Studying abroad is a dream come true for many people across the globe, especially those from developing countries. There are several factors that motivate one to pursue their academic dreams outside their home countries.
Aside from enhancing your academic and professional skills, you will bear with me that studying abroad offers a unique opportunity to gain a global perspective and experience different cultures.
Studying abroad opens up new career opportunities. It is also a life-changing experience that broadens your horizons and makes you competitive in the job market.
But here is the thing: studying abroad comes with a lot of challenges. The main challenge for most people from less developing countries is financial challenges. However, other challenges include language barriers and cultural differences.
With regard to financial challenges, several scholarship bodies are ready to assist brilliant and extraordinary students with their studies. Please read on patiently as we dive deeper into some of the scholarship opportunities and how to get them.
How to start your scholarship application process
Starting your scholarship application process early is crucial. As the popular proverb says, “The early bird catches the worm,” the same principle applies to scholarship applications.
Ideally, your scholarship research and preparation should start at least a year in advance. This gives you more time to gather the relevant documents, meet application deadlines, and ensure that your application is thorough and well-prepared. It takes a lot of preparation. The earlier you start, the earlier, the better.
Basic Requirements for International Scholarships
As you begin the preparation process, it is very necessary to gather the required documents for the scholarship application. Most scholarships require students to have strong academic qualifications and proficiency in the language of instruction.
For instance, those seeking undergraduate scholarships will need a high school certificate like WASSCE or a high school diploma and a school transcript. And for those seeking master’s scholarships, the basic requirement is your degree certificate and certified transcript.
The requirements for scholarships vary for various countries and schools. The common ones include:
- High GPA (3.0 to 4.0)
- Standardized Test Scores, e.g., SAT, ACT, GRE, or GMAT.
- Language proficiency tests like TOEFL, IELTS, or PTE
- Letters of recommendation
- Personal Essays
- Statement of purpose
- Resume or CV
- Leadership and Community Involvement
- Proof of Financial Need
- Others, like Research Proposals and portfolio
Finding Suitable Countries and Universities
Identifying the countries and universities most suitable for your field of study and budget constraints is a bit difficult and challenging.
There are a lot of factors to consider, such as the quality of education, cost of living, availability of scholarships, and cultural fit. To determine a university that is well-equipped for your course, you need to consider the university’s criteria or requirements and ensure that you meet those requirements.
You need to consider the strength of your certificate and transcript, the fees of the institution, and most importantly, the language. It is very important to research university rankings, program offerings, and financial aid options.
Finding Scholarships
Nowadays, there are a lot of scholarship platforms online, but how do you determine which source is credible?
Reliable platforms for searching for scholarships include:
These are just a few trusted websites where you can find a scholarship. You can also find some sources via normal web searches but take note that no institution will charge you money before giving you a scholarship.
Major Scholarship Programs
There are basically two forms of scholarships: full scholarships and partial scholarships. However, almost everyone is seeking full scholarships to further their education abroad. Some major scholarship programs targeting international students include:
- Fulbright Program: Offers fully-funded scholarships for graduate students, young professionals, and artists to study and conduct research in the United States.
- Erasmus Mundus: This is a full scholarship program for postgraduate studies in multiple European countries.
- The Aga Khan Foundation International Scholarship Programme (AKF ISP): This is also a full scholarship opportunity for post-graduate studies in developing countries. There is something unique about Aga Khan. The scholarship program offers you a full scholarship divided into two: a 50% grant and a 50% loan. The loan part of the scholarship gives you a 5 years graduate working permit to work and pay for your loan. Another good thing about this scholarship is that the loan is interest-free.
- Rhodes Scholarship: This scholarship is tailored specially for Oxford students.
- DAAD scholarships: This type of scholarship is also for students who want to study in Germany.
Fully-Funded vs. Partial Scholarships
What differentiates fully funded scholarships from partial scholarships?
In short, fully-funded scholarships cover all expenses, including tuition, living costs, and travel, while partial scholarships cover only a portion of the costs.
There are a lot of people applying for fully-funded scholarships, so you need to consider your academic strength, your financial situation, the total cost of studying abroad, and the availability of additional funding sources when choosing a scholarship program.
The scholarship application process.
With the scholarship application process, you need ample time to prepare your application.
