August 19, 2025: Amazon India has announced the expansion of its Amazon Future Engineer (AFE) scholarship program, introducing 500 new scholarships for the 2025–2029 academic cycle. The initiative is designed to support female engineering students from low-income backgrounds, offering financial assistance, mentorship, and career opportunities in the technology sector.
The announcement coincided with the graduation of the program’s first cohort, where more than 80% of the 200 graduates secured positions with Fortune 500 companies, including full-time roles at Amazon.
"Amazon is deeply committed to fostering diversity in India's tech workforce by creating pathways for talented young women who might otherwise be excluded from the country's digital revolution," said Prateek Agarwal, Amazon Future Engineer Lead, Amazon India. "Seeing these scholars—many of whom are first-generation college graduates from tier-2 and tier-3 cities like Latur in Maharashtra and Chaibasa in Jharkhand—transform into confident tech professionals demonstrates the impact of providing equal opportunities in education and career development. Success demonstrates what happens when opportunities meet potential: exceptional talent emerges regardless of background."
The program provides each scholar with financial support of ₹2 lakh over four years, a laptop, skill-bridging technical bootcamps, paid internships with Amazon, and one-on-one mentorship from experienced engineers.
Sharing her experience, Samala Keerthi, a graduate who joined Amazon full-time as a Software Development Engineer, said, "Coming from a small town in Telangana where my father runs a kirana shop earning less than ₹25,000 monthly, getting a job at Amazon seemed impossible. The scholarship didn't just provide financial support—it gave me confidence, mentorship, and real-world experience that transformed my career."
Amazon has partnered with the Foundation for Excellence (FFE) to implement a rigorous selection process based on academic merit, financial need, and leadership potential. The next cohort of scholars will be announced in early 2026.
"What makes the Amazon Future Engineer program truly exceptional is its holistic approach to nurturing the next generation of female technology leaders," said Ram Kolavennu, Chief Executive Officer, Foundation for Excellence. "By integrating financial support, mentorship, skills development, and real-world experience at a global technology leader like Amazon, this program empowers talented young women from low-income backgrounds with transformative opportunities in technology. It's not just shaping bright engineers but technology leaders of the future."
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