"… to lift up the best and most gifted so as to make them of the greatest service to the country"
— Jamsetji Tata

The trustees of the J N Tata Endowment for the Higher Education of Indians have selected 120 candidates as J N Tata scholars for postgraduate, doctoral studies and research abroad for the academic year 2002-2003. A total of nearly Rs 2 crore will be disbursed by way of loan and gift scholarships and travel grants to these scholars.

This year the endowment received 1183 applications from students, planning to pursue studies in a wide range of fields. After screening, 506 candidates were shortlisted for the interview and 120 selected on merit, for the J N Tata scholarship.

The successful candidates are drawn from all over the country. Women candidates have competed in almost every field, and 40 of the 120 awardees this year are women.

The course of study that the awardees will undertake cover more than 20 fields of study. The largest group of scholars is from the field of engineering and technology covering various branches of engineering followed by computer science and management. In the area of pure sciences, students have opted for various subjects in the fields of biological sciences, physics and geo science. 

In the area of applied sciences, there are several students going abroad for studies in the field of medical sciences, paramedical sciences, dentistry, pharmaceutical sciences, rehabilitation science and agriculture. Many of the students from these fields are mid-career professionals going abroad for further specialisation in their field of study. In the area of social sciences, there are students going abroad for studies in economics, political science, sociology and education. The other fields in which students have opted for higher studies abroad are law, commerce, art and architecture, and protective services.

The majority of scholars selected will go to the United States, some of them to prestigious institutions such as the universities of Stanford, Harvard, Cornell, Carnegie Mellon, Purdue, and California, Berkeley. Twenty-four scholars will be going to the United Kingdom at prestigious institutions like the University of London, Cambridge, London School of Economics and Political Science and the University of Sheffield. A small number of scholars will go to various institutions in Canada, Europe and Singapore.

More than a century ago, in 1892, Jamsetji Tata established the endowment to serve the higher education needs of the country. The endeavour 'to lift up the best and most gifted' continues 111 years after its establishment. The endowment is today proud and privileged to continue to serve the cause of higher education in the country and keep pace with the changing needs of India in the 21^st century.