- Research and preparation: You need to know the course you want to study and the exact scholarship that matches it. This stage entails researching scholarship opportunities, preparing for standardized tests, and gathering required documents.
- Look out for the eligibility requirement: After the research process, you need to start gathering the relevant documents like certificates, transcripts, CVs, letters of recommendation, financial documents, and essays.
- Start the scholarship process: At this stage, you are sure you have all the needed documents. It is advisable that you print the scholarship document, fill out the printout, and make the necessary corrections offline before keying in the information online.
- Submit the form: Ensure that the form is 100% complete before submitting. Once you submit the application, you should receive a confirmation email.
- Attend interviews (if required) and await decisions: With the interview, it is best to study some interview questions online and prepare yourself adequately.
- Acceptance: If your scholarship application goes through, you will be given an offer letter that contains the terms and conditions of the scholarship. You need to accept the scholarship offer before you can continue to the next step. Sometimes, after accepting the offer, you need to provide other documents.
Academic Credential Evaluation
Sometimes, the course you are seeking to study abroad is far from the course that you have already taken. In this case, you need to evaluate your certificate and transcript based on international standards.
It is advisable to use services like World Education Services (WES) or Educational Credential Evaluators (ECE) to have your academic credentials recognized by international institutions. These organizations will evaluate your certificate and transcript and provide official evaluations that are widely accepted by universities.
However, these services are not free, and not all scholarships require the evaluation of academic credentials.
Aside from the evaluation of academic credentials, another thing is preparing for language tests like TOEFL, IELTS, and PTE Academic.
Typically, preparation for these tests requires several months of study. You need to make use of resources like practice tests, study guides, and language courses.
Financial Planning
Some scholarship programs, like the highly fully-funded scholarships for extraordinary students, cover all your expenses.
However, if your scholarship only covers the tuition, you must prepare financially for living expenses, rent, travel, health insurance, and personal expenses.
In most cases, proof of financial support is often required for visa applications. With the proof of financial support, you need to ensure you have sufficient funds that will stay in your account for at least 28 days. The source of the money is essential, and that money should be able to cater for the fees and other expenses for the course period.
Scholarship Essays
Scholarship essays are statements of purpose or personal statements. With these essays, you should be able to tell the school why you should be given the scholarship. This can be done by clearly stating your goals and future aspirations.
In your statement of purpose, your purpose should address national problems in your country and how the scholarship will help you achieve them.
Some of the key elements of standout scholarship essays include a straightforward narrative, a strong personal voice, and alignment with the scholarship’s goals.
Recommendation letters
Recommendation letters are written mainly by teachers, lecturers, and employers. The recommendation letters should be written by people who can testify of your academic and personal strengths.
However, you can request your recommender to institute some qualities that are required by the scholarship. For instance, some scholarship wants to know if you possess some leadership skills, but your lecturer might not have such information about you. So, it is up to you to brief them with the latest information about yourself.
Visa Process
With the Visa application process, most applicants face problems meeting financial requirements, providing accurate documentation, and preparing for interviews.
With the financial requirements, the money should exceed the required amount and stay in your account for over 28 days.
Also, applicants should demonstrate their ties to their home countries. With the interview, it is advisable to practice interview questions and ensure that you prepare very well.
Cultural Preparation
It is also important to consider the culture of the country you will be traveling to and prepare for the necessary cultural adjustments. This can be done by researching your destination country’s customs, traditions, and academic environment. You can also learn from current students or alumni to gain insights and advice about the schools.
Common Pitfalls
There are a lot of mistakes that can cost you your scholarship. Common mistakes in scholarship applications include:
- Not reading scholarship instruction
- failing to tailor essays to the scholarship’s goals
- Missing deadlines: at least submit your application a month before the deadline
- submitting incomplete applications
To avoid these pitfalls, allocating sufficient time for each application component is necessary.
Final words
Scholarships are not awarded by chance; scholarships are awarded on merit. You should know your academic potential and how well you are prepared before starting the process. You need also to focus on your studies more than money if you are given the opportunity to study abroad. Also, it is important to abide by the law and always be disciplined.
Students seeking scholarship opportunities are advised to:
1. Start as early as possible and stay organized.
2. Seek guidance from mentors and peers.
3. Stay persistent and don’t get discouraged by rejections.
