Tamil Nadu Govt Launches Overseas Scholarship Scheme For Muslim PG Students

The Tamil Nadu government has approved a new overseas scholarship scheme to facilitate postgraduate studies for the students belonging to the Muslim community, which is a major move in fostering education opportunities and international exposure for minorities in the state.

About The Scheme

As per a government directive given by the Backward Classes, Most Backward Classes and Minorities Welfare Department, ten students each year will be chosen to study postgraduation abroad, and each beneficiary can avail up to Rs 36 lakh of assistance in an annual basis.

The scheme will be executed under the Waqf Board, and it has been sanctioned Rs 3.60 crore for the financial year 2025-26.

The officials said the scheme is being launched to fill the vacuum caused by the Centre's Padho Pardesh scheme, which provided subsidised education loans for foreign studies but was withdrawn in December 2022.

As there are few financial sources open to minority students who want to study abroad, the Tamil Nadu government said the scheme is aimed at enhancing both the educational and economic standard of the Muslim community.

The directive instructed that the proposal, in detail, submitted by the Commissioner of Minorities Welfare was concerning the structure and rules of the scheme as well as the request for an initial budgetary allocation of Rs 3.60 crore to be used for the expenditure of the first batch of ten students.

The government, looking to raise the social and economic status of minorities and facilitate deserving students to avail quality international education, has taken the decision to introduce this unique overseas scholarship for Muslim students," the order stated.

The scholarship would include tuition fees, living expenses, travel and other academic costs for students opting for postgraduate courses in prestigious foreign universities.

By providing this degree of support, the officials stated, the government wants not just to offer access to foreign education but also to provide students with exposure and skills which can help the state's economy grow once they return.

The programme, at a time when global higher education needs are increasing, is likely to act as both a relief and an inspirational stimulus to worthy students of the Muslim community in Tamil Nadu.