The Odisha government has launched the Bidesh Sikhyabruti scholarship scheme to fund higher education abroad for meritorious Scheduled Caste (SC) and Scheduled Tribe (ST) students. The scheme, introduced by the Higher Education Department under the Mukhyamantri Medhabi Chhatra Protsahan Yojana (MMCPY), will support 50 students every year with financial assistance of up to ₹25 lakh per year. Applications for the academic years 2025-26 and 2026-27 were opened on the Odisha State Scholarship Portal from 18 to 31 August 2026.
What is the Bidesh Sikhyabruti Scheme?
The Bidesh Sikhyabruti, also written as Bidesh Sikhya Bruti or Videsh Siksha Bruti, is a dedicated overseas scholarship programme for students domiciled in Odisha who belong to the Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes. In Odia, Bidesh means foreign and Sikhyabruti means scholarship. The scheme was formally launched by Higher Education Minister Suryabanshi Suraj and notified by the Higher Education Department, Government of Odisha, in August 2025 for implementation from the academic year 2025-26.
It has been created as an overseas arm under the umbrella of the Mukhyamantri Medhabi Chhatra Protsahan Yojana (MMCPY). MMCPY is the state sector scholarship programme that consolidates several merit based scholarship schemes for students of Odisha. By adding an overseas component, the government aims to extend the benefit of MMCPY from colleges within India to globally ranked institutions abroad.
The core idea is to remove the financial barrier that prevents talented SC and ST students from accessing world class postgraduate and doctoral education. The scheme provides comprehensive support that covers tuition fees, living costs, travel, insurance and other incidental expenses, so that students can study at internationally acclaimed universities without having to depend on costly education loans.
How Many Students and Which Courses Are Covered?
The scheme will support 50 students per year across various streams and disciplines. A student can avail the benefit only once in a lifetime, either for a postgraduate degree or for a PhD, not for both.
The intake is distributed stream wise to ensure balanced coverage of academic fields. For the academic year 2025-26, the notified allocation is:
| Stream | Postgraduate Seats | PhD Seats | Total Seats |
|---|---|---|---|
| Engineering and Technical Education | 4 | 6 | 10 |
| Medical, Agriculture, Architecture and other Professional and Technical Courses | 4 | 6 | 10 |
| Courses under Higher Education Department (General Studies including Arts, Science, Commerce, Humanities and Social Sciences) | 10 | 20 | 30 |
| Total | 18 | 32 | 50 |
In a broader description used in the guidelines, this is also summarised as 20 seats for technical and professional studies and 30 seats for general studies, or alternatively as 18 seats for PG courses and 32 seats for PhD courses. The distribution shows a clear preference for doctoral research, which aligns with the goal of creating a cadre of researchers and academicians from marginalised communities.
Only postgraduate (Master’s level) and Doctor of Philosophy (PhD) programmes are eligible. Undergraduate courses, diplomas, or certificate programmes abroad are not covered.
What is the Financial Assistance Under the Scheme?
Each selected student is eligible for assistance of up to ₹25 lakh per year. The amount is divided into three components:
| Component | Annual Upper Limit |
|---|---|
| Tuition Fees (subject to actuals, after deducting any fee waiver or scholarship offered by the foreign university) | ₹15 lakh |
| Living Expenses (accommodation, food and daily maintenance) | ₹7 lakh |
| Miscellaneous Expenses (to and fro airfare, medical insurance, visa fees and other incidental costs) | ₹3 lakh |
| Total per year | ₹25 lakh |
The total assistance is capped at ₹50 lakh per student per course. For postgraduate programmes, the support is provided for one or two years depending on the duration of the course. For PhD programmes, it is provided for a maximum of two years. The guidelines clearly state that no extension beyond two years will be granted, even if the PhD continues longer.
Disbursement is made directly to the student. Tuition fees are paid either upfront or annually as per the university’s demand, after adjusting for any waiver already granted by the admitting institution. Living expenses are released in four quarterly instalments of ₹1.75 lakh each. From the ₹3 lakh miscellaneous component, ₹2 lakh is released at the beginning of the first year and ₹1 lakh at the beginning of the second year.
Students must submit an annual undertaking that they will forfeit the entire amount if they receive any other scholarship for the same course from the Government of India, Government of Odisha, or any other public or private organisation, except for support under the Kalinga Sikhya Sathi Yojana, which is Odisha’s interest subvention scheme for education loans.
Who is Eligible for Bidesh Sikhyabruti?
