National Overseas Scholarship Scheme 2025 by the Ministry of Social Justice and Empowerment Government of India is to help low-income students belonging to the Scheduled Castes, Denotified Nomadic and Semi-Nomadic Tribes, Landless Agricultural Labourers and Traditional Artisans category. Those who belong to these categories and seek to pursue higher education viz., a Master’s degree or Ph.D. courses by studying abroad can avail of the scholarship scheme. The application’s tentative deadline is March 31, 2025.
The National Overseas Scholarship Scheme offers monetary support to chosen applicants who wish to enroll in master’s or doctoral programs in any discipline at recognized universities or colleges overseas. The grant includes coverage for academic fees, maintenance costs, an emergency fund, and funds for textbooks and educational materials, in addition to travel expenses.
Official Website Link: Click Here
| Scholarship details | |
| Offered by | The Ministry of Social Justice and Empowerment, Government of India |
| Amount granted | Variable |
| Type of scholarship | Need-based |
| Level of program | Graduate & Doctoral |
| Application deadline | March 31, 2025 (tentative) |
| Renewability | Annual renewal |
| International students | Indian students |
| Official URL | National Overseas Scholarship |
National Overseas Scholarship Eligibility Criteria
- The applicant must be from a Scheduled Tribe (ST).
- The applicant must be pursuing a postgraduate course (Master’s, Ph.D., or Postdoctoral Research) from a foreign institute or university.
- The applicant’s family’s annual income (from all sources) should not be greater than ₹ 6,00,000/-.
- The applicant must have secured at least 55% marks or equivalent grade in the qualifying examination (In the case of Post-Doctoral Research, the qualifying exam is Ph.D.; In the case of Ph.D., the qualifying exam is a Master’s Degree; In the case of a Master’s Degree, the qualifying exam is a Bachelor’s Degree)
- The applicant must be the only child in the family who is availing/has availed of this scholarship.
- If pursuing Post-Doctoral Research, the age of the applicant as of 1st July of the selection year, should not be greater than 38 years.
- If pursuing a Ph.D., the applicant’s age as of 1 July of the selection year should be no greater than 35.
- If pursuing a Master’s degree, the applicant’s age as of 1 July of the selection year should not be greater than 32 years.
- In the case where both father and mother are working, the combined income of both of them from all sources shall be taken into account in computing total family income.
- In case any other member of the family, other than the father and mother, is an earning member, his or her income shall not be included in computing total family income.
- In case only one parent is alive, the income of that parent shall be taken into account for considering total family income. If another sibling or family member is an earning member, their income shall not be included in computing total family income.
- In the case of an orphan, supported by a guardian, income criteria shall not apply.
Note:
- Bachelor’s Degree courses are NOT ELIGIBLE for the scholarship
- Candidates already settled or studying abroad will not be considered for the scholarship
- A maximum of two candidates from a single family are allowed to avail of this scholarship
National Overseas Scholarship Required Documents
- Profile/Personal Photo (Image file only).
- Date of Birth (D.O.B) Certificate (10th Marksheet/ Certificate in PDF only).
- Family Income Certificate (PDF only).
- Master Degree (Marksheet) and Conversion factor formulae from CGPA to the equivalent percent of a mark (if applied in Ph.D or Post Doctoral Research) (PDF only).
- Ph.D (Marksheet) and Conversion factor formulae from CGPA to equivalent percent of the mark (if applied in Post Doctoral Research) (PDF only).
- Graduation(Marksheet) and Conversion factor formulae from CGPA to equivalent percent of the mark (if applied in Master Degree) (PDF only).
- ST Certificate (PDF only).
- PVTG Certificate (If it belongs to PVTG) (PDF only).
- Copy of latest Tax-Assesment (ITR/ Form-16) (PDF only).
- Admission or Offer Letter (PDF only)
- The above documents should be in the applicant’s Digi locker ID (https://www.digilocker.gov.in/) either in the issued documents section or in Digi locker Drive.
- Income certificate is required to be taken once only i.e., at the time of admission to the course which will be valid for the entire duration of the course.
- The income certificate given at the time of admission should be taken in the same year for which the admission is taken.
- In the case of salaried employees, the income of the previous financial year will be considered for the purpose of eligibility. For example, if a candidate applies afresh for the academic year 2021-22, the family income for the financial year 2020-21 would be required.
How to Apply Online for the National Overseas Scholarship 2025?
There are three stages involved in the application process.
Registration Process on the Digilocker portal (Only for those candidates who don’t have their Digilocker Account)
- The applicant needs to visit: https://www.digilocker.gov.in/signup
- Enter your Full Name, Date of Birth, Date, Mobile Number, and Email ID, and Set 6 6-digit security PIN.
- Submit the OTP and enter your Aadhaar Number.
- Now log in to your account.
- If any related document is not under Issued documents, upload all the required documents at the “Uploaded documents” section.
Registration Process on National Overseas Portal
- The applicant needs to visit: https://overseas.tribal.gov.in/StudentsRegistrationForm.aspx
- Enter Full Name, Mobile Number, Date of Birth, E-mail Id, State , District and set a Password.
- After verifying the captcha, click on the “Register” button.
- On the next screen enter the received OTP. Then the confirmation message as “Your registration completed successfully” will be shown.
Filling up of Application Form for the National Overseas Scholarship
- The applicant needs to visit: https://overseas.tribal.gov.in/Login.aspx
- Applicant needs to enter email ID, and password and validate the captcha code.
- After successful login, an application form will be displayed to fill in the remaining information.
- Applicant needs to fill in complete personal information, education qualification, and other details as required in the application form.
- For Documents upload, an applicant will be redirected to the Digilocker window, then the applicant have to sign in and click on the “Allow” button to get the documents from the Digi-locker.
- Then applicant will get access to the sections of “Issued Documents” and “Uploaded Documents” on the application form.
- To “Retrieve issued document” the applicant needs to click on the “Retrieve” button.
- Read the declaration part carefully Click on the “Submit” button for the final submission of the Application. (Any information cannot be updated/edited if the application is submitted successfully.)
National Overseas Scholarship Helpline Details?
To get your questions or queries answered, you can contact the Government of India by using the below-mentioned contact details:
National Overseas Scholarship Technical Query:
Contact Number- 011-23345770
Website – https://tribal.nic.in/Grievance
Email- fellowship-tribal@nic.in
National Overseas Scholarship Admin/ Scholarship Query:
Contact Number- 011-23345770, 011-23366980
Email- fellowship-tribal@nic.in
National Overseas Scholarship Grant Details
The National Overseas Scholarship covers the following expenses that might be incurred by a student during their period of studying in a foreign country. The expenses covered under the scholarship are mentioned below:
- Maintenance Allowance
- Contingency Allowance
- Poll Tax
- Incidental Journey and Equipment Allowance
- Visa Fees
- Tuition Fees
- Medical Insurance Premium
- Air Passage
- Local Travel
Students can supplement these allowances by taking up Teaching/ Research Assistantship jobs.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the Last Date for the National Overseas Scholarship in 2025?
Specific dates are not announced yet, but based on previous years’ data 31st March 2025 will be the tentative date.
Do I have to fill up the online application in one sitting?
No, you can choose the “Save Draft” option and resume the application later.
What should be the Type and size of the documents and profile photo to be uploaded?
Documents should be updated in pdf and photo size should be 50KB-100KB.
Can we apply for an NSP scholarship in the 2nd year?
No, a student shall only be considered for scholarship in the year of commencement of his/her course. For subsequent years of course, only renewal will be allowed. So you cannot apply as a fresh if you are a Renewal candidate. Your application will be rejected in that case.