- Applicant must be responsible citizens of India who can contribute to cultural understanding between India and the United States.
- Applicant must not be residing in U.S. during the recruitment and placement cycle (February 2025-July 2026).
- Indian citizens with active permanent resident status in foreign countries are ineligible.
- Applicants must not be applying for or holding a U.S. permanent resident (green card).
- Applicant should have a strong academic or professional achievement. Additionally, applicant must demonstrate a high level of proficiency in English to undertake the project/program and adapt to life in the U.S.
- If an applicant plans to travel abroad (e.g., for a conference or fellowship) during the application cycle (February 2025-July 2026), they must notify USIEF in advance.
- If employed, the applicant must be eligible for leave during the fellowship period.
- Applicant must give an undertaking to return to India on the completion of the fellowship.
Note:
*Preference will be given to candidates who have not had extensive recent experience in the United States. Some fellowship programs may have prerequisites and guidelines in addition to those described above. Please review the eligibility criteria for specific fellowships carefully.
*Plagiarism detected at any time during the application process or during the fellowship will lead to disqualification, grant termination, and ineligibility for future participation. Some US universities and colleges have developed and published policies on the use of generative artificial intelligence (GenAI) on applications for admission or affiliation with their institution. Some institutions may scan applications for the use of language produced by GenAI. While individual institutional policies range widely and policy responses from US universities will continue to evolve, copying language/content produced by GenAI directly into your application may negatively impact admission or affiliation decisions.