INLAKS SHIVDASANI FOUNDATION
INLAKS SHIVDASANI FOUNDATION
The Inlaks India Foundation is committed to protecting your privacy in the course of your participation in the application and selection process for the Inlaks Scholarship (“Scholarship”). This Privacy Policy for Applicants (“Privacy Policy”) applies to all information and data, including personal data, you share with us or we collect in the course of your application process notwithstanding the outcome of your application. By starting your application, you consent to the data practices described in this Privacy Policy. The primary purpose of collecting and processing your data is to ensure that the selection process is fair and balanced, enabling our selectors and interviewers to choose the best possible candidates.
If you choose to apply for the Scholarship, the Inlaks India Foundation may collect the following information and personal data from and about you from your application and your referees or recommenders or in the course of any independent background check or due diligence process, which you consent to by participating in the application process:
Biographical information, which may include:
- Name and contact details
- Education and employment history (including standardized test scores)
- Scans of identification and nationality / residency documents (e.g., passport, birth
certificate)
Personal data (including gender, nationality, birthplace, residency timeline), which may also include:
- Your personal statement/essay
- Photograph
- Portfolios, materials, writing samples, examples of your prior work
- References and recommendations (including referee contact details)
- Academic distinctions, prizes, awards, grants and scholarships obtained by you, as well as
your extra-curricular achievements and attainments
- Admission status and related information, including details of fees, other scholarships or
financial aid received, from or relating to the university you have been admitted to
Sensitive personal data, which may include:
- while we do not generally seek to obtain sensitive data, they may sometimes be inferred from other data we hold, for example, your relationships, health, job titles, support of specific causes, or interests.
We will use your personal data for the following purposes:
- to enable us to process your application and to conduct the selection and interview process
to determine your eligibility and appropriateness for grant of the Inlaks Scholarship in the
context of a competitive field of applicants
- to contact you, if necessary, during the application and selection processes
- to obtain feedback from your nominated referees
- to grant the Inlaks Scholarship and support Inlaks Scholars
- to compile application statistics
- to support our outreach efforts
Your application data is primarily held on our online application system. The selectors, interviewers and administrators shall have access to your applications. They will access that data via the application system and may download it locally and print hard copies to support the selection processes.
Third parties will only process your personal data on our instructions and where they have agreed to treat your data confidentially and to keep it secure. We only permit them to process your personal data for specified purposes. We do not allow our third-party service providers to use your personal data for their own purposes nor to keep your data after the processing is complete. All our third-party service providers are required to take appropriate security measures to protect your personal information in line with our policies. Whenever your information is shared, we will always seek to share the minimum amount of information necessary to fulfil the purpose.
We will only process your personal data where the law allows us to do so. For the purposes of your application, we rely on your consent, as given by the clear and affirmative action of you commencing your application. By submitting your personal information, you represent that such information is true, accurate and current in all respects and you are giving your unconditional consent to collection, storage and use of your personal information as set forth in this Privacy Policy. You are responsible to inform us forthwith in case of any change in the information provided.
Where you have consented to the processing, you can withdraw your consent at any time by emailing us at the addresses provided below in this Privacy Policy. In this event, we will stop the processing as soon as we can. If you choose to withdraw consent it will not invalidate past processing. Please note if you do not supply the information required in your application form or if you ask us to stop processing your data, we may not be able to assess your application and may have to reject it. We will seek to deal with your request without undue delay, and in any event in accordance with the requirements of applicable law. Please note that we may keep a record of your communications to help us resolve any issues which you raise.
We will only process your personal data for the purposes for which we collected it, unless we reasonably consider that we need to use it for another related reason and that reason is compatible with the original purpose. If we need to use your personal data for an unrelated purpose, we will notify you and we will explain the legal basis which allows us to do so. Please note that we may process your data without your knowledge or consent, in compliance with the above rules, where this is required or permitted by law. We also reserve the right to communicate the personal data shared with us to third-parties pursuant to a legally-compliant request.
