India Graduate Mentorship Programme 2023-24

The India Graduate Mentorship Programme 2023-24 is a mentoring initiative that seeks to help Indian learners from marginalised communities apply to universities abroad for graduate studies (masters and PhD).

They aim to provide both technical (depending on the course/ discipline of interest to the mentee) as well as affinity-based mentorship in one-on-one and group settings to support the mentees holistically. They help learners with university and funding/ scholarship applications, and also provide capacity-building support.

The 2022-23 iteration of the mentorship programme was a resounding success, with 137 mentees making successful applications. As between them, they recorded a total of 291 admission offers, including from universities like the University of Oxford, University of Cambridge, Harvard University, Yale University, New York University, SOAS University of London, London School of Economics and Political Science, University College London, John Hopkins University, among others. The mentees also received 19 scholarship offers, including the Commonwealth Shared Scholarship, Felix Scholarship, Inlaks Scholarship, Clarendon Scholarship, Weidenfeld-Hoffmann Scholarship, among others. All numbers here are as of May 2023.

Benefits

• Mentees
  • Through this programme, mentees can expect;
    • personalised 1:1 mentorship on all aspects of university and scholarship applications;
    • access to a network of expert mentors who have pursued postgraduate studies abroad;
    • mentee-only workshops on all aspects of university application processes, including: identifying degrees/ universities/ funding avenues of relevance, drafting good CVs, personal statements, writing samples, and preparing for interviews;
    • tailored support programmes for scholarships (like Rhodes, Chevening, Inlaks, etc.);
    • capacity-building workshops on communication and leadership skills; and
    • mental well-being and welfare support.

Eligibility Criteria

Mentors

• Mentoring at Project EduAccess can be a rewarding experience! By sharing your expertise and experience, you can positively impact the future of students from historically marginalised and disadvantaged communities. You can also become part of and benefit from the community of mentors working with Project EduAccess. They  are home to a team of expert mentors, comprising of individuals who have pursued, are currently pursuing or have received offers to pursue their higher education from top universities abroad (including the US, UK and Europe). They come from diverse disciplinary backgrounds and universities and have benefitted from diverse funding, internship, and research avenues.
• If you would like to volunteer with them for the  India Graduate Mentorship Programme 2023-24. Before applying, they ask that you keep the following in mind:
  • They are looking for mentors who are currently pursuing or have pursued graduate-level programmes at universities abroad. Please apply only if you have such experience.
  • They expect mentors to provide stable support to any assigned mentees throughout the upcoming applications cycle. Mentors are expected to commit 5-6 hours per month on an average to the programme. They are also expected to attend an hour-long in-house training and sensitisation session before joining the programme.
• Please note that filling this form does not guarantee that you will be onboarded as a mentor. You will be contacted by the team to follow through on the selection process.

Mentees

• You are eligible to apply if:
  • you have completed, or are in the final year of an undergraduate degree at a college/ university in India;
  • you are planning to apply for a postgraduate degree (including PhD) abroad (e.g. UK, USA, Australia, Europe) to start in Fall 2024 (September 2024);
  • you did not apply to be a Mentee in the first cycle of applications for the India Graduate Mentorship Programme 2023-24 in June 2023; and
  • you belong to one of the groups listed, or are otherwise disadvantaged by social position, economic ability, and/or geography (among others):
  • Dalits/ Bahujans/ Adivasis
  • Indian Muslims
  • Kashmiris
  • Individuals from Northeast India & Eastern Himalayas
• Persons with disabilities, women and gender minorities, LGBTQ+ and economically disadvantaged persons are encouraged to apply, and will be given preference even within the groups.

For more information, visit India Graduate Mentorship Programme.