National Overseas Scholarship for ST Students Statistics: Awards and Funds by Year
· 1 min read · 3 official sources
The Ministry of Tribal Affairs gives 20 National Overseas Scholarships a year to Scheduled Tribe students. Official figures show 22 beneficiaries in 2025-26 and 23 in 2024-25, and funds disbursed of Rs 6.00 crore in 2024-25. Ten years of funding and eleven years of awards, from a Lok Sabha reply, are below.
National Overseas Scholarship for ST Students (NOS-ST): key numbers
Infographic
NOS for ST students: funds allocated and disbursed (2015-16 to 2024-25)
Revised estimate allocation and money disbursed under the scheme each year, in Rs crore.
| Year | Funds allocated, RE (Rs crore) | Funds disbursed (Rs crore) |
|---|---|---|
| 2015-16 | 0.72 | 0.39 |
| 2016-17 | 0.39 | 0.39 |
| 2017-18 | 1.00 | 1.00 |
| 2018-19 | 2.00 | 2.00 |
| 2019-20 | 2.00 | 2.00 |
| 2020-21 | 4.76 | 4.76 |
| 2021-22 | 4.95 | 4.95 |
| 2022-23 | 4.00 | 4.00 |
| 2023-24 | 7.00 | 7.00 |
| 2024-25 | 6.00 | 6.00 |
Source: pib.gov.in, as on 31 March 2025
NOS for ST students: beneficiaries by year (2015-16 to 2025-26)
Total beneficiaries each year from the state-wise annexure of a Lok Sabha reply of 18 December 2025. The 2024-25 and 2025-26 totals carry footnote marks in the original.
| Year | Beneficiaries |
|---|---|
| 2015-16 | 15 |
| 2016-17 | 16 |
| 2017-18 | 20 |
| 2018-19 | 20 |
| 2019-20 | 20 |
| 2020-21 | 20 |
| 2021-22 | 17 |
| 2022-23 | 18 |
| 2023-24 | 20 |
| 2024-25 | 23 |
| 2025-26 | 22 |
Source: pib.gov.in, as on 18 December 2025
Selected and joined, by selection year (2021-22 to 2023-24)
Candidates selected for the 20 slots and those who joined a foreign university, as reported in a Rajya Sabha reply of July 2024.
| Selection year | Selected | Joined |
|---|---|---|
| 2021-22 | 20 | 14 |
| 2022-23 | 20 | 18 |
| 2023-24 | 20 | 11 |
Source: pib.gov.in, as on 31 July 2024
How an ST student gets the overseas scholarship
What the numbers show
The National Overseas Scholarship of the Ministry of Tribal Affairs is a small scheme: it provides for 20 awards a year to Scheduled Tribe students going abroad for a Masters, PhD or post-doctoral course. In a Lok Sabha reply of December 2025, the ministry reported 22 beneficiaries in 2025-26 and 23 in 2024-25, with Rs 6.00 crore disbursed in 2024-25.
The trend over the years
Funding has grown from Rs 0.39 crore in 2015-16 to Rs 4.76 crore in 2020-21 and Rs 7.00 crore in 2023-24, before easing to Rs 6.00 crore in 2024-25. In every year from 2016-17 onwards, the amount disbursed matched the revised allocation. The number of beneficiaries has stayed close to 20 a year since 2017-18, with dips to 17 in 2021-22 and 18 in 2022-23.
Selection versus joining
Being selected does not always mean going abroad. A Rajya Sabha reply of July 2024 showed that in selection year 2021-22, 14 of 20 selected candidates had joined a foreign university, in 2022-23, 18 of 20, and in 2023-24, 11 of 20. Selected candidates get two years to secure admission and join. Seats not taken up within that time are carried over to the next selection year.
State differences
Manipur and Telangana appear most often in the state-wise annexure. Manipur had between 2 and 6 beneficiaries every year from 2015-16 to 2025-26. Many states have only one or two awardees across the whole period.
What the figures do not tell you
The annual totals include footnote marks in the source for the last two years, which the release does not explain in the text. The figures do not show which countries or courses students chose, or how many completed their degree.
Where to check the numbers
The ministry publishes the selection list each year on overseas.tribal.gov.in. Updated figures appear through PIB when the ministry answers questions in Parliament.
Frequently asked questions
How many ST students get the National Overseas Scholarship each year?
The scheme provides for 20 awards a year. The ministry reported 22 beneficiaries in 2025-26 and 23 in 2024-25 in a Lok Sabha reply of 18 December 2025.
How much money is spent on NOS for ST students?
Rs 6.00 crore was disbursed in 2024-25 and Rs 7.00 crore in 2023-24. Spending was Rs 0.39 crore in 2015-16.
Do all selected ST students go abroad?
No. In selection year 2023-24, 20 candidates were selected and 11 had joined a foreign university by July 2024. In 2022-23, 18 of 20 joined.
Which state has the most NOS ST scholars?
Manipur appears in every year of the ministry's table, with 6 beneficiaries in both 2024-25 and 2025-26. Telangana had 6 in 2023-24.
Is money paid directly to the student?
No. The Indian Mission or Embassy abroad pays the university and the student. The Ministry of External Affairs then sends vouchers to the Ministry of Tribal Affairs for reimbursement.
Eligibility, documents and how to apply: National Overseas Scholarship for ST Students (NOS-ST) full guide
Charts, data files and the infographic are free to download, share and embed with a link back to this page.
Sources
This guide was checked against these official pages:
- pib.gov.in (www.pib.gov.in/PressReleasePage.aspx?PRID=2205837)
- pib.gov.in (www.pib.gov.in/PressReleasePage.aspx?PRID=2039564)
- overseas.tribal.gov.in (overseas.tribal.gov.in/)