<p>The Ministry of Social Justice and Empowerment has announced the National Overseas Scholarship (NOS) scheme, offering 125 scholarships to support students from marginalised communities in pursuing higher education abroad. The scheme covers candidates from Scheduled Castes (SC), De-notified, Nomadic and Semi-Nomadic Tribes (DNTs), landless agricultural labourers, and traditional artisan families.</p><p>The initiative aims to enable students from low-income backgrounds to pursue Master’s and PhD programmes in foreign universities, with the goal of improving their socio-economic mobility. </p>.<p><strong>Category-wise distribution and reservation</strong></p><p>Out of the total 125 scholarships:</p><ul><li><p>115 are allocated to Scheduled Castes</p></li><li><p>6 to DNTs and Nomadic communities</p></li><li><p>4 to landless agricultural labourers and traditional artisans </p></li></ul><p>Additionally, 30 per cent of the total slots are reserved for women candidates, although these may be reallocated if sufficient eligible applicants are not available. </p><p><strong>Eligibility criteria: Marks, age, income</strong></p><p>Applicants must meet the following criteria:</p><ul><li><p>Minimum 60 per cent marks in the qualifying examination.</p></li><li><p>Age below 35 years as of April 1 of the selection year.</p></li><li><p>Annual family income below Rs 8 lakh.</p></li><li><p>Must have secured an unconditional admission offer from a recognised foreign university. </p></li><li><p>Candidates who have already studied abroad (whether through scholarships or self-funding) are not eligible under the scheme. </p></li></ul>.Steady decline in Indian students going abroad for higher education: Education Ministry tells Rajya Sabha.<p><strong>QS ranking requirement shapes selection</strong></p><p>A key feature of the scheme is its strong emphasis on global university rankings.</p><p>In the first round of selection, only candidates with admission offers from top 500 universities in the QS World University Rankings 2025 will be considered. </p><p>If seats remain vacant after the first round, the scheme provides for a second round of selection, where eligibility is expanded in a graded manner. Priority will first continue to be given to candidates with admission offers from QS top 500 institutions. This will be followed by candidates from other QS-ranked universities, and finally, those with offers from other recognised institutions will be considered based on merit.</p><p>Merit ranking will prioritise candidates admitted to higher-ranked institutions.</p>.India's inbound student numbers likely to rise 8% per year: QS report.<p><strong>What financial support is offered?</strong></p><p>The scheme covers both academic and living expenses, making it a fully funded opportunity for selected candidates.</p><p>The NOS scheme provides a comprehensive funding package, including full tuition fees (as charged by the university), annual maintenance allowance of USD 15,400 (for USA and other countries) and GBP 9,900 (for UK), contingency allowance (USD 1,500 / GBP 1,100), visa fees and medical insurance as well as economy-class airfare (shortest route).</p><p><strong>Key conditions candidates must note</strong></p><p>The scheme includes several mandatory conditions:</p><ul><li><p>Candidates must return to India within 30 days of completing their course</p></li><li><p>They are required to stay in India for at least one year after returning</p></li><li><p>A bond with financial liability and sureties must be executed before departure</p></li><li><p>Change of university after selection is not allowed </p></li><li><p>Courses related to Indian culture, heritage, or India-focused social studies are excluded from the scheme. </p></li><li><p>For students heading to the United States, only J-1 visas are permitted, making those applying under F-1 visas ineligible.</p></li></ul>
<p>The Ministry of Social Justice and Empowerment has announced the National Overseas Scholarship (NOS) scheme, offering 125 scholarships to support students from marginalised communities in pursuing higher education abroad. The scheme covers candidates from Scheduled Castes (SC), De-notified, Nomadic and Semi-Nomadic Tribes (DNTs), landless agricultural labourers, and traditional artisan families.</p><p>The initiative aims to enable students from low-income backgrounds to pursue Master’s and PhD programmes in foreign universities, with the goal of improving their socio-economic mobility. </p>.<p><strong>Category-wise distribution and reservation</strong></p><p>Out of the total 125 scholarships:</p><ul><li><p>115 are allocated to Scheduled Castes</p></li><li><p>6 to DNTs and Nomadic communities</p></li><li><p>4 to landless agricultural labourers and traditional artisans </p></li></ul><p>Additionally, 30 per cent of the total slots are reserved for women candidates, although these may be reallocated if sufficient eligible applicants are not available. </p><p><strong>Eligibility criteria: Marks, age, income</strong></p><p>Applicants must meet the following criteria:</p><ul><li><p>Minimum 60 per cent marks in the qualifying examination.</p></li><li><p>Age below 35 years as of April 1 of the selection year.</p></li><li><p>Annual family income below Rs 8 lakh.</p></li><li><p>Must have secured an unconditional admission offer from a recognised foreign university. </p></li><li><p>Candidates who have already studied abroad (whether through scholarships or self-funding) are not eligible under the scheme. </p></li></ul>.Steady decline in Indian students going abroad for higher education: Education Ministry tells Rajya Sabha.<p><strong>QS ranking requirement shapes selection</strong></p><p>A key feature of the scheme is its strong emphasis on global university rankings.</p><p>In the first round of selection, only candidates with admission offers from top 500 universities in the QS World University Rankings 2025 will be considered. </p><p>If seats remain vacant after the first round, the scheme provides for a second round of selection, where eligibility is expanded in a graded manner. Priority will first continue to be given to candidates with admission offers from QS top 500 institutions. This will be followed by candidates from other QS-ranked universities, and finally, those with offers from other recognised institutions will be considered based on merit.</p><p>Merit ranking will prioritise candidates admitted to higher-ranked institutions.</p>.India's inbound student numbers likely to rise 8% per year: QS report.<p><strong>What financial support is offered?</strong></p><p>The scheme covers both academic and living expenses, making it a fully funded opportunity for selected candidates.</p><p>The NOS scheme provides a comprehensive funding package, including full tuition fees (as charged by the university), annual maintenance allowance of USD 15,400 (for USA and other countries) and GBP 9,900 (for UK), contingency allowance (USD 1,500 / GBP 1,100), visa fees and medical insurance as well as economy-class airfare (shortest route).</p><p><strong>Key conditions candidates must note</strong></p><p>The scheme includes several mandatory conditions:</p><ul><li><p>Candidates must return to India within 30 days of completing their course</p></li><li><p>They are required to stay in India for at least one year after returning</p></li><li><p>A bond with financial liability and sureties must be executed before departure</p></li><li><p>Change of university after selection is not allowed </p></li><li><p>Courses related to Indian culture, heritage, or India-focused social studies are excluded from the scheme. </p></li><li><p>For students heading to the United States, only J-1 visas are permitted, making those applying under F-1 visas ineligible.</p></li></ul>
