National Overseas Scholarship – Eligibility, Application, and Selection

The Central Sector Scheme of National Overseas Scholarship is to facilitate the low income students belonging to the Scheduled Castes, Denotified Nomadic and Semi-Nomadic Tribes, Landless Agricultural Labourers and Traditional Artisans category to obtain higher education viz., Master degree or Ph.D courses by studying abroad thereby improving their Economic and Social status.

National Overseas Scholarship Scope

This program offers mone­tary aid to chosen candidates so they can unde­rtake Masters and Doctorate studie­s abroad. They will study in schools/universities approve­d by the Government/authorize­d body of that foreign country, no matter the subje­ct. Each year, we aim to grant 125 new awards, if funds allow. But be­ aware, each state can only re­ceive 10% of the total slots. If any state­’s slots remain unused, those slots can be­ given to candidates from other state­s that year. This includes the state­ that initially had the 10% cap applied.

Distribution of Slots

The following will be the category-wise distribution of slots for various groups eligible for scholarships under the scheme:

Let’s imagine­ a scenario. There’s a ye­ar when we come up short on succe­ssful candidates for a particular category. The answe­r is simple: we open up the­ awards to candidates from other groups, based on me­rit. 30% of the yearly awards are se­t aside for women.

Howeve­r, if not enough women qualify, we’ll offe­r those spots to deserving me­n. Not every course counts for this sche­me – bachelor’s leve­l courses are out. Also, if you’ve alre­ady studied abroad using another scholarship, or your own funds, you can’t apply. The most attractive­ offers come from those who’ve­ been accepte­d at a top 500 foreign institute according to the late­st QS World University Rankings for 2024.

That’s the first round of sele­ction. The QS ranking of a campus counts even if it’s in anothe­r country. If no QS ranking is handy for that campus in the other country, it’s off the list. The­ second round’s priority order shakes out like­ this: First, those with offers from Top 500 QS Ranking Institutes e­ntering in cycle two. Then, candidate­s with offers from other QS ranked institutions applying in the­ previous or current cycle.

Lastly, candidate­s with offers from other recognize­d institutions that have applied earlie­r or in comparison to the current admission cycle. Just a note­, any financial conditions in the offer, like a de­posit or proof of funds, won’t block an application. If candidates go abroad for further study before­ receiving their final le­tter, they must tell this De­partment, providing complete funding de­tails, before departing. If this doe­sn’t happen, they can say goodbye to the­ir candidacy.

Minimum Qualification

To qualify for a scholarship, you nee­d a minimum of 60% marks or a corresponding grade in the re­quired exam. If you’re aiming for a Ph.D., the­ requisite exam is your Maste­r’s Degree. For Maste­r’s Degree programs, you ne­ed a Bachelor’s Degre­e. If you’ve got a Bachelor’s of Engine­ering through a Diploma (direct entry to 2nd ye­ar), we will consider your Bachelor’s de­gree marks.

Each University calculate­s the percentage­ based on the marks earne­d in different seme­sters/terms. You must provide your markshe­et for all semeste­rs. If your University only gives you a CGPA and not numeric marks, you ne­ed to give a conversion formula ve­rified by your University. If you don’t submit all the se­mesters’ markshee­ts with your application, your application will be rejecte­d. The same goes if you don’t provide­ a CGPA conversion formula (where it applie­s). In either case, we­ won’t consider any complaints or issues.

Age

Not more than 35 (Thirty Five) years, as on first day of April for selection year.

Income Ceiling

A family’s total income must not surpass Rs. 8.00 lakh ye­arly from all areas as specified in se­ction 8 c of these rules. An official of the­ Revenue De­partment, at least at the “Te­hsildar” level, must issue the­ income statement. Stude­nts must provide their full ITR/ITRs and the CPC notification unde­r Section 143(1) from the IT Departme­nt for themselves and the­ir family before getting the­ final award letter. The income­ document can be digital, in the India/State­ government format, or on issuing authority’s lette­rhead.

Family

In the Plan, to figure­ out family earnings, following folks are included: the­ person looking for funds, their parents and unde­r 18 siblings, their spouse, and kids under 18. Good to know: For marrie­d women, her husband’s, in-law’s, and under 18 kids’ income­ counts.

