| |9HIGHERReviewJULY, 2026to continue their studies irrespective of financial constraints. Financial aid, whether supported through institutional funds or external partners, can make a meaningful difference in expanding access to education.Every year, hundreds of students benefit from scholarships and financial assistance programmes. Continued investment in financial aid and inclusion initiatives is essential to ensure that students from diverse social, linguistic, and economic backgrounds have the opportunity to access rigorous, transformative educational experiences and realize their full potential,"says Dr Saurabh Bhattacharjee, Registrar and Associate Professor (Law), NLSIU.Fulbright-Nehru Master's Fellowships 2027-28The Fulbright-Nehru Master's Fellowships 2027-28 is a program launched by the United States-India Educational Foundation (USIEF) to provide financial assistance to excellent students of India who desire to enroll themselves in master's level programs at various US universities.The fellowships are meant for academically distinguished individuals who possess good leadership qualities and community services. The requirements for applying for the fellowship include holding a Bachelor's degree from an accredited Indian university and obtaining a minimum of 55%.Candidates are expected to be leaders and be socially active. Selected fellows are provided with financial aid, such as stipends, assistance with securing a J-1 visa, economy class round trip tickets, and accident and sickness insurance according to US government regulations.Candidates are expected to provide academic transcripts, CVs, references, essays, test results, and other necessary documents. Selection is made by an expert panel based on qualifications and credentials. The deadline for the fellowship application is 1 July 2026."We have reached a point where simply transmitting knowledge is no longer enough. Machines now manage much of what once required human effort and they will continue to do so. What they cannot replicate are the things that make education genuinely worthwhile: the ability to reason through difficult problems, to make decisions with both intelligence and conscience, to create something that did not exist before, to understand another person's experience, and to accept responsibility for something larger than oneself.The work of a university, then, is not just to teach. It is to place students in situations where they must think, respond, question, and contribute. That means exposure to problems that have no easy answers, to perspectives that challenge their assumptions, and to communities that need more than good grades.Scholarships matter because the barrier to this kind of education should never be a bank balance. When we restrict access based on financial circumstance, we are not just limiting individuals. We are limiting what is possible.This is our responsibility: to graduate people who are rigorous in their thinking, clear in their values, and genuinely invested in the world around them. Academic achievement matters. So does the question of what that achievement is in service of," concludes Dr. Ramakrishnan Raman, Vice Chancellor, Symbiosis International (Deemed University).
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