ADMISSIONS POLICY

The UFP admissions policy is committed to enabling two kinds of diversity in the classroom.

The first is disciplinary diversity across core methodological approaches within disciplines. This diversity is core to IIHS’ pedagogical values of imagining urban practice across disciplines and domains of practice. In IIHS, there is a shared acceptance of interdisciplinary exploration and engagement as valuable to the understanding of urban issues.

The second kind of diversity is that of identity, socio-economic status and more generally, life experience. The UFP admissions policy places diversity in the classroom as a valuable end in itself which enriches the learning environment by bringing diverse life experiences into the classroom. Further, there is recognition of historical inequalities and hardships in society.
.

The two-step UFP admissions process is as follows:

The Written Application

The first step is an evaluation of a written application that is structured to assess curiosity, inventive thinking, alignment with the UFP, as well as a strong desire to engage with urban questions, issues and challenges.

Interdisciplinary Selection

Applications are assessed within their respective disciplinary categories: for example, social scientists with other social scientists; engineers with other engineers; architects with other architects and so on.

Diversity of Identity and Life Experience

As part of the assessment of written applications, points are also accorded on the basis of the following criteria to ensure a diverse UFP class:

Caste
Religion
Gender (including transgender)
Education of the Mother and Father
10+2 Schooling in Non-Metropolitan Cities
Type of Secondary Schooling (Central Public, State Public, Private)
Differential Physical Ability

Individual applicants can potentially score points across multiple categories as applicable. However, the total of diversity points shall exceed no more than 15% of the total score of any candidate.

A final set of around 100-150 candidates, depending on total number of applications, will be shortlisted for the interview stage.

The Interview

In the interview stage, an assessment is conducted of the candidates’ curiosity, inventiveness and alignment with the UFP so that their expectations are well aligned with what is being offered in the UFP. All efforts are made to make the interview convivial, friendly and enabling – an opportunity for the candidate to showcase the best of themselves.

Final offers for admission to the UFP will be made based on a combination of scores from the written application and the interview.

IIHS Diversity Statement

IIHS aims to create a diverse, inclusive, open, safe and enabling learning environment. It is committed to the principle of not discriminating against individuals on the basis of personal beliefs or characteristics such as caste, class, religion, region, ethnicity, race, gender, sexual orientation, age, marital status or disability.

The UFP at IIHS is part of this commitment to create supportive teaching and learning environments. Fellows are expected to aspire to the highest standards of ethics in their personal and professional interactions. IIHS strongly encourages applications from women, persons with disabilities, and those from economically and socially excluded communities.