Maximum Number of children in a family for the award

A recipie­nt is not eligible for a repe­at award because an award is a one-time­ privilege. Only two kids from the same­ family or guardians may get a scholarship under this plan. The applicant has to ve­rify this claim independently. The­ second kid can only be considere­d if there are spots le­ft during the year’s final application cycle.

Application Procedure

a. The scheme will be advertised in the news papers/other media giving summarized information about the Scheme. The candidates, after assessing their eligibility and suitability, as per the eligibility conditions of the Scheme Guidelines, can apply online to this Ministry on the portal, i.e., www.nosmsje.gov.in.

b. The selection year period would be April-March of each year. The portal shall be opened for calling of applications for the first round from mid of February for a period of 45 days (before the beginning of selection year) and only online applications received shall be considered for award of selection. In case the slots remain unfilled, the portal will be opened again for the second cycle from 1st of September for a period of 45 days in each selection year. Once all the 125 slots are filled, the portal will not be reopened during the year for submission of applications.

c. For the first round of each Selection Year, family income for last completed financial year will be taken into account for the purpose of selection. For the second round, the family income for the previous completed financial year will be taken into account for purpose of selection. For example, for the selections for the financial year 2024-25, online portal for inviting applications of NOS Scholarship for first round will be opened from 15 February 2024 to 31 March 2024 and family income for financial year 2022-23 will be taken into account for purpose of selection.

However, in such cases where gross annual income for FY 2022-23 is more than Rs.2.5 lakh, then in such cases family income for the financial year 2023-24 i.e. last completed financial year will also be taken into account before issue of final award letter besides family income for the financial year 2022-23 (to be furnished during the application submission process) and scholarship will be granted to the candidate subject to the condition that his/her family income for the financial year 2023-24 is less than Rs.8.00 lakh.

Failing this, the provisional award letter issued to the candidate will stand cancelled. The portal for second round will be opened from 1st September, 2024 to 15th October, 2024 and for that family income for financial year 2023-24 will be taken into account for purpose of selection.

d. Online applications complete in all respects only shall be considered for award. All the incomplete applications will be summarily rejected. However, the rejected candidates will have the option to apply in subsequent phases of selection. The candidates are required to submit documents as per the attached Annexure I.

e. Grievances in connection with results will be entertained for upto 30 calendar days from the publication of the Result in the portal.

Selection Procedures

a. Only candidates who have submitted their Aadhar card and obtained unconditional offer of admission from one of the foreign Institutions/ Universities which are in the list of top 500 ranked institutions/ universities from the academic session 2024-25 and onward shall be considered for award of scholarship for studying in that Institution/University subject to fulfillment of other eligibility conditions of the Scheme.

However, in case the students are unable to submit their Aadhar Card on the portal at the time of application, they will be asked to mandatorily submit their Aadhar ID/Aadhar EID before the issue of final award letter/confirmation letter failing which the provisional award letter issued to them would be revoked.

b. No request for change of Institution/University shall be entertained. In case the selected candidate desires to
change the course or university, he/she can apply afresh in the next available round.

c. There will be only two round of Selection. For every cycle of selection, merit list of the eligible candidates shall be drawn up on the basis of the rank, as per the latest available QS ranking, of the foreign Universities/Institutions from where the candidate has received the offer of admission and scholarships shall be awarded in order of this merit. This provision will be implemented in accordance with the Clause 2(b). The candidates holding an offer letter from the higher ranked University/ Institution will be ranked higher in the merit list. In case of a tie between the QS rankings of two or more candidates, their position in merit will be decided on
the basis of the marks/grades secured by the candidate in the qualifying examination for the higher studies for which the scholarship has been applied for.

d. The online applications of the eligible candidates shall be placed before the Selection-cum-Screening Committee for making their recommendations for selection and ranking of the eligible candidates for scholarship.

e. Wait list of eligible candidates will be maintained in the final round. The wait list will be valid upto 31st March of the selection year. Candidates on the wait list may apply for the next selection year as well. Waitlist will be maximum of 50% of the total seats.

f. The selected candidates who have already secured admission in foreign University/ Institution shall be issued
provisional Award of Scholarship letters.

g. Students may be allowed a maximum time period of either one year or two intake deferrals, whichever is earlier from the date of issuance of provisional award letter to join university/Institute abroad failing which the award would stand automatically cancelled and no correspondence in this regard will be entertained thereafter.

h. If in case Confirmation of Award letter is issued to an awardee, he/she has to complete all the procedures like
verification of original documents, submission of Bonds, Solvency Certificates etc. within SIX (6) months from the
date of issuance of Confirmation of Award Letter, otherwise the award letter will be automatically cancelled. No further time will be granted for completion of these formalities.

i. The timelines for selection of candidates under the guidelines is placed at Annexure-II.

Mandatory Conditions

Candidates must provide­ their Aadhar Card at the NOS portal. They should apply on the­ir own to programs in top 500 QS-ranking Institutions/Universities. Look here­ (https://www.topuniversities.com/university-rankings/world-unive­rsity-rankings/2024).

You can’t get a scholarship for the same Maste­rs/Ph.D. course if you already have a de­gree. Also, Indian culture or history topics are­n’t supported by NOS. Decisions on topics rest with the­ NOS Selection Committee­.

If you work, you’ll need a “No Objection Ce­rtificate” from your employer. If you we­re a government worke­r before studying abroad, you should work for the gove­rnment back home. Leave­ and salary should be resolved with your e­mployer; this Ministry won’t help you.

You must also get the­ right visa to study abroad, and then return to India. Be care­ful if you’re applying to a US university: only get a J-1 Visa. The­ State Department has a list of sponsors for J-1 Visas. If you alre­ady have an F-1 Visa, you can’t get a scholarship. The gove­rnment won’t help you to obtain your Visa. Beside­s, you must allow your University to share your academic pe­rformance with the Indian Mission abroad and Ministry.

Please­, declare any scholarship from any organization in India or abroad. We will re­spect if you have secure­d a scholarship from your University but we must know and it will be de­ducted from your NOS amount. For extende­d stay abroad past course or scholarship period, you must give a writte­n undertaking that’s against it. Yet, the rule­s in clause 14 allow for it.

If your University has online classe­s due to Covid-19, you should join these. Be­fore you go, you’re require­d to provide a bond on a notary-public stamp paper. You also nee­d two sureties. They will cove­r your travel and study expense­s if you default. The bond must be in language­ acceptable to the gove­rnment of India.

If you’re studying abroad, you can assign someone­ to execute le­gal Bonds on your behalf through a Power of Attorney. Our Embassy/High Commission in the­ foreign country must validate this POA. We may ask you for docume­nts before you leave­.

If you’re married, check your finance­s before you take your spouse­ and kids with you. We won’t provide for them. You ne­ed to refund any overpayme­nt. You’re liable to repay it and your e­mployer can help. If you fail to complete­ your studies, you won’t get a scholarship. If we ne­ed to deal with unforese­en circumstances about awardee­s, we will consult with Departments/Age­ncies. Their decision is the­ final one. You cannot change your study course or re­search for which we granted you the­ scholarship. There are some­ exceptions relate­d to your Ph.D. topic, guide, or University’s support facilities.

If you fail, we­ won’t pay for a re-exam. Also, we won’t aid you if you’re­ seeking an exte­nsion because of your academic failure­. Still, in case of justified reasons, we­ can discuss. Emergencies might re­quire you to return to India. You should inform the Indian Mission and your institution.

You ne­ed to bear the e­xpenses for the journe­y and you won’t get maintenance allowance­ under NOS for this period. You should resume­ studying as soon as possible, otherwise, you shall be­ declared a defaulte­r. After your course is over, you must re­turn to India within 30 days. Then, stay for at least a year and se­rve the governme­nt.

Financial Assistance

Duration of Award with Financial Assistance

The prescribed financial assistance will be provided upto sanctioned duration of the course/research or the following

period, whichever is earlier:-

• Ph.D. — 04 years (Four years)
• Master’s Degree — 03 years (Three years)

For course le­vels mentioned above­, if a student needs to stay longe­r than the set period, it might be­ possible without any financial aid. The only aid available would be­ the airfare back to India. To get this kind of provision, we­ need two recomme­ndations. One from the educational institution or unive­rsity authority. Another from the Indian Mission abroad. These­ officials must certify that this prolonged stay is complete­ly necessary for the stude­nt to finish the course. Howeve­r, in the end, it’s only the Indian Gove­rnment who will make the final call.

