The scholarship is available only to SC and ST students who are permanent residents of Odisha. The overall assistance will be capped at Rs 50 lakh per course per student.
Odisha launches ‘Bidesh Sikhyabruti’ scholarship scheme for SC, ST students: The Odisha government on Tuesday launched the ‘Bidesh Sikhyabruti’ scholarship scheme to support meritorious SC and ST students. The scheme will provide financial assistance to eligible students pursuing postgraduate and PhD studies at reputed foreign universities. Eligible students can apply through the Odisha State Scholarship portal from August 18 to 31, 2026.
According to a notification issued by the Higher Education Department the scheme will support 50 SC and ST students. Applicants family income must not exceed Rs 12 lakh. Applicants must have secured an unconditional admission offer from a foreign university or institution ranked among the top 200 in the latest available QS rankings at the time of applying.
The scholarship is available only to SC and ST students who are permanent residents of Odisha. Applicants must also declare that they are not regular employees of the Central or State Government, a public sector undertaking (PSU) or an autonomous body at the time of application. For postgraduate programmes, applicants must have secured at least 65% marks in the relevant bachelor’s degree and should not be above 35 years of age. For PhD programmes, candidates must have secured at least 65% marks in the relevant master’s degree and should not be above 40 years of age. The scholarship can be availed only once in a student’s lifetime, either for a postgraduate or a PhD programme.
Under the scheme, the government will provide financial assistance of up to approximately Rs 25 lakh per student per year. The assistance will comprise up to Rs 15 lakh towards tuition fees, subject to actual expenditure, Rs 7 lakh towards living expenses and Rs 3 lakh towards miscellaneous expenses, including travel, insurance and other incidental costs. The overall assistance will be capped at Rs 50 lakh per course per student. For postgraduate programmes, assistance may be provided for one or two years, depending on the duration of the course. For PhD programmes, financial assistance will be available for a maximum of two years. No extension will be provided beyond the prescribed period.
The government has invited applications for the 2025-26 and 2026-27 academic years. Students seeking to apply can visit the Odisha State Scholarship Portal at https://scholarship.odisha.gov.in and complete the application process before August 31.
ALSO READ: BJP Reshuffle: Poonia, Tawde and Chugh get new responsibilities
