Bhubaneswar: The higher education department on Tuesday notified the application process for Scheduled Caste (SC) and Scheduled Tribe (ST) students seeking to pursue postgraduate and PhD courses at top-ranked foreign universities under its new ‘Bidesh Sikhyabruti’ scheme.The scheme will support 50 SC and ST students, with eligibility extending to candidates seeking admission to the top 200 foreign institutes and universities in the latest available QS World University Rankings at the time of application.The department stated that students whose annual family income is up to Rs 12 lakh can apply for the scholarship under the scheme which is aimed at enabling eligible students to pursue higher studies abroad at reputed institutions.The application window for the 2025-26 and 2026-27 academic years would remain open from Aug 18 to 31 and interested candidates can submit their applications through the Odisha Scholarship Portal.Earlier, the department had notified guidelines of the ‘Bidesh Sikhyabruti’ scheme. SC and ST students selected under the scheme would receive comprehensive financial support to pursue postgraduate or PhD courses at top-ranked foreign institutions, covering tuition fees, living expenses and other incidental costs associated with their studies. However, a student can avail of the benefit only once, either for a postgraduate or a PhD course.Of the 50 scholarships, 10 would be earmarked for engineering and other technical courses, another 10 for medical, agriculture, architecture and other professional courses, while 30 would be available for courses under the higher education department.In the engineering and technical stream, four scholarships would be available for PG courses and six for PhD programmes. The same allocation would apply to the 10 scholarships earmarked for medical, agriculture, architecture and other professional courses.Of the 30 scholarships under courses administered by the higher education department, 10 would be allocated to PG studies and 20 to PhD programmes. Of these, 30 scholarships would be available for general studies and 20 for technical/professional studies.