The scheme lays down clear eligibility conditions that combine domicile, community, academic merit, income, and admission requirements.
Domicile and Category
The applicant must be a permanent resident of Odisha and must belong to the Scheduled Caste or Scheduled Tribe communities as notified for Odisha. A valid caste certificate and residence certificate are mandatory.
Unconditional Offer from a Top 200 QS Ranked University
This is the most important academic filter. The applicant must have secured an unconditional offer of admission for a full time postgraduate or PhD programme in a foreign university or institution that is ranked within the top 200 of the QS World University Rankings in the latest available ranking at the time of application. The institution must also be accredited and recognised by the national regulatory body of the host country. Conditional offers or offers from institutions outside the top 200 are not eligible.
Selection is merit based on the QS rank of the admitting university. Candidates with offers from higher ranked institutions are placed higher in the merit list prepared by the Odisha State Higher Education Council (OSHEC). If two or more candidates have offers from institutions with the same QS rank, the tie is resolved on the basis of marks or grades secured in the previous qualifying examination.
Income Ceiling
The annual gross family income from all sources, including salary, business, agriculture, and pensionary benefits, and including income of all family members without deductions, must not exceed ₹12 lakh. The applicant must also declare that he or she is not a regular employee of any Central Government, State Government, Public Sector Undertaking, or autonomous body at the time of application.
Academic Qualification and Age Limit
| Course Applied For | Required Qualification | Minimum Marks Required | Maximum Age Limit |
|---|---|---|---|
| Postgraduate (Master’s) | Relevant Bachelor’s degree | 65% or equivalent grade | 35 years |
| PhD | Relevant Master’s degree | 65% or equivalent grade | 40 years |
In addition, a candidate is not eligible to apply for the same level of course for which he or she has already acquired a qualification in India or abroad. For example, a student who already holds a Master’s degree cannot apply again for another Master’s under this scheme.
Exclusivity and Other Conditions
A candidate must not be availing any other scholarship or financial assistance from any government, public sector undertaking, or private organisation for the same purpose at the time of receiving support. Candidates who are already staying, studying, or have completed studies abroad by using any other scholarship or even their own funds are not eligible to apply. If a student receives any fellowship, grant, fee waiver, or stipend from the foreign university or any other national or international agency after the scholarship is sanctioned, the award can be cancelled. The responsibility to obtain an appropriate student visa that permits study and return to India lies entirely with the candidate, and the Government of Odisha will not provide assistance for visa procurement.
How to Apply and How Are Students Selected?
Applications are invited only through the online mode on the Odisha State Scholarship Portal, which is accessible at scholarship.odisha.gov.in. The portal is also referred to as the Odisha Single Sign-on (OSS) portal in some notifications, with the alternate address scholarship.odisha.gov.in serving as the primary application gateway. For the launch cycle, the window for the academic years 2025-26 and 2026-27 was kept open from 18 August to 31 August 2026.
To apply, candidates must visit scholarship.odisha.gov.in and open the Schemes section to select Bidesh Sikhyabruti and click on Apply Now. After that, they need to register with Aadhaar and fill in personal, academic, income and admission details before uploading the required documents and submitting the form before the deadline. Only complete applications are considered for selection and incomplete ones are summarily rejected.
The required documents include Aadhaar card, caste certificate, income certificate of parents or guardian, residence certificate, passport size photograph, scanned signature, mark sheets and qualifying degree or provisional certificate, proof of admission such as the unconditional offer letter from the foreign university, and copy of passport and visa application.
After submission, the Odisha State Higher Education Council (OSHEC) prepares the merit list based on QS rankings and academic scores. A Selection Committee comprising officials from four departments examines the applications. No request for change of institution or university after submission is entertained. The final result is published on the portal, and grievances, if any, can be raised within 30 calendar days from the date of publication.
Going forward, the Higher Education Department has indicated that applications will be invited twice a year, during July to August and December to January, to align with foreign university admission cycles.
Why Was the Scheme Launched and What is Its Significance?
Odisha has a large SC and ST population, together accounting for nearly 39% of the state’s total population, with STs alone constituting about 22.8%, one of the highest proportions among major Indian states. Despite various post matric and merit scholarships, students from these communities often face financial constraints in accessing international education, where annual costs can easily exceed ₹30 lakh to ₹40 lakh for tuition and living.
