Quick Read
- National Overseas Scholarship funds Master’s and PhD study abroad only.
- Three separate NOS schemes cover SC, ST, and OBC students.
- Karnataka’s National Overseas Scholarship is a different, state-run scheme.
- Income limits differ: Rs 8 lakh flagship, Rs 6 lakh ST.
- NOS 2027-28 dates have not been announced yet.
- Only 125 central NOS slots are awarded across India yearly.
What Is the National Overseas Scholarship
The National Overseas Scholarship (NOS) is one of several Indian government scholarships to study abroad, funding Master’s and PhD study at foreign universities for students from specified marginalised communities. It does not fund undergraduate study. What most guides get wrong is treating “National Overseas Scholarship” as one single scheme. It’s actually three separate central schemes, plus a same-named but entirely different state scheme in Karnataka:
- NOS (flagship), run by the Ministry of Social Justice and Empowerment, for Scheduled Castes, Denotified/Nomadic/Semi-Nomadic Tribes, Landless Agricultural Labourers, and Traditional Artisans
- NOS for ST, run by the Ministry of Tribal Affairs, for Scheduled Tribe candidates
- NOS for OBC, also run by the Ministry of Social Justice and Empowerment, a much smaller scheme for Other Backward Classes candidates
- National Overseas Scholarship, Karnataka, a state scheme run by Karnataka’s Directorate of Minorities for minority community students, unrelated to the three central schemes above
Counselor insight: If you searched “National Overseas Scholarship Karnataka” expecting a Karnataka-specific version of the central SC/ST/OBC scheme, you’re looking at the wrong program. It’s a distinct state scheme for minority students (Muslim, Sikh, Christian, Jain, Buddhist, Parsi), applied through Karnataka’s own SSP portal, not nosmsje.gov.in.
National Overseas Scholarship Schemes Compared
| Scheme | Runs Under | Eligible Categories | Annual Slots | Income Ceiling | QS Ranking Threshold | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| National Overseas Scholarship (flagship) | Ministry of Social Justice and Empowerment | SC, Denotified/Nomadic/Semi-Nomadic Tribes, Landless Agricultural Labourers, Traditional Artisans | 125 (SC 115, DNT/SNT 6, LAL/TA 4) | Rs 8 lakh/year | Top 500 | nosmsje.gov.in |
| NOS for ST | Ministry of Tribal Affairs | Scheduled Tribes | Approx. 20 | Rs 6 lakh/year | Top 1000 | overseas.tribal.gov.in |
| NOS for OBC | Ministry of Social Justice and Empowerment | Other Backward Classes | Historically approx. 25 (Engineering, Management, Agricultural Science, Medicine) | Rs 8 lakh/year | Top 500 | nosmsje.gov.in / National Scholarship Portal |
| National Overseas Scholarship, Karnataka | Karnataka Directorate of Minorities (state) | Minority communities (Muslim, Sikh, Christian, Jain, Buddhist, Parsi) | Varies by year | State-specific | Not applicable | Karnataka SSP portal |
Counselor insight: Don’t apply to the wrong ministry’s portal. SC/DNT/LAL/TA and OBC applicants use NOS MS; ST applicants use the separate Ministry of Tribal Affairs portal. Submitting to the wrong one wastes your application window entirely, since there’s no cross-referral between them. Note too that ST applicants work against genuinely different numbers: a Rs 6 lakh income ceiling instead of Rs 8 lakh, and a Top 1000 QS threshold instead of Top 500, both more permissive than the flagship scheme.
