Top-200 Global Universities Now Within Reach for Odisha’s Underprivileged Talent

Bhubaneswar, Nov 28:   We are committed to strengthening the higher education system in the state.  The Foreign Education Scholarship Scheme will help Scheduled Caste (SC) and Scheduled Tribe (ST) students fulfil their dreams of pursuing higher education abroad. Financial constraints will no longer be an obstacle for pursuing higher studies overseas. Along with this, the Odisha State Higher Education Council will conduct Academic Performance Audits in higher education institutions.

This will certainly ensure quality education in the state. Launching the Foreign Education Scholarship Scheme today, Higher Education Minister Suryabanshi Suraj said the above.

At the event held at the Kalinga Stadium, 34 candidates were given compassionate appointments under Group C and Group D categories. Additionally, copyright rights for academic audits were granted to the Odisha State Higher Education Council. Through this, academic standards across higher educational institutions will be properly evaluated. At the national level, Odisha’s Higher Education Department is the first to introduce such a system.

The Foreign Education Scholarship Scheme will be implemented from the 2025–26 academic year. SC and ST students may apply for this scholarship to pursue higher education abroad. Students from SC/ST families with an annual income of ₹12 lakh or less are eligible to apply. To avail the scholarship, the student must secure admission into postgraduate (PG) or PhD programs in any of the top 200 QS-ranked universities in the world.

“Financial constraints will no longer hinder foreign education”: Suryabanshi Suraj

₹25 lakh per year will be provided to 50 students annually.

Higher Education Council to Conduct Academic Performance Audit

Minister Distributes Compassionate Appointment Letters to 34 Individuals

Students may apply for the scholarship twice a year (during July–August and December–January periods). Each year, 50 students will be granted this scholarship. Among them:

10 students for engineering and professional education,

10 students for medical, agriculture, architecture, and other technical courses,

30 students for courses under the Higher Education Department.

Each selected student will receive a maximum annual scholarship of ₹25 lakh. Departmental Secretary Aravind Agrawal was present at the event.