The scheme therefore serves several objectives. First, it promotes equity and inclusive higher education by earmarking overseas opportunities specifically for SC and ST students. Second, it builds a pool of globally competent professionals, researchers, and leaders from marginalised communities who can contribute to the state’s human capital and knowledge economy on their return. Third, it complements Odisha’s broader education push. In July 2025, the state announced a universal free education policy from Kindergarten to Post Graduation (KG to PG) without caste or income barriers, a first for any Indian state. The Bidesh Sikhyabruti scheme extends that vision of barrier free education beyond national borders.
For the state administration, the scheme also creates a monitoring framework. Selected students must submit annual academic progress reports, and the scheme is monitored by OSHEC. An academic performance audit of higher education institutions has also been initiated to improve quality and accountability alongside the scholarship.
How Does Bidesh Sikhyabruti Compare with the National Overseas Scholarship?
Many candidates search for overseas scholarships and encounter the National Overseas Scholarship (NOS), a long running Central Sector Scheme. Understanding the difference is important for choosing the correct portal.
The National Overseas Scholarship Scheme for SC etc. candidates is implemented by the Ministry of Social Justice and Empowerment, Government of India. It was introduced to help low income students belonging to Scheduled Castes, Denotified Nomadic and Semi-Nomadic Tribes, Landless Agricultural Labourers, and Traditional Artisans pursue Master’s and PhD courses abroad. For the selection year 2026-27, the NOS offers 125 fresh awards every year, with 115 slots reserved for SC, 6 for Denotified Tribes, and 4 for Landless Agricultural Labourers and Traditional Artisans. Thirty percent of these awards are earmarked for female candidates. Applications are made on the central portal nosmsje.gov.in.
| Feature | Odisha Bidesh Sikhyabruti | National Overseas Scholarship (NOS) |
|---|---|---|
| Implementing Authority | Higher Education Department, Government of Odisha through OSHEC, under MMCPY | Ministry of Social Justice and Empowerment, Government of India |
| Target Group | Only SC and ST students domiciled in Odisha | SC, Denotified Tribes, Landless Labourers, Traditional Artisans from anywhere in India |
| Number of Awards per Year | 50 | 125 |
| Ranking Requirement | Top 200 QS World Ranked foreign institutions | Top 500 QS World Ranked foreign institutions (from 2026-27 onwards) |
| Income Ceiling | ₹12 lakh per annum (gross family income) | ₹8 lakh per annum |
| Financial Assistance | Up to ₹25 lakh per year, capped at ₹50 lakh per course, paid directly to student | Covers tuition fees, maintenance allowance, airfare, medical insurance and contingency, routed through Indian Missions abroad |
| Application Portal | scholarship.odisha.gov.in | nosmsje.gov.in |
Both schemes require an unconditional offer from a QS ranked university, set minimum marks in the qualifying degree, and have age limits. NOS generally requires 60% marks and an age below 35 years as on 1 April of the selection year, with a state wise cap of 10% of total slots per State or Union Territory to ensure regional distribution. Odisha’s scheme is more generous on income ceiling and per year assistance but is limited to the top 200 universities and to students of Odisha alone.
In effect, an eligible SC or ST student from Odisha could apply to either scheme if he or she meets the respective criteria, but cannot avail both for the same course. The state scheme is therefore an additional, targeted opportunity over and above the central NOS.
Key Takeaways
- The Bidesh Sikhyabruti overseas scholarship was launched by the Odisha Higher Education Department under MMCPY for SC and ST students domiciled in Odisha to pursue postgraduate and PhD studies abroad.
- 50 students are selected every year with financial assistance of up to ₹25 lakh per year, capped at ₹50 lakh per course, covering tuition up to ₹15 lakh, living ₹7 lakh, and miscellaneous ₹3 lakh.
- Applicants must have an unconditional offer from a top 200 QS World Ranked foreign university, at least 65% marks in the qualifying degree, and gross family income up to ₹12 lakh per annum.
- The maximum support duration is 1 to 2 years for postgraduate courses and 2 years for PhD, with no extension beyond two years, and the benefit can be availed only once in a lifetime.
- Applications for 2025-26 and 2026-27 were accepted on the Odisha State Scholarship Portal (scholarship.odisha.gov.in) from 18 to 31 August 2026, with merit prepared by OSHEC based on QS rank and academic scores.
- The scheme complements the Central National Overseas Scholarship (NOS) of the Ministry of Social Justice and Empowerment, which offers 125 awards for top 500 QS ranked universities with an ₹8 lakh income ceiling.
