional degree attested by their institution.
  • Open to applicants from India and abroad, with no nationality or residency requirement.
  • No age limit. Fellows in the Class of 2026 ranged in age from 20 to 39.
  • Work experience is not required. Full-time roles, entrepreneurship, freelancing and internships all count in an applicant’s favour.
  • Postgraduate qualifications are an advantage and are not a condition.
  • Applicants need to converse, read and write in English, the medium of instruction.
  • One application per admissions cycle, in a single round. Reapplying in a later cycle is allowed and calls for an additional essay.

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Application process

  1. 1
    Wait for the next cycle to open on the YIF admissions page. Applications for the Class of 2027 ran from 28 October 2025 to 31 March 2026 in two rounds.
  2. 2
    Register on the YIF application portal and complete the online form, which covers candidate information, three written essays, one video essay and survey sections.
  3. 3
    Upload the supporting documents: a government-issued photo ID, a one-page CV, academic marksheets and evidence of non-academic activities.
  4. 4
    Submit one letter of recommendation after shortlisting, from a professional or an academic referee. Letters from family members, relatives or friends are not accepted.
  5. 5
    Attend a personal interview on Zoom, a 25 to 40 minute conversation with two panelists drawn from faculty, senior leadership, YIF alumni and the YIF team. Some candidates are invited to a second interview.
  6. 6
    Receive an offer of admission, a waitlist place or a denial.
  7. 7
    Offer holders and waitlisted candidates apply for the need-based scholarship in a window of about one week, with full financial documentation. That deadline is binding and is not extended.

Program timeline

  1. Applications open for the Class of 2027

    Oct 28, 2025

  2. Round 1 offers of admission and the Round 1 need-based scholarship window

    2026-03

  3. Extended Round 2 deadline, the last date to apply for the Class of 2027

    Mar 31, 2026

  4. Personal interviews

    2026-03 to 2026-04

  5. Round 2 offers of admission and the Round 2 need-based scholarship window

    2026-05

  6. 2026-07

    Class of 2027 begins on campus

  7. Convocation

    2027-07

  8. Next cycle

    dates for the Class of 2028 are not published yet, and Ashoka is collecting interest registrations for it

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