Discover Studying Abroad

$6 million in undergraduate scholarships available for 70 students

The Mumbai-based Next Genius Foundation seeks applications from outstanding students from India, who plan to study at colleges in North America and Europe starting 2018

BY BrainGain Magazine Staff Writer | 04-07-2017

First-year seminar at St. Michael’s College, Vermont (photo by MikeDKnight, used under CC license)

If you’re an outstanding high school student, want to study abroad, and can’t afford it, that doesn’t mean you have to give up on your dream. You can seek scholarships that will cover a good chunk, if not all, of your expenses. The Next Genius Scholarship Program seeks to help deserving undergraduate students realize their dream by awarding over US$ 6 million worth of scholarships to more than 70 students in 2017.

Founded in 2014, The Next Genius Foundation, a registered charitable trust in India, offers full and partial tuition scholarships to outstanding students to pursue their undergraduate education in North America and Europe.

The awards
Scholarship winners are guaranteed college admission, and will receive a full or partial tuition scholarship for four years of study in a subject of their choice at one of the following 11 colleges:

Beloit College (Wisconsin)
Drew University (New Jersey)
Foothill College (California)
Juniata College (Pennsylvania)
Lynn University (Florida)
Millsaps College (Mississippi)
Saint Michael's College (Vermont)
Texas Christian University (Texas)
Union College (New York)
University of Rochester (New York)
Wheaton College (Massachusetts)

The winners of the coveted B. L. Mandhana Scholarships will receive $10,000 each towards tuition fees at any college of their choice in North America or Europe. These scholarships are named after the late Bhawarlalji Mandhana, who served as a judge in the Rajasthan High Court and as Law Secretary of Rajasthan.

Who can apply
To be eligible, you must be a high school student in Grade 12 (or gap year) as on November 12, 2017. You must be an Indian citizen, or have a PIO (person of Indian origin) card, or be studying at a high school located in India.

The selection process
Applications go through a two-stage review process. Successful candidates must demonstrate a strong ability to think critically, a passion for learning and a desire to bring about a positive change in the world.

The first part of the process is the application and online assessment. To be considered for these scholarships, you must apply online before November 10, 2017. There is no application fee. You will be required to complete a basic profile. On Sunday, November 12, you will have to take an online critical thinking assessment, which will measure your ability to read effectively, reason, analyze data and solve puzzles (more information here).

Students who are shortlisted will be notified and asked to submit the order of preference for colleges and the kind of scholarship they would like to be considered for. By the end of November, based on the applicant’s abilities and college preferences, the Next Genius team will assign a college to each applicant.

The applicants will then have to appear for personal interviews in Mumbai in January 2018. The interviews will be conducted by the Next Genius team and the admission officers from the colleges. Scholarship winners will be felicitated at an award ceremony soon after the interview.

Nathan Hall at Juniata College, Pennsylvania (photo by Jason Jones, used under CC license)

About the scholarships
The Next Genius Scholarship Program was founded in 2014 by Naveen Mandhana, a BITS Pilani alumnus and Director of Videocon Industries, and his son Neeraj Mandhana, a career counselor and an alumnus of the University of Cambridge and the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA). The scholarship program is supported by donations from individuals, corporations, and its partner colleges abroad.

Past recipients have included students from Bombay International School (Mumbai), Cathedral & John Connon School (Mumbai), City Montessori School (Lucknow), Dhirubhai Ambani International School (Mumbai), Jamnabai Narsee School (Mumbai), Neerja Modi School (Jaipur), and St. Thomas’ School (New Delhi).

According to Dr. Neeraj Mandhana, the Next Genius Scholarship Program is the largest undergraduate study abroad scholarship fund in India. In the last two years, it has awarded scholarships worth $3.5 million to 39 students from 34 schools across India, and this year it hopes to award over $6 million worth of scholarships to more than 70 students.

Low-interest loans
The Next Genius Foundation also offers low-interest education loans to scholarship winners, to help cover any remaining tuition costs, and other expenses such as meals and accommodation.