Bhubaneswar, Aug 18: The Odisha government on Tuesday launched the ‘Bidesh Sikhyabruti’ scholarship scheme to provide financial assistance to meritorious students from Scheduled Caste (SC) and Scheduled Tribe (ST) communities pursuing postgraduate and PhD programmes at reputed foreign universities.

Introduced under the Mukhyamantri Medhabi Chhatra Protsahan Yojana (MMCPY), the scheme will support 50 students every year, covering tuition fees, living expenses and other eligible costs associated with overseas education.

For the 2025-26 and 2026-27 academic sessions, eligible candidates can apply through the Odisha State Scholarship Portal from August 18 to August 31, 2026.

According to the Higher Education Department, the initiative seeks to improve access to international higher education for students from disadvantaged communities and enable them to pursue global academic and professional opportunities.

Applicants must be permanent residents of Odisha and belong to the SC or ST communities. They must have secured an unconditional admission offer from a foreign university ranked among the top 200 in the latest available QS rankings.

The applicant’s annual gross family income must not exceed Rs 12 lakh, with income from all family members, including pensionary benefits, taken into consideration. Applicants must also not be regular employees of the Central or state government, PSUs or autonomous bodies.

For postgraduate courses, candidates must have secured at least 65% marks in their bachelor’s degree and be below 35 years of age. For PhD programmes, applicants need at least 65% marks in their master’s degree and must be below 40 years.

The scholarship can be availed only once in a lifetime, either for postgraduate or PhD studies. Eligible students can receive financial assistance of up to approximately Rs 25 lakh per year.

Powered by Froala Editor