National Overseas Scholarship Scheme for SC etc. Candidates 2026‑27

The National Overseas Scholarship is a central scheme of the Ministry of Social Justice and Empowerment. It helps low-income students from Scheduled Castes and other listed groups study for a Master’s or PhD at a university abroad. The guidelines provide 125 fresh awards in each selection year, subject to availability of funds.

If you are a Scheduled Tribe student, this scheme is not yours. The Ministry of Tribal Affairs runs a separate Central Sector scholarship for ST students, with 20 fresh awards each year. You apply for that one at overseas.tribal.gov.in.

What you get

The 2026-27 guidelines set two yearly allowances, with one rate for the USA and most other countries and a separate rate for the UK.

Tuition, visa fees and the medical insurance premium are covered at actual cost. Incidental journey and equipment allowances are USD 20 each, or the rupee equivalent. Contingency money can go on books, essential equipment including a laptop, study tours, conference travel and thesis binding, along with university fees such as library and exam fees. Fees for English or other language courses are not allowed.

Air travel is economy class. You buy the ticket from one of three authorised agents, and the Indian Mission abroad reimburses it after you join the university and send a joining report. Support runs for the course length, up to 3 years for a Master’s and 4 years for a PhD.

Who can apply

• The slots are 115 for Scheduled Castes, 6 for Denotified, Nomadic and Semi-Nomadic Tribes, and 4 for landless agricultural labourers and traditional artisans. Unused slots in one group can go to others on merit.
• A landless labourer’s family owns no property, land or business and lives mainly on manual farm work. A traditional artisan earns a living through traditional craft.
• You need at least 60% marks or an equivalent grade in your qualifying exam. For a Master’s, the qualifying exam is a Bachelor’s degree, and for a PhD it is a Master’s degree. For a Bachelor of Engineering after a diploma (lateral entry), the marks in the Bachelor’s degree count.
• Marksheets for all semesters are required, and where a university gives only a CGPA, the university must certify a conversion formula to numerical marks.
• Gross annual family income from all sources must not exceed Rs. 8 lakh in the last completed financial year. The family counts the candidate, parents, siblings under 18, a spouse, and children under 18. For a married woman, her in-laws’ income is counted too.
• You must be not more than 35 years old on the first day of April of the selection year.
• Bachelor’s level courses are not covered. For the first round, you need an unconditional offer from a university ranked in the top 500 of the latest QS ranking.
• You cannot apply if you are already studying or have studied abroad with a Central or State scholarship, or with your own funds. You cannot get the award for a level you already hold, such as a Master’s for someone who already has a Master’s.
• If you have applied for or hold an F-1 visa for the USA, you are not eligible.
• No more than two children of the same parents can get the scholarship. The second child gets it only if slots remain in the last cycle.

How to apply

1. After checking the eligibility conditions, apply online on the Ministry’s portal, nosmsje.gov.in.
2. Submit your Aadhaar card on the portal. If you cannot do it at the time of applying, submit the Aadhaar ID or EID before the final award letter, or the provisional award is revoked.
3. Submit the documents listed in Annexure I of the guidelines.
4. After the 40-day window, the portal reopens for 4 days so you can correct your application.
5. Incomplete applications are rejected.

Documents you need

At the application stage, the guidelines ask for:

• Class 10 board certificate, caste certificate, photo and scanned signature
• Address proof (permanent address too, if different)
• Qualifying degree or provisional certificate, and its marksheet
• Proof of admission to the foreign university (application, registration or admission letter)
• Income documents for all family members, and an income tax return acknowledgement or assessment order
• Employer’s no objection certificate if you are employed, and a gap certificate if more than 6 months passed after your qualifying degree
• Aadhaar card

The income certificate must come from a revenue officer not below the rank of Tehsildar. If your family’s income for FY 2025-26 is above the old or new tax regime limit, you must submit complete tax returns for all family members, with the CPC intimation order, before the final award letter. After a provisional award you submit an attestation form, self-declarations on income and pending cases, and a copy of your passport.

How students are selected

• There are only two rounds of selection.
• Candidates are ranked by the QS ranking of the university that gave the offer, and a higher-ranked offer ranks higher. A tie is settled by marks in the qualifying exam for the course applied for.
• A Selection-cum-Screening Committee reviews the eligible applications and ranks them.
• The Ministry caps slots at 10% of the total for each state.
• A wait list, capped at 50% of seats, stays valid until 31 March of the selection year.

Renewal

The award can be given only once, so there is no renewal. Maintenance allowance depends on your progress reports. If you stay past the prescribed period, the scheme gives no money beyond the return air passage, and only with the proper recommendation. After the course you must return to India within 30 days and stay for at least one year.

Important dates

For 2026-27, the first round was due in April or May 2026, for 40 days. The second round was due in September or October 2026, for 40 days. Both windows have passed as of 5 November 2026. The official pages I read do not give a closing date for 2026-27. Check nosmsje.gov.in for any further notice. The Ministry of Tribal Affairs’ ST round for 2026-27 had a last date of 15 July 2026 at 5:30 PM.