About IIHS :

India’s urbanisation is the second largest rural-to-urban transition in human history. By the middle of the century, at least 800 million Indians will live in cities, constituting more than half of the country’s population. This is not just a demographic transition. Urbanisation fundamentally changes India’s economy, society, culture, natural and built environments, and politics. Our national development now hinges on its wise handling.

The Indian Institute for Human Settlements (IIHS) is delighted to announce admissions for the ninth batch of its flagship Urban Fellows Programme (UFP), which will be open until 15 April 2024. The UFP is a unique space that combines diversity and classroom teaching with site-based, live projects and experiential learning and introduces learners to diverse forms of urban practice.

About Programme :

UFP is a scholarship-based, nine-month, full-time, residential, interdisciplinary programme, based at the IIHS, Bengaluru City Campus. The Programme is open to recent graduates and young professionals – applications are invited from varied educational backgrounds and practice domains.

The UFP classroom is rich and unmatched because of the diverse backgrounds and lived experiences Fellows bring, enhancing peer-to-peer learning and being a key driver to the experience of being an IIHS Fellow at the UFP.

The programme has had 300 Fellows, including the eighth batch that will graduate in 2024. UFP Alumni work across India and globally – about 85% of Fellows work or study across 18 states and 23 cities in India; nearly 15% of Fellows have returned to higher education, studying at 50 universities, including 11 of the top 20 global universities across 5 continents and 15 countries. They work across sectors, disciplines and scales.

Eligibility :

• Bachelor’s Degree in any subject or discipline
• The candidate’s age should not exceed 30 years at the time of the UFP’s commencement. Therefore, candidates should be born on or after 1 August 1994
• The UFP may, subject to facts and circumstances, consider non-degree training and certification programmes completed after 10+2 schooling.
• Candidates without any formal education after their 10+2 may also apply, especially if they have valuable experience in formal or informal work in urban sectors.
• All candidates must have basic proficiency in reading English. Support is available for candidates with limited speaking ability in English, and they are encouraged to apply.
• Candidates must be Indian citizens. OCI Card holders are not eligible to apply at this time
• Applications from women, people with disabilities, and those from economically and socially excluded communities are strongly encouraged to apply.

Fees and Scholarships :

• The UFP 2024-25 tuition fee is INR 2.75 lakhs, including GST for the entire programme, payable in three instalments over the year. This total fee includes all accommodation costs, travel costs for the UFP on exposure visits and expenditures on local and intercity travel for UFP Practica and applied Projects.
• All admitted Fellows must pay an INR 20,000 deposit to secure their admission, which will be refunded at the end of the programme. Fellows in financial need can request a deposit waiver, which will be considered case-by-case at admission to the UFP.
• The UFP is committed to providing scholarships to candidates who receive admission and cannot pay the programme tuition after a review of their financial needs. The programme is thus need-blind. A candidate’s selection and admission into the programme will not be affected by their ability to pay.
• In addition to scholarships that cover tuition fees, a limited number of stipends are available to cover daily living expenses for candidates with significant financial need. Candidates wishing to be considered for this will have a chance to indicate so in the admission forms.

Selection Process :

• Step 1: Our Admissions Committee will review the candidate’s application.
• Step 2: Shortlisted candidates will be contacted and informed about their personal interview date (over GMeet or phone) and the written test.
• Step 3: Interview of shortlisted candidates by the UFP Admissions Committee and the written test.
• Step 4: Successful candidates will receive an offer to become a Fellow, Batch of 2024-25
• Step 5: Fellows accept the offer and pay the deposit amount within a week of the offer.

Important Dates :

• Application Opens: 15 March 2024
• Application Deadline: 15 April 2024
• Round 1 Results: Third week of May 2024
• Written Test and Interviews: early June 2024
• Acceptance Decisions: June 2024
• Programme Starts: August 2024

How to Apply ?

Interested candidates can directly apply through this link.

Contact Details :

For queries on the admission process, form, or other help, please contact

[email protected] or call +91 99012 55788, 96064 84336.

Please note that the phone lines are available from 10 am to 6 pm, seven days a week.

Deadline :

Application Deadline: 15 April 2024.