National Overseas Scholarship Eligibility
Core eligibility, flagship NOS and NOS-OBC:
| Criteria | Requirement |
|---|---|
| Category | SC, Denotified/Nomadic/Semi-Nomadic Tribes, Landless Agricultural Labourers, Traditional Artisans, or OBC (per specific scheme) |
| Age limit | Below 35 years for Master’s, below 40 years for PhD, as of April 1 of the selection year |
| Academic qualification | Minimum 60% marks (or equivalent grade) in the qualifying degree |
| Family income | Not exceeding Rs 8 lakh per annum, from all sources |
| University ranking | Unconditional offer from a QS Top 500 institution prioritised in Round 1 |
| Course level | Master’s or PhD only; bachelor’s degree courses are not covered |
| Admission status | Must have secured (or applied for) admission at a recognised foreign university; candidates already studying abroad are not eligible |
| Family limit | Maximum two children from the same family across the scheme’s lifetime |
| Women’s reservation | 30% of total slots reserved for female candidates |
NOS for ST uses different numbers on two key criteria, both more permissive than the flagship scheme:
| Criteria | Flagship NOS / NOS-OBC | NOS for ST |
| Family income ceiling | Rs 8 lakh per annum | Rs 6 lakh per annum |
| QS ranking threshold | Top 500 | Top 1000 (Top 10 for Doctoral/Post-Doctoral research programs) |
Who should apply to which scheme:
| If you are… | Apply to | Key note |
|---|---|---|
| SC, Denotified/Nomadic Tribe, Landless Agricultural Labourer, or Traditional Artisan | Flagship NOS (nosmsje.gov.in) | Largest slot pool (125), most competitive due to volume |
| Scheduled Tribe | NOS for ST (overseas.tribal.gov.in) | Separate portal, separate selection committee, and a more permissive Rs 6 lakh income ceiling and Top 1000 QS threshold |
| OBC | NOS for OBC (nosmsje.gov.in) | Far fewer slots; historically concentrated in Engineering, Management, Agricultural Science, and Medicine |
| Minority community, Karnataka domicile | Karnataka NOS (state SSP portal) | Entirely separate from the three central schemes; state-specific income and domicile rules apply |
Counselor insight: The 60% marks threshold and income cap for your specific scheme are strictly enforced, not guidelines. There’s no flexibility on borderline cases here; a family income of Rs 8.1 lakh (flagship) or Rs 6.1 lakh (ST) disqualifies you outright, so factor in your most recent income certificate against the correct ceiling for your category before you invest time preparing the rest of the application.
If you’re unsure NOS is your best route at all, LeapScholar’s broader guide on how to get a scholarship to study abroad is a good starting point before you commit to one scheme.
National Overseas Scholarship Application Timeline for 2027-28
The 2027-28 selection year notification has not been released yet. NOS runs on an annual cycle, so the most useful thing right now is understanding the pattern from the most recently completed cycle (2026-27) and knowing when to start watching for the next one:
| Round | 2026-27 Cycle (most recently completed) | 2027-28 Cycle (expected) |
|---|---|---|
| Round 1 (flagship NOS) | Ran April 24, 2026 to June 2, 2026 | Not yet announced; historically opens in the February-June window, watch nosmsje.gov.in from January 2027 |
| Correction window | Ran June 4-7, 2026 | Typically a few days immediately after Round 1 closes |
| NOS-ST (Ministry of Tribal Affairs) | Closed June 30, 2026 | Not yet announced; has historically run close to the flagship Round 1 window |
| Round 2 (flagship NOS, if slots remain) | September-October 2026, 40 days, if scheduled | Not applicable to the 2027-28 cycle; this would still fall under 2026-27 |
Family income is checked against different financial years depending on the round: Round 1 typically uses the last completed financial year’s income, while a later round may reference the two to three years before that. Confirm which year applies once the 2027-28 notification is out, rather than assuming it matches this year’s pattern.
Counselor insight: Don’t wait for the official 2027-28 notification to start preparing. The 40-day application window is too short to assemble a caste certificate, an income certificate, and an unconditional foreign university offer from scratch. If you’re aiming for the 2027-28 cycle, start building your university shortlist and gathering documents now, so you can submit within days of the portal opening rather than racing the 40-day clock from a standing start.
National Overseas Scholarship Amount and Benefits in Rupees
| Benefit | For UK | For USA and Other Countries |
|---|---|---|
| Annual maintenance allowance | GBP 9,900 (approx. Rs 12.7 lakh) | USD 15,400 (approx. Rs 14.7 lakh) |
| Contingency allowance | GBP 1,100 (approx. Rs 1.4 lakh) | USD 1,500 (approx. Rs 1.4 lakh) |
| Tuition fees | As per actuals | As per actuals |
| Visa fees | Actual, reimbursed in INR | Actual, reimbursed in INR |
| Medical insurance premium | As per actuals | As per actuals |
| Incidental journey and equipment allowance | USD 20 or INR equivalent | USD 20 or INR equivalent |
| Airfare | Economy class, India to nearest institution airport and back, via national carrier | Economy class, India to nearest institution airport and back, via national carrier |
Funds are not paid directly to students. They’re routed through the Ministry and disbursed via Indian Missions abroad after verification, which is a meaningfully different process from most private or foreign scholarships that deposit directly into a student account.
Counselor insight: Because disbursement runs through the Indian Mission abroad rather than a direct deposit, first-payment delays of several weeks after arrival are common. Budget personal funds for your first month in-country the same way you would for any scholarship with an institutional disbursement chain.
