‘National Overseas Scholarship’, the dream of doing Masters and PhD abroad will be fulfilled, the government will take up the study

National Overseas Scholarship 2026 : High tuition fees of foreign universities, living expenses and huge travel expenses become the biggest hurdles for millions of Indian students who dream of studying here. To help such students, the Central Government is running the National Overseas Scholarship (NOS) scheme. The application process for the academic session 2026-27 was started from 24 April 2026 and the last date to apply was fixed as 2 June 2026. Under this scheme, eligible students are given financial assistance for studying Masters and PhD abroad, so that lack of money does not come in the way of their studies.

What is National Overseas Scholarship Scheme?

National Overseas Scholarship is a special scheme of the Central Government. Its objective is to provide financial assistance to economically weaker students to pursue higher education in recognized universities abroad. This scheme has been launched especially for the students of Scheduled Castes (SC), Scheduled Tribes (ST), DNT (Denotified Tribes), landless agricultural laborers and traditional artisan families. Its objective is to give the students of these categories an opportunity for good studies abroad, so that the students can get better education and advance their careers.

Government will bear the entire cost of education

Under this scholarship, the government bears almost all the necessary expenses related to the education of the students. This includes university tuition fees, annual maintenance allowance for accommodation and boarding, medical insurance, visa fees and round-trip economy class air travel. Apart from this, students are also given assistance for other necessary educational expenses. Due to this, there is no financial burden on the students and their families and they can concentrate completely on their studies.

Who can apply?

Some important eligibility conditions have been fixed to avail the benefits of the scheme. The annual income of the family of SC, DNT, landless agricultural laborer and traditional artisan category applicants should be less than Rs 8 lakh. Whereas for ST category students this limit has been fixed at Rs 6 lakh per year. Apart from this, the age of the student applying should be less than 35 years. The candidate must have an unconditional admission letter to a Masters or PhD course from a recognized foreign university. Usually, students who get admission in top 500 universities of the world are given a chance.

How many seats are available?

Under this scheme, 125 seats are made available every year. Of these, 115 seats are reserved for Scheduled Caste (SC) students, 6 seats for DNT category and 4 seats for landless agricultural laborers and traditional artisans. Apart from this, 30 percent reservation in total seats has been kept for women candidates.

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What is available in scholarship?

Under National Overseas Scholarship, students get many types of financial assistance. This includes full tuition fees, an annual maintenance allowance of approximately US$15,400, visa fees, health insurance, round-trip airfare and other necessary educational expenses. This assistance is provided for a maximum of three years for Masters course and maximum four years for PhD or till the completion of the course.

Where to apply?

SC, DNT and landless agricultural laborer category students can apply on the National Overseas Scholarship Portal of the Ministry of Social Justice and Empowerment (MSJE). Whereas ST category students will have to apply through the National Overseas Scholarship Portal of the Ministry of Tribal Affairs. At the time of application, students will have to upload Aadhar card, category certificate, income certificate, educational certificate and marksheet, unconditional admission letter of foreign university. Whereas PhD candidates will also have to submit a research proposal. Applications will be accepted through the National Overseas Scholarship Portal only. According to the ministry, incomplete or applications made after the stipulated time will not be accepted.

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