We take the security of your data very seriously and we have appropriate security measures in place to prevent your personal data from being accidentally lost or misused. Access to your personal data is limited to those employees, contractors, volunteers and other third parties who have a need to know. They will only process your personal data on our instructions and they are subject to a duty of confidentiality.
The data contained within your application will be retained by the Inlaks India Foundation for a period of three (3) years after the end of the application round in which the application was created. Following three (3) years, the data will be permanently deleted with only non- identifying summary statistics and aggregated data remaining. For successful Inlaks Scholarship applications, the applications will be retained by the Inlaks India Foundation, digitally and physically, indefinitely.
This Privacy Policy may be updated to reflect changes in law or technology or in our practices regarding collection, processing and use of personal data. Please check this page regularly to keep abreast of any updates to the Privacy Policy and to be informed of its latest version.
If you have any questions about this privacy notice or about your personal data, or if you want to provide updates to your data or exercise any of your rights as outlined above, please email us as below, and quote your name:
Inlaks India Foundation
Email: [info@inlaksfoundation.org]
Inlaks Scholarships are awarded across a wide range of subjects to young Indian graduates of exceptional talent, character, and motivation to fulfil their potential. The scholarships allow them to grow at a crucial time in their development by enabling overseas study at a top-rated university or institution of their choice across the United Kingdom, Europe and the United States of America in a full-time Masters, MPhil, or Doctoral programme. The aim is to give them a life-changing experience that will broaden their vision and improve their skills to operate in society, helping to bring their talent to fruition, and thus making them a future vehicle of positive change in their environment.
The maximum funding given by the Foundation is USD 120,000.
If the total funding required to complete the proposed course of study exceeds the above amount, at the time of application candidates must show evidence that they can cover the additional costs on their own with proof of documents. This is ONLY required if the total costs exceed USD 120,000.
The additional proof of funding in the case of a Masters/Mphil programme must be assured institutional and/or personal funding but in the case of a Doctoral programme the additional proof of funding must be assured institutional funding and not personal funding.
If successful, applicants are required to report any additional funding sources, to the Foundation when they are received.
Applications made to Imperial College, London, the Royal College of Art (RCA), London, the University of Cambridge (Cambridge Trust), King’s College London, St Andrews, Scotland and Hertie School, Berlin will benefit from additional funding through the Foundation’s joint scholarships with these institutions and can exceed the USD 120,000 limit while making an application.
A candidate’s proposed course of study cannot require long duration of field trips to India during the study tenure. Applications made under the King’s College London collaboration covering PhD students in Social Sciences, Public Policy, Arts & Humanities are exempted from this condition.
If the scholarship does not commence within nine months of award, it will be forfeited.
1. Duration of the course can be between nine months to four years.
2. The value depends on the course and covers tuition fees, living expenses, one-way travel, visa costs and health allowance, up to USD 120,000.
1. The applicant must be an Indian passport holder who is resident in India at the time of application.
2. The applicant must be born on or after 1st January 1996.
3. The applicant must hold a degree from a recognised university in India. If you are in the final year of graduation and awaiting results, you are eligible to apply.
4. Applicants who hold an undergraduate degree from a recognised university abroad must have resided continuously, been employed, or have been studying in India for at least two years after their under graduation, to be eligible to apply.
5. The Applicant must have the following required minimum percentage/grade in both Bachelors and Masters degree (if applicable)
a. For Social Sciences, Humanities, Law, Fine Arts, Architecture and related subjects, applicants must have a minimum academic grade of 65%, CGPA 6.8/10, or GPA 2.6/4 from a recognized university/institution.
b. For Mathematics, Sciences, Environment and related subjects, candidates must have a minimum academic grade of 70%, CGPA 7.2/10, or GPA 3/4 from a recognized university/institution.
