Bhubaneswar, Aug 18: The Odisha government on Tuesday launched the ‘Bidesh Sikhyabruti’ scholarship scheme to provide financial assistance to meritorious students from the Scheduled Caste (SC) and Scheduled Tribe (ST) communities pursuing postgraduate and PhD programmes at reputed foreign universities.
The initiative has been introduced under the Mukhyamantri Medhabi Chhatra Protsahan Yojana (MMCPY) and aims to expand access to quality international education for students from disadvantaged communities. Under the scheme, 50 students will be supported every year, with financial assistance covering tuition fees, living expenses and other eligible costs related to overseas education.
For the 2025-26 and 2026-27 academic sessions, eligible candidates can submit applications through the Odisha State Scholarship Portal from August 18 to August 31, 2026.
As per guidelines issued by the Higher Education Department, applicants must be permanent residents of Odisha and belong to the SC or ST communities. Candidates 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 application.
The applicant’s annual gross family income must not exceed Rs 12 lakh. Income from all sources of family members, including pensionary benefits, will be considered for determining eligibility.
Applicants must also declare that they are not regular employees of the Central or state government, public sector undertakings or autonomous bodies. For postgraduate programmes, candidates must have secured at least 65 per cent marks in the relevant bachelor’s degree and must not be above 35 years of age.
For PhD programmes, applicants must have secured at least 65 per cent marks in the relevant master’s degree and must be below 40 years of age.
The scholarship can be availed only once in a lifetime, either for postgraduate or PhD studies. Selected students will receive financial assistance of up to approximately Rs 25 lakh per year, providing significant support for pursuing higher education abroad.
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