Fulbright-Nehru Fellowship 2027-28: Eligibility Criteria, Awards and Application Process

Fulbright-Nehru Fellowship 2027-28: Important Dates

Fulbright-Nehru Fellowship 2027 – Eligibility Criteria

Eligibility Criteria for Fulbright-Nehru Doctoral Research Fellowships

• Applicant must be registered for a Ph.D. at an Indian institution on or before November 1, 2025.
• Expected Ph.D. thesis submission date must be at least 3 months after the grant end date (e.g., if grant ends May 2028, thesis cannot be submitted before August 2028).
• Applicants must have a published/presented research paper or extracts from a Master’s/M.Phil. thesis (maximum 20 pages) ready for upload.
• A recommendation letter from the Ph.D. supervisor is mandatory, mentioning research topic, Ph.D. registration date and justification for the fellowship.
• Applicant must provide clear justification for conducting research in the U.S. and identify a specific U.S. institution relevant to their research objectives.
• Employed applicants must submit an Employer’s Endorsement Form confirming that leave will be granted during the fellowship period.
• Government of India and State Government employees are NOT eligible, this includes IAS, IPS, IRS, IFS and allied civil services.
• However, researchers from CSIR, ICAR, DRDO, ISRO, ICMR, IISc, IITs, BARC, DBT and DST laboratories are eligible to apply.
• Applicants who have already completed their Ph.D. or are at the final thesis submission stage will not be considered.

Eligibility Criteria for Fulbright-Nehru Postdoctoral Research Fellowship

• Applicant must hold a Ph.D. or D.M. degree obtained between July 15, 2022 and July 14, 2026, degree certificate/provisional must be uploaded on the application.
• Applicant must have a publication in a reputed journal, recent paper/article to be uploaded (not exceeding 30 pages).
• Employed applicants must submit a FNPostdoc Letter of Support from Home Institution, confirming leave will be granted during the fellowship period.
• Candidates working under government-funded projects must also obtain endorsement from their affiliating institution in India.
• Government of India and State Government employees are NOT eligible — this includes IAS, IPS, IRS, IFS, and allied civil services.
• However, researchers and academicians from CSIR, ICAR, DRDO, ISRO, ICMR, IISc, IITs, BARC, ICGEB, DBT, and DST laboratories are eligible to apply.

Eligibility Criteria for Fulbright Nehru Academic and Professional Excellence Fellowships

• Faculty/Researchers must hold a Ph.D. degree with at least 5 years of relevant teaching, research, or professional experience.
• Professionals outside academia must hold a Master’s degree with at least 5 years of relevant experience.
• Applicants must upload a recent significant publication (research paper/article) on the online application — not exceeding 30 pages.
• Employed applicants must submit a Letter of Support from their Home Institution, confirming that leave will be granted during the fellowship period.
• Government of India and State Government employees are NOT eligible — this includes IAS, IPS, IRS, IFS, and allied civil services.
• However, researchers and academicians from CSIR, ICAR, DRDO, ISRO, ICMR, IISc, IITs, BARC, ICGEB, DBT, and DST laboratories are eligible to apply.

Also Read: Fellowships in India – Complete List, Eligibility, Application Process and Awards

Fulbright-Nehru Fellowship 2027 – Benefits

The applicants will receive the following benefits under the Fulbright-Nehru Fellowship program.

Fulbright-Nehru Doctoral Research Fellowship Benefit

• J-1 Visa support provided for the fellowship period.
• Monthly stipend covered throughout the grant duration.
• Accident and Sickness Program for Exchanges as per U.S. Government guidelines.
• Round-trip economy class air travel included.
• Applicable allowances and modest host institution fees covered, if any.
• No allowances provided for dependents, the grant does not cover family members.

Fulbright-Nehru Postdoctoral Research Fellowship Benefit

• J-1 Visa support provided for the fellowship period.
• Monthly stipend covered throughout the grant duration.
• Round-trip economy class air travel included.
• Modest settling-in allowance provided upon arrival.
• Professional allowance covered for work-related expenses.
• Accident and Sickness Program for Exchanges as per U.S. Government guidelines.
• A dependent allowance and international travel may be provided for one accompanying eligible dependent — subject to availability of funds.
• Dependent allowance is applicable only if the dependent stays with the grantee in the U.S. for at least 80% of the grant period.

