India
55 Fulbright-Nehru Open Study/Research Award
Accepted Degree Levels
|
Grant PeriodFlexible StartGrant Length9 Months |
Award Type
Award Profile
The Fulbright-Nehru Student Research grant provides its recipients the opportunity to conduct individually designed research projects in India.
Grant Length
Grant Period
9 Months
Doctoral candidates can start their grants at any time from July 2026 through March 2027.
Non-Ph.D. grantees are required to attend a mandatory orientation in Delhi in mid-August 2026 before the start of their grants.
Orientation
Mandatory
Virtual Pre-Departure Orientation sessions will be held in May/June 2026. All grantees should plan to participate virtually as a condition of their grants.
Candidate Profile
Applications in all fields of study will be considered.
What is life like for Fulbrighters in the host country?
Applicants are expected to research their host country. Application materials should indicate a clear commitment to the host country community and a description of how you will engage with it.
Moving to a new country and conducting research in a foreign environment can often be challenging, but USIEF staff are always around to help you. Reaching out to the Fulbright alumni community to discuss your research is often a good start. Check with USIEF to see if your host institution in India has previously hosted a Fulbrighter. Also, check if your host city has had any Fulbrighters before. The alumni are a good source of knowledge regarding the best places to eat out, or just hang out on the weekends.
Eligibility
Degree Level of Applicant
- Bachelor's
- Master's
- Doctoral
Foreign Language Evaluation (FLE) Form
If required, submission of the Foreign Language Evaluation (FLE) form is mandatory, even if you have advanced skills or are a native speaker of the language. Failure to submit the required FLE form may impact your eligibility.
English will suffice in most cases. A working knowledge of a modern Indian language may be important for the success of some research projects.
Fulbright Proposal Types
Yes
No
Affiliation
Location Details: Affiliations are available throughout India except for the Union Territory of Jammu and Kashmir. In addition to a valid visa or OCI Project Clearance, prior approval from the Government of India may be required for traveling to protected/restricted areas as designated by the Government of India. These areas include Arunachal Pradesh, Andaman and Nicobar Islands, Manipur, Mizoram, Nagaland, Sikkim, and parts of Himachal Pradesh, Rajasthan, and Uttarakhand. Scholars should consider this before finalizing their institutional affiliations or research projects.
According to Government of India regulations, Fulbrighters must be affiliated either with institutions/organizations of higher education approved and listed on the website of the Indian Ministry of Education, including institutions accredited AICTE, UGC and other Apex Level Bodies of the Ministry (https://www.education.gov.in/apex-level-bodies), or medical institutions accredited by the Medical Council of India (MCI).
Note: Fulbrighters cannot be affiliated with non-government organizations (NGOs), think tanks, research organizations or other institutions that are not recognized by these regulatory bodies.
Applicants are encouraged to indicate their affiliation preference and secure an invitation letter from an institution when possible. If the applicant does not have a preferred host institution, USIEF can assist with identifying an appropriate one. Affiliations will be finalized by the United States-India Educational Foundation (USIEF) after the grantee is selected. USIEF reserves the right to change the affiliation if the one indicated in the application is unsuitable for any reason.
Affiliation Fees/Tuition
Award Benefits
- A stipend broadly based on the cost of living in the host country. These funds may be used by the grantee to support housing, meals, and incidental costs during the grant period.
- International travel benefits
- Accident & sickness health benefits
- 24/7 mental health support line for urgent and non-urgent situations
- 12 months of non-competitive eligibility (NCE) hiring status within the federal government
Stipend Amount
This is an estimated amount and is subject to change. The financial terms of the grant will be confirmed in the grant document issued after selection.
Monthly maintenance is intended to cover housing, travel, and incidentals.
Dependents Allowance: An additional US$200 monthly is available to support a maximum of one dependent. Dependent must accompany the grantee for at least 80% of the grant period. International travel benefit is for grantee only. No travel allowance provided for dependents.
Note also:
- The last installment of maintenance, allowances is pro-rated in case you depart early.
- USIEF will wire transfer the allowances to the grantee’s U.S. bank account once in two months and will bear the wire transfer fees up to $15 for each wire transfer. For claiming the wire transfer fee, grantees will have to submit a copy of their bank statement that clearly shows that the wire transfer fee is charged on the transfer made by USIEF.
