MBA program, with conditions.
By The American Bazaar Staff
BAY AREA, CALIFORNIA: Stanford University has announced that it is now accepting applications for the Stanford Reliance Dhirubhai Fellowship Program, which is meant for students from India who are trying to come to Stanford for their M.B.A.
The Fellowship was created in April of 2008 to help Indian students earn their higher degree in business administration, as well as foster entrepreneurship in their home country. The Fellowship stipulates that those who win it must return to India within two years of their M.B.A. graduation, and must then stay in India for at least two years, working in either the private or public sector, so that the country may reap the benefits of their education.
“The inclusion of promising young leaders who will make a difference in India’s future is essential for the global perspective we aspire to create in our program,” said Garth Saloner, dean of Stanford Graduate School of Business. “This fellowship program allows the Stanford MBA Program to extend its outreach within India to attract the best and most diverse MBA candidates possible, regardless of their financial situation.”
The Stanford Reliance Dhirubhai Fellowship Program was started through a grant, given by Reliance Industries Limited, which “defrays the costs of application and attendance for promising Indian students with financial need.” Out of this year’s applicant pool, only five will receive the renowned Fellowship, allowing them to come to one of the world’s best business schools.
The application process has two stages. The first is a simple application for the Stanford Reliance Dhirubhai Fellowship Program, which must be filed out and submitted before the June 13, 2014 deadline. From the initial pool, 50 applicants will be selected as finalists, on the basis of academic merit and financial need, and their “commitment to developing India.”
Components of the application include examination history, awards and honors, employment history, resume, financial information, and a 250-word essay on an unspecified topic, according to the Stanford website.
After that, stage two commences, which is a general application to Stanford’s M.B.A. program. This paperwork will need to be submitted by October 2, and those applications will then be evaluated based on the aforementioned criteria, as well as “intellectual vitality, demonstrated leadership potential, and personal qualities and contributions.”
At that point, five young men and women will be selected as the official recipients of the Fellowship, and will join the M.B.A. program in September of 2015, with the intention of graduating in the spring of 2017. They will receive close to $145,000 in tuition support and “associated fees,” and said funding will be automatically renewed as long as the student remains in good academic standing.