Applications for the 91st Know India Programme close on 26 October, with the Ministry of External Affairs inviting young members of the Indian diaspora for a two-week visit from 15 to 28 November 2026. The announcement, published by Indian missions on 16 October, identifies this edition as the Scholars and Innovators cohort for people aged 18 to 23.
There are 25 places for participants drawn from Persons of Indian Origin, Overseas Citizens of India and Non-Resident Indians.
The Houston consulate’s notice provides both an application form and detailed guidelines. It directs applications and queries within its remit to trade.houston@mea.gov.in. Applicants elsewhere should establish the correct Indian mission or consulate for their residence before sending documents. An email address published by one post should not be treated as a worldwide submission address.
Houston’s separate jurisdiction page identifies its five states as Arkansas, Kansas, Louisiana, Oklahoma and Texas. The published US allocation took effect on 1 August 2025. New York handles Connecticut, New Jersey, New York, Ohio, Pennsylvania and Delaware; Boston handles Maine, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, Rhode Island and Vermont. Applicants in those states should use their own post’s instructions rather than assume Houston is the national receiving office.
Eligibility and the cost of participation
Under the 2026 guidelines, age is assessed on the first day of the month in which the programme begins, which means 1 November for this edition. Scholars and Innovators must have completed Class 12 at an institution recognised by the host government. Spoken English proficiency is required, alongside the specified educational evidence of English study or instruction.
Previous participation in KIP or another programme organised and funded by an Indian central or state government department makes an applicant ineligible. First-time visitors receive preference, as do NRIs in the Gulf and participants from Girmitiya countries.
The government bears 90 per cent of the international airfare, leaving participants to cover 10 per cent. The arrangements also include designated accommodation, boarding, transport within India and airport transfers, with gratis visas for selected participants. Comprehensive international travel and medical insurance must cover the entire stay. Successful completion requires a 750 to 1,000-word programme report; participants receive certificates.
What the application asks candidates to prepare
There is a reason to start with the dated announcement. Houston’s standing KIP overview still describes an older arrangement: ages 18 to 30, exclusion of NRIs and a 25-day programme excluding international travel. Those statements do not match the documents linked to the new edition. The general page also describes a graduation or undergraduate-study requirement, whereas the current cohort’s educational threshold is set out above.
The discrepancy should not be read as two application options. The overview is a general description; the dated invitation identifies a specific edition and links its supporting documents. Applicants who encounter the older eligibility wording should ask their mission to resolve it against the current notice before ruling themselves out.
The official application form has a blank field for the KIP edition number and space for a recent passport-size photograph. It asks for the name as recorded in the passport, nationality, residence, passport particulars and contact details, followed by evidence of Indian origin. Candidates should identify the edition clearly rather than assume a downloaded generic form already does so.
The form asks about education and English skills, earlier visits to India and previous KIP participation, alongside a statement of no more than 250 words explaining the applicant’s reasons for joining. Its separate Indian-origin declaration requires a designated mission official’s countersignature and stamp where documentary evidence is unavailable.
Annexure B contains a consequential undertaking: an applicant found guilty of misconduct or indiscipline could be refused further participation and lose eligibility for reimbursement of 90 per cent of the return international airfare. The declaration also says that reimbursement will not be made if the participant leaves the programme midway. Applicants also declare that their information is correct and undertake to follow the programme’s regulations. This condition belongs in the cost calculation before accepting a place.
Related education coverage: NIFT 2027 applications and NSP scholarship applications and verification.
