The Young India Fellowship (YIF) is a one-year multidisciplinary postgraduate diploma programme in Liberal Studies. The Fellowship brings together a group of 300 bright young individuals who show exceptional intellectual ability and leadership potential from across the country and trains them to become socially committed agents of change.

Eligibility criteria
The eligibility criteria to apply for the YIF are:

• A recognised undergraduate or postgraduate degree in any discipline
• Maximum of 28 years of age on 31st May 2019
• Strong academic record and extra-curricular engagement
• Strong written and verbal communication skills

A Young India Fellow could be someone who has:

• A deep-rooted ambition to solve problems and make an impact on society
• Passion for an idea or issue which could have wider social/business/academic implications
• The humility to believe that they need to learn more
• The willingness to think differently and chart a new course
• A demonstrated ability to overcome challenges
• Qualities of integrity, self-awareness, energy, initiative and open-mindedness
• An above-average academic record

Selection Process
Applicants are required to submit a detailed application dossier. The selection process will be carried out in 3 stages, each one being an elimination stage.

• Application Assessment: All applications are reviewed by the selection committee consisting of faculty and executive members of the programme. Candidates are evaluated on the basis of their academic performance through school and college and their involvement in extra-curricular activities. Their interests and concerns along with their thoughts and motivation for a meaningful life as expressed in their essays are also considered.
• Telephonic Interview: Short-listed candidates are interviewed on the telephone. Candidates will be notified in advance about when the telephonic interview will take place. It is typically a conversation regarding the information that the candidate has mentioned on their application and may include a discussion about their areas of interests. The duration of the interview is usually around 20 minutes. This is an elimination round meaning if selected in this round they move on to the Personal Interview.
• Comprehension Test and Personal Interview: On the day of the Personal Interview, candidates will be required to take a comprehension test just before the interview. They will be tested on their reading, understanding, articulation skills and critical thinking ability, not on their knowledge of subject matter. Candidates are interviewed in Delhi, Mumbai, Kolkata, and Bangalore. International candidates have the option to interview on Skype.

The final selection will be based on the cumulative score of all the 3 stages.

Admission Schedule for YIF Class of 2019-2020

• YIF has a rolling admissions process and is split into three rounds. Each round accepts applications within a specified time-frame and selects Fellows from the pool of applications in that round.
• The programme begins for Class of 2019-20: 15th July 2019

To know about the important timelines for the three rounds, please click on this link- https://www.ashoka.edu.in/page/yif-timeline-139

Scholarships and Financial Aid
The Young India Fellowship believes that talented and bright students may belong to any social or economic stratum. To make it possible for all deserving applicants to avail this opportunity, Young India Fellowship offers need-based scholarships that cover, in full or in part:

• Tuition expenses for lectures and workshops
• Residence cost
• Cost of reading and course materials, library subscriptions and shared textbooks

The entire payment needs to be made before the start of the programme.

Refund Policy

• The last date of the admission process of the Young India Fellowship (Ashoka University’s PG Diploma in Liberal Studies) is 25th June 2019.
• In case of withdrawal of candidature, the candidate will be refunded a certain percentage of their deposited fees depending upon the date of their withdrawal.
• An additional amount of 10% shall be deducted as processing charges from the above applicable refundable amount.
• All refunds will happen within 2 to 4 weeks from the date of the request for withdrawal of admission.

To know about the detailed fee structure, please click on this link- https://www.ashoka.edu.in/page/yif-scholarships-140

Application Process:

• Apply online by registering yourself on http://yifp.in/Apply.aspx
• The application process for the Class of 2019-20 opens on August 21st, 2018 and will close on March 30th, 2019.

For any queries write to yifadmissions@ashoka.edu.in
For updates, please visit the website- https://www.ashoka.edu.in/YIF