Applications open; checked 1 October 2026. The American Institute of Indian Studies (AIIS) lists 19 November 2026 as the deadline for its 2026 research-fellowship competition. The opportunities support research in India, with separate routes for doctoral candidates and more established scholars.
Which fellowship fits your research?
| Route | Purpose and advertised support |
|---|---|
| Junior Research Fellowship | Dissertation research in India for doctoral candidates at US universities; the programme page lists a $7,000 award. |
| Early Career Scholar Travel Fellowship | New research by eligible recent PhD holders; $2,500 toward travel costs. |
| AIIS NEH Senior Fellowship | A developed new humanities or humanistic social-science fieldwork project; a round-trip ticket and $5,000 per month in India. |
These are different awards, not a single package. Check the applicable funding conditions before building a research budget. Applicants do not need to belong to an AIIS member institution.
Eligibility: check the US-institution connection
Non-US citizens may qualify, but eligibility is not worldwide without conditions. Junior applicants must be enrolled as doctoral students at a US institution. The early-career instructions require non-US applicants to be full-time faculty at a US institution. Confirm the senior route and the current PhD-date rule directly with AIIS if your circumstances are unclear.
What to prepare
The Junior route requests an abstract, fieldwork justification, short CV, transcripts, project statement, bibliography, personal statement and financial-aid statement. Early-career applicants have a different, shorter set of project and output statements. Follow the word and page limits for your chosen route rather than reusing the same document bundle.
Research permissions and affiliation arrangements also matter. Read the official instructions before making travel commitments; an award does not replace the permission required to conduct research in India.
Build a focused proposal
Explain why the work must take place in India, identify the materials or sites you need, and show how each activity answers your research question. Make your timetable realistic: archive access, interviews and permissions can affect the sequence. A concise proposal that connects methods to evidence is easier to assess than a broad statement of enthusiasm.
How to apply
- Read the official AIIS fellowship overview.
- Open the application instructions and select Junior, NEH Senior or Early Career.
- Use the application link for that route, check every attachment and submit before 19 November 2026.
Save a copy of your submitted application and confirmation. Do not assume that an incomplete submission can be corrected after the deadline.
