IndiaAI Fellowship Programme opens for AY 2026-27: Check eligibility, funding & deadline

Applications are officially open for the IndiaAI Fellowship Programme for Academic Year 2026-27, offering extensive financial backing to full-time Indian scholars across undergraduate, postgraduate, integrated dual degree, and doctoral levels.

The flagship initiative is set to fuel research across disciplines — spanning engineering, medicine, law, commerce, business, and liberal arts — provided projects center on artificial intelligence or related domains. Indian nationals pursuing full-time studies have until November 30, 2026, to submit their applications online at https://fellowship.indiaai.gov.in.

Designed to bolster the country’s growing artificial intelligence capabilities, the fellowship structures significant financial resources and conference allowances tailored to each academic stage.

PhD scholars

Newly-enrolled, first-year PhD students with an academic threshold of at least 8.0 CGPA (or 80%) in undergraduate studies, or 7.5 CGPA (or 75%) in postgraduate studies, are eligible for multi-year support.

The fellowship provides a monthly stipend of ₹70,000 for the first two years, ₹75,000 for the third year, and ₹80,000 for the fourth and fifth years (inclusive of allowances like HRA). Additionally, PhD scholars receive up to ₹2 lakh per year in research grants (with institutional overheads capped at 10%), alongside total contingency support reaching up to ₹10 lakh.

Postgraduate students

Full-time PG scholars in their 1st, 2nd, or 3rd semester who have completed at least three full-time AI courses and maintained a minimum CGPA of 7.0 (70%) are eligible for up to ₹2.0 lakh in total funding support across the program.

Undergraduate & Integrated dual degree students

Final-year students who have completed at least three full-time AI courses and achieved a minimum CGPA of 7.0 (70%) in their last completed semester can access funding support of up to ₹1.0 lakh. UG candidates in 3-year programs become eligible after the 4th semester or 2nd-year results, while 4-year UG students can apply after their 6th semester or 3rd-year results. Integrated Dual Degree candidates can apply after their 8th semester or 4th-year results.

Across all categories, scholars whose research papers are accepted at international AI conferences with an h5-index greater than 100 will receive an additional one-time funding support of up to ₹1.0 lakh toward travel and accommodation expenses.

Applicants across all streams must submit standard verification records, including an official signed and stamped endorsement letter from their guide, department head, or institute head on official letterhead; original marksheets; a passport-size photograph (.jpg, .jpeg, or .png); and a cancelled bank cheque or passbook cover page registered under the student's name. Postgraduate applicants may also optionally submit an original GATE scorecard. Part-time students are strictly ineligible to apply.

The fellowship operates under the broader IndiaAI Mission, which seeks to build a robust domestic ecosystem by democratising compute access, developing indigenous capabilities, attracting top talent, supporting startups, and advancing ethical and socially impactful AI across seven key strategic pillars.