Documents Required for the National Overseas Scholarship
| Document | Notes |
|---|---|
| Caste or category certificate | Specific to your scheme (SC/ST/OBC/DNT-SNT/LAL/TA) |
| Income certificate | All family members contributing to household income, current financial year |
| Qualifying degree mark sheet | 60% threshold verified against this document |
| Admission or offer letter | From the foreign university; conditional offers accepted in later selection rounds if slots remain |
| Birth certificate and photo ID | Standard identity verification |
| Employer’s No Objection Certificate | Only if currently employed |
| Bonds and solvency certificates | From two sureties, required at the document verification stage after provisional selection |
| Passport copy | Required post-selection, not typically at initial application |
| Self-declaration on family income and pending cases | Required at final confirmation stage |
Counselor insight: The two-surety bond requirement catches applicants off guard because it only appears after provisional selection, not in the initial checklist most students prepare against. Identify your two sureties (often parents or close relatives with property or steady income) before you’re selected, not after, since solvency certificates can take a couple of weeks to arrange.
Selection Process for the National Overseas Scholarship
- Application screening against category, income, age, and academic eligibility.
- Merit list preparation, ranked primarily by the QS World University Ranking of the institution where the applicant holds an offer; higher-ranked offers rank higher on the merit list, not higher personal marks.
- Tie-breaking is done by marks or grades in the qualifying examination when two applicants hold offers from similarly ranked institutions.
- Provisional Award Letter issued to selected candidates, who must confirm and return it within the specified window.
- Document verification, in person at the Ministry, including the bonds and solvency certificates from two sureties.
- Confirmation of Award Letter, issued once your offer letter is verified by the Indian Embassy or Mission in the destination country.
- Waitlist, maintained for up to 50% of total seats, valid until March 31 of the selection year.
Counselor insight: Because merit ranking runs on your university’s QS position rather than your personal academic score, an unconditional offer from a QS Top 500 university (Top 1000 if you’re applying under NOS-ST) matters more to your selection odds than an extra few percentage points on your qualifying degree. Prioritise securing a strong admission offer before you finalise your application.
What to Do If You Missed the National Overseas Scholarship Round
| Situation | What Happens | What You Can Do |
|---|---|---|
| Missed Round 1 entirely | No late submissions accepted | Watch for Round 2 in September-October if slots remain unfilled; if not, wait for next year’s Round 1 |
| Applied but not selected in Round 1 | Placed on waitlist if within the top 50% of remaining seats | Waitlist stays valid until March 31 of the selection year; check status regularly rather than assuming rejection |
| Provisional Award Letter not confirmed in time | Offer may lapse | Confirm and return your award letter immediately upon receipt; delays risk losing your slot to a waitlisted candidate |
| Family income marginally over Rs 8 lakh | Ineligible for this cycle | Reapply in a future cycle if income drops, or explore the OBC/EBC education loan interest-subsidy scheme as an alternative funding route |
Counselor insight: A rejection from NOS in one cycle isn’t necessarily permanent. If your only gap was an income certificate from an unusually high-income year, or if you applied without securing admission first, both issues are fixable for the next cycle. Treat a missed cycle as a preparation year, not a dead end.
Is the National Overseas Scholarship Competitive?
Extremely, by pure numbers: 125 flagship slots and around 20 ST slots are shared across the entire eligible population of India each year. [NEEDS VERIFICATION: exact applicant volume isn’t published by the Ministry; treat any specific “acceptance rate” percentage found elsewhere as unofficial.]
What improves your realistic odds:
- An unconditional offer from a QS Top 500 university (Top 1000 under NOS-ST), since merit ranking is built around institution rank first
- Securing admission before applying, rather than applying speculatively without an offer
- A clean, verifiable income certificate that clearly falls under Rs 8 lakh, since income disputes can disqualify an otherwise strong application late in the process
- Applying to the correct scheme for your category the first time, since misdirected applications waste an entire cycle
If NOS doesn’t come through, it isn’t the only funding route for a PhD abroad; see LeapScholar’s roundup of PhD scholarships for Indian students for other options.