Fulbright Nehru Academic and Professional Excellence Fellowship Benefit

• J-1 Visa support provided for the fellowship period.
• Monthly stipend covered throughout the grant duration.
• Round-trip economy class air travel included.
• Modest settling-in allowance provided upon arrival.
• Professional allowance covered for work-related expenses.
• Accident and sickness program for exchanges as per U.S. government guidelines.
• For grantees on 8 or 9-month grants, a dependent allowance and international travel may be provided for one accompanying eligible dependent, subject to availability of funds.
• Dependent allowance is applicable only if the dependent stays with the grantee in the U.S. for at least 80% of the grant period.

Documents Required for Fulbright-Nehru Fellowship 2027 

The applicants are required to submit the following documents for the fellowship program: 

• Curriculum Vitae (CV)/Resume
• Academic degree and marksheets
• Language test scores
• Letter of invitation
• Passport
• FNDR annexure form
• FNDR endorsement form
• Study/research objective
• Personal statement
• Portfolio, if applicable
• Scanned copies of your marksheets or transcripts and diploma/degree certificates
• Scanned copies of proof of work/professional experience 
• Three reference letters
• Writing sample (not exceeding 20 pages)
• A scanned copy of the PhD registration certificate

Fulbright-Nehru Fellowship 2027 – Terms and Conditions 

• The candidates can apply for only 1 Fulbright-Nehru fellowship category during a competition cycle.
• Flex grantees are not eligible for dependent benefits. Plagiarism in the application will lead to disqualification.
• Unless otherwise specified, Fulbright-Nehru applications are to be submitted online.
• Applications received after the deadline will not be considered.
• Extensions and transfers of visa sponsorship will not be permitted.
• The applicants will be affiliated with one of the U.S. host institutions for their grant. USIEF strongly recommends that all applicants identify institutions with which they wish to be affiliated and to correspond in advance.
• If the applicants have secured a letter of invitation from a U.S. institution, they need to include it as part of their online application. USIEF will consider up to seven Flex Grants.
• A maximum of two round-trip economy class air tickets for the grantee only will be provided (one ticket per trip).
• The minimum length of the total grant is four months, and the maximum is six months.
• The grant must have two segments.
• The minimum length for any grant segment is one month, and the maximum is three months.
• Applicants may propose for a grant in one-month segment only once.
• Indian academics and professionals contribute to the internationalisation of the curriculum at their U.S. host institutions and the understanding of recent developments not just in India but globally.
• The recipient will be affiliated as a visiting scholar at the U.S. institution and will teach courses individually or to a team.
• The applicant should upload a recent significant publication (copy of paper/article) in the online application.
• If the applicants are employed, they must follow the instructions carefully regarding the employer’s endorsement. The employer must indicate that leave will be granted for the fellowship period. The applicant must obtain the endorsement from the appropriate administrative authority as a Letter of Support from the home institution.
• Not more than 25 per cent of the total Fulbright-Nehru Academic and Professional Awards will be considered for the Flex option. 

Fulbright-Nehru Fellowship 2027 – Application Process 

The eligible candidates can apply for the fellowship by following the steps. 

Step 1: Visit the official website of the United States-India Educational Foundation at www.usief.org.in and proceed further.

Step 3: Click on the ‘Fulbright-Nehru Fellowships’ on the left side of the page. 

Step 4: Choose the fellowship you want to apply for. 

Step 5: Now, navigate to the ‘Application Process’ and click on the first link. 

Step 6: For first-time users, click on the ‘Create an Account’ link, whereas registered users can click on ‘Login’ option.

Step 8: Enter the PIN received through email to activate the account and create a password to complete the process.

Step 9: After successfully creating the account, fill in the required information step-by-step and upload the necessary documents in PDF format as required. 

(Note: Applicants who already have an account can log in using valid credentials.) 

Step 10: Fill in the grant and additional information, and submit the form.

Fulbright-Nehru Fellowship – Contact Details 

Address: Fulbright House, 12 Hailey Road, New Delhi 110 001

Phone Number: +91-11-4209-0909/11-2332-8944

Email ID: info@usief.org.in, ffsp@usief.org.in, masters@usief.org.in, fvsp@usief.org.in 

Fulbright-Nehru Fellowship – FAQs