Overview
- IIT Gandhinagar announced the 2026 Explorer Fellowship this week and selected 56 student teams from 63 team applications to take part in the six‑week expeditions.
- Teams must be composed of students aged 18 or over and visit at least six Indian states, with mandates to include at least one North‑East state, one Northern state, and one Southern state.
- The institute requires travel by sleeper‑class trains or state‑run buses and stays in low‑cost accommodations such as youth hostels and homestays to enforce a structured low‑budget approach.
- IITGN says the programme aims to build confidence, empathy, independence, teamwork, and decision‑making by forcing students to navigate unfamiliar places, manage limited funds, and engage with local communities.
- Launched in 2015 as one of the first such initiatives among the IITs, the fellowship has grown in demand and is presented by the institute as a model of experiential, exploration‑based education that may inform future campus learning methods.