One-Time Allowances
This is an estimated amount and is subject to change. The financial terms of the grant will be confirmed in the grant document issued after selection.
- Excess baggage fees
- Language training allowance
- Research/Materials allowance
One-Time Allowances are available on a reimbursement basis, up to the maximum amounts listed.
- Broker's Fee for Housing: up to US$500
- Baggage Allowance: up to US$600. The excess baggage allowance is released only after submission of the scholar’s final report to IIE and USIEF.
- Research Allowance: up to US$500. Only the following expenses will be reimbursed as part of the research allowance:
- Hiring of assistant/translator, transcribers, interpreters for research work
- Purchase/rental of books, photocopy of reading/learning material and project-related equipment (does not include computers, printers, office consumables, recording equipment, cameras, binoculars, tents, mosquito nets) which are necessary for scholars’ project.
- Rental space for artist’s exhibits or events by Fulbrighters for their project if the institution space is not available.
To claim a research allowance, a scholar must submit to USIEF a statement of expenses along with copies of receipts. USIEF will not process reimbursement for an expense if the receipt copy is not provided. Grantees can obtain receipts from research assistants that clearly mentions number of hours worked, total duration, nature of assignment along with the stipend amount. This receipt should be signed both by the grantee as well as the research assistant
Additional Grant Benefits
- Mid-year seminar
South and Central Asia Fulbright Conference
With funding provided by the United States Department of State’s Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs, the U.S.-India Educational Foundation (the Fulbright Commission in India) invites eligible Fulbright Students and Scholars in the South and Central Asia region to attend the annual South and Central Asia Fulbright Midyear Conference in India (usually held in February or March). The conference is an opportunity for current Fulbright U.S. Students who are on their Fulbright grants in the SCA region at the time of the conference to gather to discuss each other’s work and educational exchange issues and to invite suggestions for the future development and enhancement of the Fulbright Program. Financial assistance to attend the conference is provided as an additional Fulbright grant benefit.
Please note: The 2026-27 Fulbright Conference will be dependent on global travel conditions. More information will be provided prior to grant departure.
Estimated Cost of Living
Consider using cost of living comparison websites to gain a better understanding of the potential costs in your host country.
The cost of living varies from city to city. Applicants who wish to know more about the estimated cost of living can write to USIEF. USIEF officials can connect applicants to alumni who have lived in the same city where the applicant wishes to be placed.
Dependents
For all grantees, a monthly maintenance allowance is payable for one accompanying dependent only. No travel allowance provided for dependents.
Housing Arrangements
Housing arrangements will be made with the assistance of the Fulbright Commission, local facilitators and brokers, and the host institutions.
Research Clearance and Indian Visas
Clearance and a student visa from the Government of India are required for all Fulbright-Nehru grantees. The detailed procedure for obtaining a student visa will be communicated to grantees upon selection by USIEF. Grants cannot be issued for travel to India until proper Government of India approvals and student visas are received.
Institutional Review Board (IRB)
Upon confirmed selections, applicants proposing research involving human beings or animals as research subjects who plan to formally publish the results or to use the results in a graduate program should have their projects vetted by the Institutional Review Board (IRB) at their home institutions in U.S. For more details, please check following weblink:-https://fulbrightindiaguide.org.in/institutional-review-board-irb-approval/
Archival Research
Applicants should clearly state in their proposals whether they will need to consult records and/or papers in the National Archives, New Delhi, or in State archives. USIEF will obtain the necessary letter from the U.S. Embassy which will be required for entrance into the archives.
Archaeological Research
Applicants must state clearly in their proposals whether they will need to visit excavation sites. Selected candidates in this field will be required to fill out a form for obtaining special clearance from the Archaeological Survey of India.
Public Health / Medical Research
Applicants in health-related research may require additional approvals. USIEF will guide candidates through the process.
Security Concerns
The Fulbright Commission in India will carefully review all Fulbright proposals for feasibility and security concerns. Applicants must be flexible in response to changing conditions and grantees must comply with all security procedures set in place by the Commission in consultation with the U.S. Embassy in India.
Change in Marital Status
All grantees must inform IIE and USIEF of any change in marital status. Candidates who marry after submitting applications must allow at least 6-8 weeks for their spouses to obtain visas.