Overseas Studies Scholarship for OBC Students

The National Overseas Scholarship is a central sector scheme which facilitates low-income students from the backward classes. This includes the scheduled castes and scheduled tribes students who belong to the nomadic and semi-nomadic tribes, traditional artisans and landless agricultural labourers. The scholarship which is provided to such students is applicable for various courses like master, PhD and post-doctoral research programs at various universities in Australia, the United States, Germany, Canada and so on.  Read this blog furthermore to know all about Overseas Studies Scholarship for OBC Students, eligibility criteria, how to apply for the scholarships and more. 

Scholarship Type	Need-Based
Offered by	Government bodies
Organization	The Government of India
Renewability	One Time Payment
International Students Eligible	Yes
Official Website	https://nosmsje.gov.in/

Overseas Studies Scholarship for OBC Students: Eligibility Criteria 

The National Overseas Scholarship provides financial assistance to students belonging to the backward classes. The students who can apply for the National Overseas Scholarship must fulfil the following eligibility criteria:

• The students can apply for master’s and PhD level courses abroad in Institutions/Universities accredited by the Government/authorized body of that country in any field of study. 
• The candidates who have an unconditional offer letter of admission to any top 500 ranked foreign universities as per the latest available QS rankings only will be selected for a grant or scholarship during the first round of selection.
• The candidates who are applying for the scholarship must score at least 60% marks or an equivalent grade in the qualifying examination. 
• Apart from other requirements, the candidates must meet the minimum score requirements of tests like IELTS, PTE, GMAT, GRE and so on. 
• Candidates below the age of 35 years can only apply for the scholarship. 
• The family income from all sources shall not exceed Rs. 8.00 lakh per annum. An income certificate should all be issued by a Revenue Officer, not below the rank of “Tehsildar”. 
• The scholarship will not be awarded for a second time as the award can be given only once. Not more than two children of the same parents/guardians will be eligible for a scholarship under the scheme and a self-certification will be required from the candidate to this effect.

Category-wise distribution of slots for various groups who are eligible under this scholarship is given below:

Category	Number of slots
Scheduled Castes	115
Denotified, Nomadic and Semi-Nomadic Tribes	6
Landless Agricultural Labourers and Traditional Artisans	4
Total slots	125

Also Read: List of ACT Scholarships Based on Your Score!

Documents Required at the Application Stage

The candidates who wish to apply for the National Overseas Scholarship 2023 should have the following documents at the time of filling out their application form. 

1. Board certificate of class 10th (it should be uploaded as date of birth proof)
2. Caste Certificate
3. Scanned passport-size photograph and signature 
4. Permanent address proof 
5. Provisional certificate or qualified degree
6. Mark sheet of the qualifying examination 
7. Family income documents 
8. ITR acceptance certificate
9. Foreign university admission document (application form, registration or any other admission-related document)
10. NOC certificate of the employer if the applicant is employed. 
11. Gap certificate, if there is a gap of more than 6 months after qualifying for the degree

Application Process for Overseas Studies Scholarship

The National Overseas Scholarship will be advertised in the newspapers/other media giving summarized information about the Scheme. The candidate who wishes to apply for the scholarship can apply online to this Ministry on the portal, i.e., www.nosmsje.gov.in. 

• The candidates applying for the scholarship for the first time need to register on the National overseas portal. 
• The candidates can fill out the online registration form. Once done, a text message will be sent to the registered email address. The candidates are required to log in again and enter the provided award number and password to check the status.
• Once the candidate has obtained confirmed admission to a foreign university and has received the appropriate visa, they are supposed to inform the Ministry about the same. 
• Once the verification process is done, the Ministry will issue a confirmation award letter to the candidate.

Some Important Points To Keep In Mind While Applying for the Scholarship

• The application portal will be opened for the first round from mid of February for a period of 45 days (before the beginning of the selection year) and only online applications received shall be considered for the award of selection. 
• If the slots are not filled then the portal will be opened again for the second cycle from the 1st of September for a period of 45 days in each selection year.
• If there are any grievances in connection with results, they will be entertained for 30 calendar days from the publication of the result in the portal. 

Also Read: Tips on Writing a Strong Scholarship Application

FAQs

In this blog, we have covered all about the National Overseas Scholarship and we hope that you get familiarized with the criteria before applying for the scheme. Looking for more scholarships to study abroad? Reach out to our Leverage Edu mentors and we will help you in finding the best scholarships as per your course and university preferences and further assist you in creating an impressive application!