Bhubaneswar: The Odisha Government has introduced a new scholarship scheme to support Scheduled Caste (SC) and Scheduled Tribe (ST) students pursuing postgraduate and Ph.D. programmes at top-ranked foreign universities.

Under the scheme, eligible students can pursue higher studies at institutions ranked among the top 200 in the latest available QS World University Rankings at the time of application.

The scheme, introduced by the Higher Education Department, will benefit a total of 50 SC and ST students. Students whose annual family income is up to Rs 12 lakh will be eligible to apply.

The government has invited applications for the 2025-26 and 2026-27 academic years. Interested students can submit their applications through the Odisha State Scholarship Portal (OSS) from August 18 to August 31, 2026.

The scholarship is aimed at providing greater access to quality international higher education for students from SC and ST communities and enabling them to pursue advanced academic and research opportunities abroad.

Eligible students have been advised to submit their applications within the stipulated deadline through the official scholarship portal.

The detailed guidelines of the Bidesh Sikhyabruti scheme are available on the website of the Odisha Higher Education Department.

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.

Here's the Guideline for the Bidesh Sikhyabruti scheme for SC and ST students: