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National Overseas Scholarship (NOS) 2026: eligibility, amount, selection and how to apply

Fully funded Study in Any country (study abroad)

National Overseas Scholarship for SC, Denotified, Nomadic and Semi-Nomadic Tribes, Landless Agricultural Labourers and Traditional Artisans, given by Department of Social Justice and Empowerment. Full: tuition, yearly maintenance, travel, visa and insurance.

Given bySocial Justice Ministry
LevelPostgraduate, PhD and research
MoneyFull: tuition, yearly maintenance, travel, visa and insurance
How many get it125 a year
This yearRounds in April-May and Sept-Oct

Apply on the NOS portalCheck if you can applyVisa

Who can apply for National Overseas Scholarship (NOS)

You can apply if

  • Belonging to a Scheduled Caste, a Denotified, Nomadic or Semi-Nomadic Tribe, or a landless agricultural labourer or traditional artisan family
  • Admitted to a Master's or PhD abroad: in the first round only an unconditional offer from a top-500 university in the QS World University Rankings counts
  • At least 60% marks in the qualifying exam (Bachelor's for a Master's, Master's for a PhD)
  • Not more than 35 years of age on 1 April of the selection year
  • Gross family income up to Rs 8 lakh a year in the last completed financial year

Not eligible

  • Bachelor's courses
  • Students already studying or who studied abroad with any scholarship or their own money
  • More than two children of the same parents
  • For the USA, students on an F-1 visa (a J-1 visa is required)

Check if you can apply

Answer from your own documents. The questions are the scholarship's published rules; your answers stay in this browser.

Do you belong to SC, a Denotified, Nomadic or Semi-Nomadic Tribe, or a landless agricultural labourer or traditional artisan family?
Do you have an unconditional offer for a Master's or PhD from a top-500 QS ranked university (needed in the first round)?
Did you get at least 60% in your qualifying exam?
Will you be 35 or younger on 1 April of the selection year?
Was your family's gross income Rs 8 lakh or less last financial year?

Answer the questions to see if you meet the published conditions.

How many get it: 125 new awards a year: 115 for Scheduled Castes, 6 for Denotified, Nomadic and Semi-Nomadic Tribes, 4 for landless agricultural labourers and traditional artisans. 30% are for women, and no State can take more than 10% in the first round. Source: Ministry of Social Justice and Empowerment.

JanWatchdog does not give a percentage chance: the scholarship does not publish one. Meeting every rule makes you eligible to apply; selection then depends on the steps below.

What National Overseas Scholarship (NOS) pays

Full: tuition, yearly maintenance, travel, visa and insurance. Actual tuition fees; yearly maintenance of USD 15,400 (USA and other countries) or GBP 9,900 (UK); yearly contingency of USD 1,500 or GBP 1,100; actual visa fee and medical insurance; economy air tickets.

What it covers

How National Overseas Scholarship (NOS) selection works

  1. A merit list is made by the QS rank of the university that admitted you; a higher-ranked university ranks higher
  2. Ties are broken by marks in the qualifying exam
  3. A Selection-cum-Screening Committee recommends the awards; a wait list of up to half the seats is kept until 31 March
  4. Two rounds a year: the portal opens in April or May for 40 days, and again in September or October if seats remain

How to apply for National Overseas Scholarship (NOS), step by step

  1. Get an unconditional offer of admission from a top-500 QS ranked university.
  2. Apply online on nosmsje.gov.in when the round opens (40 days, then 4 days for corrections).
  3. Upload the documents in Annexure I, including income tax returns where family income was above Rs 2.5 lakh (old tax regime) or Rs 3 lakh (new regime).
  4. After the provisional award, visit the Ministry with original documents, then sign a bond with two sureties.
  5. Get your student visa yourself; for the USA it must be a J-1 visa.

Documents to keep ready

Apply on the NOS portal

Letter of recommendation

The guidelines do not ask for a letter of recommendation; your foreign university may ask for one for admission.

Visa: Student visa of your country of study

  1. The guidelines leave the visa to you: the Government of India gives no help in getting it.
  2. For the USA you must get a J-1 visa and apply only to universities that sponsor J-1 visas; with an F-1 visa you are not eligible.
  3. Two copies of your passport and visa are asked for after the award is confirmed.

Fees and rules change: check the official visa pages before you apply.

Visa sources

Sources

Everything on this page comes from these documents and pages. Checked 18 Oct 2026.

JanWatchdog is not connected with any scholarship. Apply only on the official website; applying is free and no agent is needed.

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All scholarships and this year's National Scholarship Portal dates