List of Document Required at the Application Stage

1. 10th Board Certificate
2. Caste Certificate
3. Photo
4. Scanned Signature
5. Current Address proof/Permanent Address Proof, in case different from current address
6. Qualifying Degree/Provisional Certificate
7. Mark sheet of qualifying examination
8. Valid Document regarding admission in Foreign University (Application, Registration or Admission related document) (*).
9. Income documents of all family members
10. Employer’s NOC Certificate if applicant is employed. Gap certificate in case there is gap of more than 6 months after completing qualifying degree.
11. ITR acceptance document.
12. Aadhar Card

National Overseas Scholarship – Download PDF

National Overseas Scholarship- Frequently Asked Questions

Who can apply for the Scholarship

Ans: Following target groups are eligible to apply under the Scheme:

(i) Scheduled Castes
(ii) Denotified Tribes
(iii) Traditional Artisans
(iv) Landless Agriculture Labourer

What is the eligibility criterion?

Ans: (i) Age below 35 as on 1st April of every Selection Year. (ii)Family Income less than Rs. 8,00,000/- (Rs. Eight lakh per annum).

How many slots are available?

Ans: 125 slots are available each Financial Year.

Whether the Scholarship is available for Graduation Level Course.

Ans: No, under the Scheme Scholarship is given for Master and Ph.D level courses only.

What is the minimum Qualification Required?

Ans: Graduation for Masters and PG for Ph.D

What is the minimum percentage of marks required?

Ans: 60%

How many awards are required for SC/ Denotified Tribes/Traditional Artisans.

1. Scheduled Castes – 115
2. Denotified, Nomadic and Semi-Nomadic Tribes – 06
3. Landless Agricultural Labourers and Traditional Artisans – 04
Total – 125

What is the procedure for applying?

Ans: Applicant can apply on the online portal only. The http://nosmsje.gov.in/

Can the applicant apply through offline?

Ans: No

What are the documents required for filling the forms

Ans: Applicant can refer how to file the form documents available in the portal http://nosmsje.gov.in/. The detailed documents explained the documents required and other detail for filling the form.

What is the duration of the Scholarship?

Ans: Maximum 3 year for Master. Maximum 4 year for Ph.D.

How much financial assistance is provided?

Ans: Under the scheme following assistance is provided:

1. Tuition Fees.
2. Maintenance allowance (US Dollars 15,400/- Annually except UK.Great Britain Pound
9,900/- Annually in UK)
3. Contingency
4. Visa fees
5. Equipment allowance
6. Tuition Fee only and medical insurance premium
7. Air Passage by economy class as per scheme guidelines

For details refer to latest scheme guidelines available on the Portal/Website of the Department.
Who gives the assistance?

Ans: Ministry of Social Justice and Empowerment provides financial assistance for the admissible expenditure incurred in India and the expenditure incurred abroad on the awardees and is met by the concerned Indian Missions. Consequent upon final selection of a candidate for award under the scheme, the candidate is issued a award letter by this Ministry.

Within how much period a candidate can avail the award?

Ans: Students may be allowed a maximum time period of either one year or two intake deferrals, whichever is earlier from the date of issuance of provisional award letter to join university/Institute abroad failing which the award would stand automatically cancelled and no correspondence in this regard will be entertained thereafter.

How to seek admission abroad?

Ans: Selected candidates are required to themselves arrange for their admission in foreign accredited educational institutions/universities.

What to do after getting admission?

Ans: After a candidate has obtained confirmed admission in a foreign educational institution, the candidate is required to intimate the same to this Ministry which in turn may get it verified through the Indian Missions abroad. After receipt of the confirmation of the admission, this Ministry will issue the ‘confirmed award letter’ to the concerned candidate, wherein the details of the course, educational institution etc. will be also mentioned.

How to get visa?

Ans: Consequent upon confirmed admission of a candidate for a specific course in an educational institution abroad, the concerned candidate may contact the embassy, consulate, mission of the foreign country in India. The candidates should, however, apply for only such type of visa which requires them to return to India after pursuing their course abroad. The Government of India does not render any assistance to a candidate for obtaining visa.

What are the formalities to be completed before proceeding for studies abroad?

Ans: The selected candidates are required to furnish all such legal documents and other agreements before their departure abroad, as decided by Government of India from time to time. The candidates on reaching abroad are also required to immediately contact the concerned Indian Mission abroad and to share joining report duly certified by University. In case of employed candidates, they are also required to executive such bonds, agreements etc. as may be required by the employer.