6. It is essential to have prior admission to the institution and course chosen at the time of the application. The Foundation will not consider applicants without evidence of admission. An applicant may apply with either a conditional or an unconditional offer letter. If an applicant applies with a conditional offer letter and is shortlisted for the final interview, all conditions stated in the offer letter must be fulfilled before the final interview.
7. Applicants who have an English language certification as a conditional part of their offer letter need to attain that certification before applying for the scholarship.
8. Applicants who have received a deferred offer of admission must have a valid offer for the academic year 2026-27 to be eligible for the 2026 scholarships.
1. Applicants having a postgraduate qualification (e.g. Master’s or PhD) from an institution abroad are not eligible to apply.
2. Applicants who are already studying or have started their postgraduate education at an institution abroad are not eligible to apply.
3. The following subjects are not eligible for the Scholarship:
a. Business and Finance
b. Computer Science
c. Engineering*
d. Fashion Design
e. Film and Film Animation**
f. Hospitality and Tourism
g. Indian Studies without Contemporary Relevance
h. Management Studies (i.e. MBA)
i. Medicine, Dentistry, and related therapies
j. Music***
*We consider applications to pursue study in Engineering and Natural Sciences at Imperial College, London.
**We consider applications to pursue Documentary filmmaking.
***We consider applications to pursue study in Western Classical singing.
Please read all the instructions carefully and have all your documents and information ready.
1. The last day to submit your application is till 12:00pm (afternoon) on 31 st March 2026.
2. Please do not wait till the last day/minute to submit your application.
3. This is a one sitting online application submission. It cannot be saved. If you leave the application page idle for too long you will lose your data so avoid doing that.
4. Only one submission per candidate will be accepted from one email ID. If you use two different emails to submit two applications, it will be rejected. Incomplete applications will not be accepted.
5. When you begin to fill your application, make sure you have good internet connectivity and uninterrupted time in hand.
6. On starting to fill the form, you will receive a verification code on your email address which needs to be entered in the form so keep your email open.
7. You cannot save your progress while completing the online application and you will not be able to edit the application after submission. Please do not refresh the page at any point.
8. Please take screenshots as you progress through the online application in case you face a technical error while submitting your online application, send an email with a screenshot of the error indication to: techsupport@inlaksfoundation.org
9. For any other query please write to applications@inlaksfoundation.org .
10. When you click ‘Submit’ it may take some time for the application to be submitted. Please be patient and do not click any additional buttons or you may lose your work.
11. The Application form comprises 7 sections:
a. Personal Information
b. Proposed Programme
c. University Education
d. Work Experience/Projects pursued
e. Statement of Purpose
f. 2 References
g. Declaration
12. Each section has varied number of fields to be filled along with documents to be uploaded.
13. Fields marked with ‘*’ and drop downs are mandatory. You will not be allowed to proceed or submit the application without filling these fields. Please keep the following documents handy in PDF file format since you will need to upload them at various points in the application under different sections
Mandatory documents:
a. Passport – (if expired, continue to upload old passport along with the receipt of application made for a new one as one PDF file document)
b. Updated Resume/Curriculum Vitae
c. Photo (JPEG or PNG)
d. Admission/offer letter.
e. Official Fee Statement
f. Proof of additional funding, if required
g. Degree certificates and marksheets
h. Course related portfolio/links/writing samples
Optional and/or if relevant:
i. TOEFL/IELTS/GRE score sheets (if relevant to your programme)
ii. Academic distinctions, grant, scholarships, prizes etc if any
iii. Extracurricular attainments if any
14. On format of documents
a. Your photograph must be uploaded in JPG or PNG format and documents must be in PDF format.
b. Once you select your choice of subject, a relevant prompt will appear in the application for you to attach your portfolio/links/writing sample.
