Applications Invited for Eklavya Global Scholars Program (GSP)

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About the Organization

Founded in 2017, Eklavya is a community-led organization that works with first-generation learners to facilitate their successful transition into higher education and leadership. Since inception, Eklavya has trained over 2000 students, with 1200+ gaining admission into 80+ top global universities, and 400+ alumni now in white-collar jobs, uplifting their families’ incomes tenfold. Our mission is to impact 20,000 first-generation students and families by 2030.

Eklavya exists to improve access to quality higher education among first-generation students from marginalized communities through awareness, mentoring, and coaching interventions.

About the Fellowship

The Eklavya Global Scholars’ Program (GSP) is a dedicated mentorship initiative designed to support first-generation university students from historically underrepresented communities in pursuing quality higher education at global universities.

Over the last two cohorts of our Master's and PhD programs, we have worked with more than 150 emerging scholars across India throughout their application processes.

Why Eklavya Global Scholars’ Program (GSP): -

• Residential boot camps and workshops foster community support and learning through our robust academic network.
• Tailored one-to-one mentorship for building a Curriculum Vitae (CV), Statement of Purpose (SOP), Letters of Recommendation (LOR), research proposals, and academic writing, among others.
• Counseling on course and university shortlisting, with a specific focus on scholarship application guidance.
• Priority given to students from rural, tribal, tier-2/3 towns, and underrepresented communities.
• Special support for English language tests like IELTS/TOEFL and the GRE.
• Now accepting applications in STEM-related fields as well!
• A robust network of global mentors with lived experiences.
• Regular check-ins for peer support, mental health, and capacity building.

GSP - Ph.D Cohort 3.0 -

Eklavya Global Scholar's Program (GSP) is excited to announce its PhD Cohort 3.0 Mentorship program, following the successful completion of its pilot batch of PhD in 2025-26. We are thrilled to inform you that we are now accepting applications for our second cohort under GSP PhD Cohort 3.0!

For the past seven years, the Eklavya India Foundation has dedicated its efforts to mentoring first-generation university students and those from marginalized communities. This initiative has enabled over 2,500 students to gain admission to premier institutes of higher education and secure prestigious development-related fellowships in India and abroad. Eklavya's students come from marginalized backgrounds, including rural and tribal areas, as well as tier-2/3 towns, and have often received their education in non-English medium institutions. Initially focused on providing access to quality higher education opportunities within India, in the last three years, we have expanded our platform to also foster emerging scholars from marginalized communities as global leaders, empowering them to represent the margins.

The Eklavya Global Scholars' Program (GSP) is a dedicated mentorship initiative designed to support first-generation university students from historically underrepresented communities in pursuing quality higher education at global universities. Over the last two cohorts of our Master's and PhD programs, we have collaborated with over 150 emerging scholars throughout their application processes. These cohorts have been exceptionally successful, with more than 75 scholars securing admissions to prestigious universities such as the University of Oxford, Cambridge, LSE, UCL, Edinburgh, SOAS (UK); Harvard, Columbia, Georgetown (USA); the Hertie School of Governance in Berlin, University of Göttingen (Germany); the Graduate Institute of International and Development Studies in Geneva (Switzerland); and the University of Gothenburg (Sweden), among others. In our pilot cohort (2022-23), nearly 20 scholars were awarded fully funded scholarships, including prestigious scholarship awards like the Chevening, Commonwealth Masters and Shared, Erasmus Mundus, GREAT Scholarship, National Overseas Scholarship (NOS), various state government scholarships like Shahu Maharaj Overseas, Marang Gomke Jaipal Singh Munda Overseas Scholarship, ifa CCP Germany, as well as university-based fully funded scholarships. We anticipate that the number of aspiring scholar applicants receiving funding for their studies will double this year.

Following this, we launched our pilot cohort PhD mentorship program in 2023  with 50+ candidates,  Of these, around 20 applied for PhD programmes abroad for the 2024 intake. Our second bootcamp, held in June 2024 with 100 + candidates. So far, 40 applications have been completed, and more than 30 are ready for submission. All candidates receive comprehensive, year-long mentoring support throughout their application process.

While the scholars' program is designed to facilitate access for students, our motivation is grounded in values of care, empathy, and community support. We aim to provide a safe space for emerging learners for peer support—to build resilience, capacity, and a prejudice-free environment for people across diverse identities, including gender and sexuality among the cohort of first-generation learners. This will further enable emerging scholars to co-learn, develop networks, leadership skills, and acquire training in becoming mentors themselves along their journey.

The Programme will have the following features:

• Residential Bootcamps: In these 3 days residential boot camps, aspirants will be offered counseling and detailed information regarding their choice of universities, scholarships, and other mandatory resources via a dedicated resource person.
• Dedicated Mentorship: The chosen learners will each be paired with a mentor, who has undergone substantial sensitisation training and is currently either a student or a scholar at various top-ranked schools in these countries. We aim to place learners with mentors from similar socio-economic backgrounds to place care and cultural sensitivity at the centre.
• All-Rounded Support: Learners will be offered end-to-end support--including counselling on chosen streams, preparation for Research Proposal, Academic Writing Sample, CV, Statement of Purpose, Letter of Recommendation(s), IELTS/TOEFL (English Eligibility Tests) etc, Interviews for Scholarship Programmes etc.
• Community and Peer Support: Regular check-ins for peer support, mental health, and capacity building to transform the learners into trainers/leaders themselves.

GSP - Master's Cohort 4.0 –

We are thrilled to announce that GSP's Masters Cohort 4.0 Mentorship Program is officially open for applications! After the resounding success of our previous cohorts, we are back—stronger and more committed—to mentoring first-generation learners from historically underrepresented communities to access world-class higher education and break cycles of poverty.

Key Features of GSP 4.0:

• 3-Day Residential Bootcamp (Nagpur, Maharashtra)
• In-depth guidance on university selection, scholarships, and resources.
• Interaction with resource persons and experts.
• Note: Participation in the bootcamp is mandatory to continue with the program.
• One-on-One Dedicated Mentorship
• Personalized mentorship by current global scholars from similar socio-economic backgrounds.
• Comprehensive Application Support
• Assistance with Research Proposals, SOPs, CVs, Academic Writing Samples, LORs, English proficiency tests (IELTS/TOEFL), and interviews.
• Community & Peer Support
• Regular check-ins, mental health spaces, and capacity-building sessions.
• Transforming learners into future mentors and leaders.

Who Should Apply:

• First-generation university students from rural, tribal, non-English medium backgrounds.
• Aspiring for Master’s degrees abroad (Social Sciences & STEM fields).

How to Apply

Applications are accepted on a rolling basis. We encourage aspirants to apply as soon as they can.

PhD. Cohort Application

Master's Cohort Application

For more information please check the Link

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