The IndiaAI Fellowship 2026-27 is open until 30 November 2026. It pays full-time students in India to work on AI projects: up to ₹1 lakh for undergraduates, up to ₹2 lakh for postgraduates, and ₹70,000 to ₹80,000 a month for PhD scholars. It is not a grant for startups or working professionals, so check that before you start the paperwork.
Applications opened on 16 October, per IndiaAI’s announcement as reported by Business Today. The scheme sits under the IndiaAI Mission, run by IndiaAI, a division of Digital India Corporation under MeitY.
What the IndiaAI Fellowship 2026-27 pays
There are two tracks: the IndiaAI Fellowship for UG, dual-degree and PG students, and the IndiaAI Research Fellowship for PhD scholars.
| Track | When you apply | Money | Minimum |
|---|---|---|---|
| UG / dual degree | Semester 5, 7 or 9 (3-year, 4-year, 5-year programmes) | Up to ₹1 lakh, in two ₹50,000 tranches | 7.0 CGPA, three data or AI courses |
| Postgraduate | Semester 1, 2 or 3 | ₹2 lakh, ₹1.5 lakh or ₹1 lakh, by semester, in ₹50,000 tranches | 7.0 CGPA, three data or AI courses |
| PhD | Freshly admitted or first year | ₹70,000–₹80,000 a month for up to five years. Research grant of ₹2 lakh a year goes to the institute (cap ₹10 lakh). | 8.0 after a bachelor’s or 7.5 after a master’s; 55% for medical, life, social and behavioural sciences |
Applications close on 30 November 2026. Every track adds up to ₹1 lakh for a paper at a conference with an h5-index above 100.
PhD fellows also get a research grant of ₹2 lakh per completed year, capped at ₹10 lakh. That money goes to the host institute, not to the student. A paper accepted at a conference with an h5-index above 100, such as NeurIPS or ICML, can earn a one-time ₹1 lakh for travel and registration. PhD scholars need IndiaAI’s prior approval for it.
Who can apply
Applicants must be full-time students; part-time candidates are out. Business Today reports that applicants must be Indian nationals. The guidelines copy we read doesn’t state this, so confirm it on the portal. Any discipline counts, from engineering to law or medicine, as long as the project is centred on AI.
- Undergraduates: final-year students, entering at semester five, seven or nine depending on programme length. You need a 7.0 CGPA and three data or AI courses. NPTEL certificates count if your syllabus lacks them. Still building those skills? Our AI engineer roadmap lists free places to start.
- Postgraduates: you must be pursuing a postgraduate programme in an AI-related discipline. You need a 7.0 CGPA at graduation, and again in your PG semesters if you apply in semester two or three. The same three-course rule applies.
- PhD: freshly admitted or first-year scholars only, with no other fellowship or salary for the same PhD. You need 8.0 after a bachelor’s or 7.5 after a master’s. Medical, life, social and behavioural sciences need 55%.
Documents checklist
- ☐ Endorsement letter on letterhead, signed and stamped by your guide, head of department or head of institute
- ☐ Scanned marksheets for every semester
- ☐ Certificates for three AI courses, if your curriculum doesn’t include them (NPTEL is accepted)
- ☐ Cancelled cheque or signed, stamped passbook page in your name
- ☐ Passport-size photo (.jpg, .jpeg or .png)
- ☐ PhD only: admission letter showing the admission date (provisional letters and fee receipts are rejected)
How selection works
You don’t compete in one open pool. For PhD, your institute must first be onboarded through a nodal officer. It then shortlists up to five applicants for IndiaAI to decide, and a shortlist spot doesn’t guarantee an award. For UG and PG, the guidelines say roughly ten students per institute are considered each year, first come, first served.
Confirmed and not confirmed
Confirmed
- Applications opened 16 October and close 30 November 2026.
- Two tracks: IndiaAI Fellowship (UG, dual degree, PG) and IndiaAI Research Fellowship (PhD).
- PhD stipend of ₹70,000, ₹75,000 and ₹80,000 a month, for up to five years.
- Research grant of ₹2 lakh a year, capped at ₹10 lakh, paid to the institute.
- UG and PG amounts, tranches and CGPA cutoffs as in the table above.
- An endorsement letter is mandatory, and institutes shortlist up to five PhD applicants.
Not confirmed
- Whether the PhD stipend includes HRA. Business Today says it does; an older IndiaAI page listed 30% accommodation support separately.
- Whether the guidelines copy we read matches the portal version.
- Whether a NIRF ranking cutoff for institutes still applies.
- Total fellowships, budget and result dates. None found published.
- Tax treatment. The guidelines only cite applicable law.
- The claim that 100 PhD candidates were selected nationwide in 2025. It comes from a single IIT (ISM) Dhanbad press release.
What this means for developers, founders and IT professionals
Final-year students: check your semester, gather records for three AI courses, and ask your guide for the endorsement letter now. Seats are first come, first served.
PhD starters: ask your department who the nodal officer is. Without one, your institute can’t take part yet. The fellowship also won’t stack with another stipend.
Working developers: the PhD track bars any other stipend or salary for the same PhD, and every track needs full-time enrolment, so this isn’t side income for someone in a job. UG and PG fellows are different: the guidelines say the fellowship supplements existing fellowships and scholarships.
The ₹2 lakh yearly grant is really a compute and data budget. It can cover cloud GPUs, datasets, software licences and publication fees, but not laptops or phones, and the institute files audited utilisation certificates.
Founders and managers who work with colleges can pass this on before the deadline. Documents sent by email aren’t considered, so apply only at fellowship.indiaai.gov.in. UG and PG questions can go to support-futureskills@indiaai.gov.in; PhD queries must go through the nodal officer.
Schemes like this get revised, so confirm the deadline and amounts on the portal before you apply.
IndiaAI Fellowship 2026-27: FAQs
Who is eligible for the IndiaAI Fellowship 2026-27?
Full-time UG, dual-degree, PG and first-year PhD students working on an AI-centred project, in any discipline. UG and PG applicants need a 7.0 CGPA and three data or AI courses. PhD applicants need 8.0 after a bachelor’s or 7.5 after a master’s. Business Today reports that applicants must be Indian nationals.
Can I apply on my own?
You apply through the portal, but every application needs a signed, stamped endorsement letter from your guide, head of department or head of institute. For PhD, your institute must also be onboarded through a nodal officer, and it shortlists up to five applicants for IndiaAI to decide.
Is NPTEL accepted as an AI course?
Yes, for UG and PG applicants whose curriculum doesn’t include three data or AI courses. Upload the completion certificates for at least three courses on the portal.
Sources: Business Today, 17 Oct 2026 · IndiaAI Fellowships guidelines AY 2026–27 (copy on govtschemes.in) · IndiaAI PhD fellowship page · IndiaAI Fellowship portal. Last Updated: 22 October 2026.