Please scroll down to the prompt, select and attach them:
i. Applicants for Documentary film, Dance, Theatre, and Music (Western classical-vocal) must paste links to their performances.
ii. Applicants for Media and Journalism, English Literature must upload their writing samples in PDF file format and / or links.
iii. Applicants for Architecture, Fine and Applied art, Urban planning and related subjects must upload their portfolios in PDF file format.
c. Make sure that the documents you upload are not password protected.
d. When uploading your relevant files & documents, please ensure that the name of the file does not contain any special characters (For e.g.: _,@/- etc.) including <space>.
15. All the academic qualifications beginning from your first degree that have been completed/are in progress have to be mentioned at the time of making an application for the scholarship.
16. Eligible Percentage
a. For Social Sciences, Humanities, Law, Fine Arts, Architecture and related subjects, candidates must have a minimum academic grade of 65%, CGPA 6.8/10, or GPA 2.6/4 from a recognized university/institution.
b. For Mathematics, Sciences, Environment and related subjects, candidates must have a minimum academic grade of 70%, CGPA 7.2/10, or GPA 3/4 from a recognized university/institution.
17. On fees and funding (In case this information is incorrectly filled, the application will be disqualified.)
a. Applicants must indicate the tuition fees and health insurance for the entire duration of their course. For information on the health insurance amounts check with the university for the exact amounts.
b. If you are making an application to read for a PhD programme, please ensure that you mention the fees for all the years of your study.
c. With respect to the fee statement to be uploaded
i. If the tuition fees are mentioned in the offer letter, then highlight the fee and upload the letter in the fee statement section as a PDF File format document.
ii. If the tuition fee is not mentioned in the offer letter, then from the university website, download the tuition document and highlight the fees of the course you have admission of and upload it as a PDF file format.
iii. For proof of additional funding, you may attach one or more of any of the following (as ONE PDF file format only):
1. Personal bank statements
2. Parents/Relative bank statements and/or investment with letter of authority
3. Personal investment documents (no property documents allowed)
4. Approval letter of educational loan
5. If you have already received and/or additional scholarship, please upload a proof of document from the University or scholarship organisation. If you are waiting for results then kindly let us know through email with proof by 7 th April 2026 at applications@inlaksfoundation.org .
6. Living allowance is ‘auto-calculated’ as per Foundation guidelines. Travel amounts for a one-way ticket and visa costs will be provided in addition to the tuition, maintenance and health insurance at the Foundation’s predetermined rates.
7. The total support from the Foundation cannot exceed USD 120,000. The Foundation does not give any scholarships for visas, travel and health insurance in isolation.
18. On your references
a. Please inform your referees, that they will receive an email from the Foundation with a link to upload their reference letters; these links are valid till 7th April 2026 and will not be extended. Please ensure your referees upload their letters well within time.
b. The reference letter must be on a letterhead and duly signed. If not on a letterhead and signed it will not be accepted. In case the referee is retired and does not have a letter head they must include their email address in the letter.
c. For students, 2 academic referees are required, for those working, one of the referees can be a professional one.
d. In case the referee cannot find the email, ask them to check their spam folder.
19. On submitting the application
a. Confirmation of your submitted application will be emailed to your verified email address. If you do not receive this email on the same day, take a screenshot of the acknowledgement you see on the screen after submission of your application with a timestamp and email it to: techsupport@inlaksfoundation.org
b. If you encounter an error while submitting your online application, send an email with a screenshot of the error indication to: techsupport@inlaksfoundation.org
20. For any other query please write to applications@inlaksfoundation.org
An independent, Inlaks Selection Committee is appointed to select successful applications for scholarships.
Applicants are assessed on not only their past and present achievements but also on their future potential. Candidates applying for scholarships in art and design (fine/performing arts) will be primarily assessed on their portfolios.
The selection process consists of three stages:
1. Review of eligible applications April 2026
2. Online preliminary interviews with candidates chosen from the review May 2026
3. A final in-person interview will be held in Mumbai with those who succeed in the preliminary interview. 3 rd or 4 th weekend of May 2026
Candidates who do not receive any communication from the Foundation by 30 th April 2026 must assume that their applications have not been successful and not moved to the next round.
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