American Institute of Indian Studies Senior Fellowships

For more than 60 years, the American Institute of Indian Studies has provided funding to pre- and post-doctoral scholars and artists in pursuit of knowledge about India.

• Junior Fellowships are for graduate students conducting research for their doctoral dissertations in India.
• Senior Long- and Short-term Fellowships are for those holding the PhD degree.
• Performing and Creative Arts Fellowships are available to accomplished practitioners of the arts to conduct their projects in India.

The AIIS fellowship competition is not restricted to those from its member institutions. Non-U.S. citizens may apply as long as they are either graduate students or full-time faculty at colleges and universities in the United States. Approximately 35 fellowships are awarded each year.

THE APPLICATION DEADLINE FOR THE 2023 FELLOWSHIP COMPETITION  IS NOVEMBER 15, 2023

Applications from scholars who are part of a collaborative project involving other scholars are welcome, though AIIS fellowships are granted to individuals, not to teams. Amounts awarded to successful applicants who are members of group projects will be equivalent to fellowships awarded to scholars who submitted applications for individual projects.

A small number of outstanding scholars will be awarded fellowships funded by the National Endowment for the Humanities (Fellowship Programs at Independent Research Institutions). All applicants for senior fellowships who meet the eligibility requirements (who are either US citizens or non-citizens who have resided in the US for at least three years), who request funding for at least four months, and whose projects fall into a range of humanistic disciplines will be considered for an NEH-funded fellowship in a separate review process. Those who are awarded NEH-funded fellowships will receive generous stipends of $5,000 per month. No additional application is required.

Fellowships are funded by both U.S. government grants and AIIS endowment funds. Most of the federal funds received are restricted to U.S. citizens; non-U.S. citizens and performing/creative arts fellows are generally funded by the AIIS endowment.  The number of fellowships AIIS can offer depends on the funding available from the different sources, though all applicants are reviewed equally and simultaneously. The AIIS strongly encourages applications from non-U.S. citizens and U.S. citizens alike, and remains committed to providing research opportunities to all qualified candidates regardless of nationality. It also seeks additional private support to increase the number of its awards. Fellowships are funded by the National Endowment for the Humanities* (also available to permanent residents); the Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs of the United States State Department and the Council of American Overseas Research Centers under the Fulbright-Hays Act of 1961, as amended; and the Smithsonian Institution. Fellowships for six months or more may include support for dependents.

For information about AIIS/Ashoka University Research and Teaching Fellowships click here.

All AIIS fellows will need to obtain certification of U.S. Tax Residency, to certify that the fellowship recipient is a resident of the U.S. and thus subject to the tax laws of the U.S. and does not have to pay tax on the fellowship stipend in India. In order to obtain such certification, fellows will need to go to the IRS web site to fill out Form 8802 to be submitted to the IRS, which will then issue a Form 6166 which certifies that the individual listed on the application is a resident of the U.S. for purposes of the income tax laws of the United States. Fellows will also be asked to fill out Form 10F for the Indian government.