National Overseas Scholarship Karnataka vs the Central Scheme
This is worth its own section because the naming overlap causes genuine confusion:
| Central NOS (flagship/ST/OBC) | National Overseas Scholarship, Karnataka | |
|---|---|---|
| Administered by | Ministry of Social Justice and Empowerment / Ministry of Tribal Affairs | Karnataka Directorate of Minorities |
| Eligible categories | SC, ST, DNT/SNT, LAL/TA, OBC | Minority communities only (Muslim, Sikh, Christian, Jain, Buddhist, Parsi) |
| Domicile requirement | None specified beyond Indian citizenship | Karnataka domicile required |
| Portal | nosmsje.gov.in or overseas.tribal.gov.in | Karnataka SSP portal |
| Typical benefit | Maintenance allowance, tuition, airfare per central scheme rates | Up to approximately Rs 20 lakh across about 2 years |
Counselor insight: A Karnataka-domiciled minority-community student may actually be eligible for neither, either, or both schemes depending on category overlap; check both portals rather than assuming the state scheme replaces the central one, since they serve different communities entirely.
3 Takeaways on National Overseas Scholarship
- Confirm which of the three central schemes, or the separate Karnataka state scheme, actually matches your category before you start preparing documents. Applying to the wrong portal wastes an entire application cycle.
- Secure your foreign university admission offer before you apply, ideally from a QS Top 500 institution, since the merit list ranks universities by position first.
- Track nosmsje.gov.in directly from January 2027 for the 2027-28 notification rather than relying on a fixed date from any single article; the application window is only open about 40 days once it appears.
Verified by: LeapScholar’s scholarships counseling team, with hands-on experience guiding Indian applicants through the National Overseas Scholarship application process.
Have questions about the National Overseas Scholarship? Book a free session with a LeapScholar counselor.
Frequently Asked Questions About National Overseas Scholarship
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Is the National Overseas Scholarship the same as National Overseas Scholarship Karnataka?
These are two different schemes despite the shared name. The central National Overseas Scholarship (for SC, ST, OBC, and related categories) is run by the Ministry of Social Justice and Empowerment or Ministry of Tribal Affairs. National Overseas Scholarship Karnataka is a separate state scheme for minority community students, run by Karnataka’s Directorate of Minorities through the state’s own SSP portal.
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Who is eligible for the National Overseas Scholarship?
Eligibility depends on category. SC, Denotified/Nomadic/Semi-Nomadic Tribes, Landless Agricultural Labourers, and Traditional Artisans apply to the flagship scheme, with family income under Rs 8 lakh and minimum 60% marks in the qualifying degree; Scheduled Tribes apply separately through the Ministry of Tribal Affairs with a more permissive Rs 6 lakh income ceiling and Top 1000 QS threshold; OBC candidates apply to a smaller, discipline-specific scheme under the same Rs 8 lakh limit. All require admission to a foreign university for Master’s or PhD study.
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What is the National Overseas Scholarship amount?
Selected candidates receive an annual maintenance allowance of USD 15,400 (or GBP 9,900 for the UK), a contingency allowance, tuition fees as per actuals, visa fee reimbursement, medical insurance, an equipment allowance, and round-trip economy airfare. Funds are routed through Indian Missions abroad rather than paid directly to students.
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Is the National Overseas Scholarship 2027-28 application open yet?
Not yet. The most recently completed cycle (2026-27) had Round 1 running April 24 to June 2, 2026, with NOS-ST closing June 30, 2026. The 2027-28 notification has not been released as of this writing; based on historical patterns, start watching nosmsje.gov.in from January 2027 rather than waiting for a specific announced date.
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Does the National Overseas Scholarship cover undergraduate study?
It funds Master’s and PhD programs only, so undergraduate study is not covered under any of the three central schemes. There is no National Overseas Scholarship pathway for undergraduate study abroad; students still completing their bachelor’s degree should look at education loan and interest-subsidy schemes instead for now, and revisit NOS once they hold a qualifying degree.
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How many students get selected for the National Overseas Scholarship each year?
The flagship scheme awards 125 slots annually (115 SC, 6 DNT/SNT, 4 LAL/TA), and NOS-ST awards approximately 20 more. NOS-OBC historically awards a much smaller number, concentrated in specific fields. Selection runs on a merit list built primarily around the QS ranking of the university where you hold an offer.
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Can I apply to more than one NOS scheme in the same year?
You apply to whichever single scheme matches your category; the schemes aren’t interchangeable options for the same applicant. An SC candidate applies to the flagship scheme, an ST candidate to the Ministry of Tribal Affairs scheme, and an OBC candidate to the OBC-specific scheme, not a choice between them.
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What if my family income is slightly above Rs 8 lakh?
You’re ineligible for that cycle regardless of how marginal the excess is; the Ministry checks this strictly against submitted income certificates. Reapply in a future cycle if your family income drops below the threshold, or look into the education loan interest-subsidy scheme for OBC/EBC candidates as an alternative funding route in the meantime.
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