The National Overseas Scholarship supports eligible students from Scheduled Castes, Denotified, Nomadic and Semi-Nomadic Tribes, landless agricultural-labourer families, and traditional-artisan families to study abroad. It is administered by India’s Department of Social Justice and Empowerment and offers 125 new awards per selection year, subject to available funds.
Awards cover master’s and PhD study at overseas institutions accredited by the relevant government or authorized body. The 2026–27 first round has closed; a second round may open in September or October only if places remain.
Benefits & funding
- Tuition fees are covered at the amount actually charged, along with actual visa fees and medical-insurance premiums.
- The annual maintenance allowance is USD 15,400 outside the United Kingdom and GBP 9,900 in the United Kingdom.
- The annual contingency allowance is USD 1,500 outside the United Kingdom and GBP 1,100 in the United Kingdom.
- The award includes economy-class travel under the scheme’s booking rules and provides financial assistance for up to three years for a master’s degree or four years for a PhD.
- The scheme does not provide financial support for a spouse or children accompanying the awardee.
Eligibility
- Applicants must belong to one of the scheme’s eligible communities and provide the relevant category certificate; registration also requires an Indian State or Union Territory of domicile.
- Applicants for a master’s degree must hold a bachelor’s degree, while PhD applicants must hold a master’s degree, with at least 60% or an equivalent grade in the qualifying examination.
- Applicants must be no older than 35 on 1 April of the selection year, and gross annual family income from all sources must not exceed INR 800,000 for the last completed financial year.
- The first round requires an unconditional offer from a top-500 institution in the 2026 QS World University Rankings; the second round uses the published priority order if places remain.
- Applicants already staying, studying, or previously educated abroad using government, agency, or personal funding are ineligible, as are applicants seeking the same degree level they already hold.
- Courses on Indian culture, heritage, history, or India-based social-studies research topics are not covered.
Can you apply?
Here's who can apply
Decoded from the official rules. A free account checks them against your passport, degree and age in seconds.
Residence required
India
Education required
Bachelor · Master
Age requirement
≤ 35 yrs
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Application process
- 1Check the scheme conditions and secure the required overseas admission documentation, including an unconditional offer for first-round consideration.
- 2Register on the NOS portal with the correct category, domicile, date of birth, name, mobile number, and email address.
- 3Sign in, complete the online form, and upload the category, qualification, income, admission, address, Aadhaar, and any applicable employment or study-gap documents.
- 4Submit the complete application online; selected candidates must later provide the additional award documents and attend original-document verification by appointment.
Program timeline
First-round applications opened.
Apr 24, 2026
First-round application deadline.
Jun 2, 2026
Correction window for submitted applications; no new registrations were accepted.
Jun 4, 2026 to Jun 7, 2026
September/October 2026
A 40-day second round may open if slots remain; the official site has not published an exact date.
Course dates
Start and end dates depend on the overseas university and the award formalities.