Tamil Nadu Launches Overseas Scholarship Program for Muslim Students

Fast Summary

• The Tamil Nadu government has introduced an overseas scholarship program for 10 Muslim students annually to pursue higher studies abroad, with financial assistance of up to ₹36 lakh per student.
• Eligible students must gain admission into institutions ranked among the top 250 in the Global QS rankings and meet specific criteria such as family income, academic marks, and age.
• Disciplines covered include engineering, management, sciences (pure/applied/agriculture), medicine, humanities, fine arts, law, economics, accounting finance and others.
• Applicants need at least 60% marks in relevant degrees and must not exceed a family income of ₹8 lakh annually or be older than 30 years on April 1 of their selection year.
• The scholarship includes payment for tuition fees and additional costs like living expenses, visa fees, insurance premiums, air travel at the programme’s start/end-with payouts limited to ₹36 lakh total per individual across four instalments.
• Implementation will be managed by the Tamil Nadu Waqf Board under a pilot initiative; the state has allotted ₹3.60 crore for funding during FY2025-26.

Indian opinion Analysis

The introduction of this overseas scholarship programme reflects Tamil Nadu’s focused effort towards advancing educational opportunities for minority communities in India following the discontinuation of similar central schemes like Padho Pardesh three years ago. Through structured eligibility criteria-highlighting merit-based admission standards alongside financial limitations-the state ensures accountability while promoting equitable access.

By tying eligibility to globally-ranked institutions through rigorous benchmarks such as QS rankings (top 250 list), Tamil Nadu aims for quality outcomes while extending support beyond conventional domestic measures seen before Padho Pardesh ended abruptly directives around inclusion scaling actionable approach-tested scalable which redistribution For Read