Are you Planning to study abroad? Then you should know that tuition fee, cost of living and easy access to some finance in order to get your scholarship rolling it, not to say that most scholarships provide the necessary financial support that most student want.
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How can you apply for a scholarships abroad?
Applying for a scholarship is something that should be done with proper consciousness Once the person finds a study abroad scholarship for which suitable to be applied for, then you need to start getting your documents ready. Below is how a typical application process looks like:
- Complete the online application form.
- Check your E-mail inbox to make sure you got the confirmation reply.
- In most cases you will need to write a personal statement or essay. You can search for a few models on the internet for guidance bearing in mind that when writing you’ve got to be original, impressive and engaging through your unique experiences and ideas.
- Make sure to get official & Original proof of your academic, athletic, or artistic documents. Translate the documents if when need be — most times it is.
- Get official proof of your income and or nationality (for region-based scholarships). A translation most is being necessary.
- Proofread all documents and make sure they’re error free, then send them to the scholarship provider.
- You must make sure to Submit the acceptance letter from the university (or an official document from the university showing that you’ve been accepted). Note: You won’t receive the scholarship without confirming that you will actually begin studies.
- Be Optimistic while you Wait for the results. If selected, congratulations, you’re a winner! Go ahead and celebrate but be prudent in order for you not spend all your scholarship money on it. Giggle! the university or college usually receive the money directly to cover your tuition (or a part of it).
Searching for How to find study abroad scholarships?
Most times the official websites of your favorite universities are the best place to start searching for a scholarship. If you don’t find anything informative then go ahead, contact a representative via email or chat and see if they can help.
The next step is to look for financial aid in other places on the internet. But it’s not always easy to find reliable information and not all websites have up-to-date content. Here are a few resources that can help you find the right scholarship programme:
- Scholarshipportal.com – our own database where we list over 5,000 scholarship opportunities
- Scholarships for Development – website providing financial aid programmes especially focused on students from developing countries
- Official EU scholarship page – list of scholarships available for studies in Europe
- Scholarships.com – database with over 3.5 million scholarships and grants
The official study abroad pages of individual countries also offer information about scholarships:
- official info about scholarships in Austria
- official info about scholarships in Denmark
- official info about scholarships in France
- official info about scholarships in Germany
- official info about scholarships in Sweden
- official info about scholarships in the Netherlands
- official info about scholarships in the UK
What types of scholarships are out there?
The following are the most common types of scholarships you can apply for your studies abroad:
- scholarships for excellent academic results (also called merit scholarships)
- scholarships for research, artistic, or athletic achievements
- scholarships for students with low incomes
- scholarships for under-represented groups (e.g. women, Hispanic and African-American students, citizens from developing countries)
- scholarships for all international students (e.g. the Studyportals Scholarship: International Distinction Awards)
Scholarships for excellent academic results
You need to be a top notch or bright student to apply for this type of scholarships. Universities and colleges are the most common organizations offering scholarships for academic excellence, but they aren’t the only ones. To find out if a university offers this type of financial aid, check out the ‘costs and funding’ page on the official university website.
Scholarships for research, artistic, or athletic achievements
If you’re into research, sports, or arts, then this scholarship category is for you. Athletic excellence scholarships are especially popular in the US, but you can find them in other countries as well. To receive financial aid, you need to showcase your skills. This might involve impressing scouts, showing research skills beyond your age, or creating a work of art that could easily impress critics.
Scholarships for students with low incomes
This type of scholarships is very similar to grants. The aim is to support students who want to study but cannot afford to pay the full tuition fees or living costs. Universities and other organizations make an excellent investment with need-based scholarships because future graduates often give back to their community and try to help others who face the same struggles.
Scholarships for underrepresented groups
The goal is to support and encourage individuals from underrepresented groups to pursue education without worrying about costs. Here are a few examples:
- women
- Native Americans
- African-Americans
- Hispanic-Latino
- students from developing countries
Scholarships for all international students
Not all scholarships target this or that group of students. Some private institutions or non-governmental organizations (NGOs) simply want to contribute to higher education and allow any international students to apply for their scholarship. These students still have to meet the requirements, but those are very general and broad, not focused on a specific region, minority, or ability.
Find scholarships to study abroad
Key Points to take-away about scholarships Abroad
The following are the main points you should take from this article:
- Scholarships are more like a gift aid — money you don’t have to pay back. They are very similar to grants (mostly need-based), but different from student loans (need to be paid pack, often with interest).
- Depending on their type, scholarships can be open to local students, international students, all students, students from certain minorities or regions, etc.
- The application process for a scholarship involves registering, writing a personal essay or letter, translating and sending the official study documents and proof of enrolment, etc.
- You can use various resources to find study abroad scholarships: university websites, online scholarship databases, official study abroad pages for individual countries, and so on.
- The most common types of scholarships are academic or merit-based, need-based, athletic-based, region or minority-based, etc.