Is it your dream to study abroad? Then you should be aware that tuition fees and living come at a great cost. But that should not put fears in you because with scholarship aid, you can be provided with the essential financial support that so many students need. Nevertheless, one of the reoccurring questions among candidates is how to get a scholarship to study abroad.
Of course, studying abroad is not as unaffordable as people assume because there are literally thousands of study abroad scholarships and grants out there. All you need to do is to apply for them.
What Is Scholarship
Scholarship can be referred to as gift aid. “It is an amount of money given by a school, college, university, or other organization to pay for the studies of a person with great ability but little money.” Although nowadays scholarships have become more flexible and all students can apply regardless of their academic abilities or finances.
Who Can Apply For a Scholarship?
The truth is that anyone who meets the application requirements of a scholarship can apply, but the one other thing is that different types of scholarships target different students. So first of all check if you’re eligible to apply, starting from if the scholarship application deadlines are up-to-date, and if the scholarship is open to national students, international students, or both.
What Are The Scholarships Requirements
When it comes to requirements for applying for a scholarship, the type of scholarship plays an effective role. However, there are some common application requirements for scholarships that you’d need to know also, which includes the following;
- Registration or application form
- Letter of motivation or personal essay
- Letter of recommendation
- Proof of low income, official financial statements
- Proof of extraordinary academic or athletic achievement
- Letter of acceptance from an academic institution
Steps To Get A Scholarship To Study Abroad
To get a scholarship to study abroad, you need to do proper research based on so many considerations, including the type of scholarships you are looking out for and the qualifications you have. These two factors work hand in hand because your qualification will determine the type of scholarships you can apply for.
That being said, you also have to figure out your favorite universities and start searching for your scholarship right from their official websites. You can also contact a representative via email or chat and see if they can be of any help to you. However, if you’re favorite universities are not responding positively, you will have to start looking for financial aid in other places on the internet.
At this step, you have to be very careful since not all websites have up-to-date content about how to get a scholarship to study abroad. In fact, you can always find reliable information and help on how to get a scholarship to study abroad from the resources below.
How To Apply For A Scholarship To Study Abroad
After finding a study abroad scholarship that you can apply for, the next thing to do is to get your documents ready for application. Usually, a scholarship application looks like this;
- Go to the application portal and register for your scholarship, usually by completing an online application form.
- Check your email to make sure you have received a confirmation email from the institution.
- Write a letter of motivation or personal essay. There are many formats to this, but make sure to be yourself and be original so that you can impress through a unique presentation.
- Provide official proof of your academic, athletic, or artistic qualifications. The documents are usually translated.
- An alternative to the step above is the provision of official proof of your low income or nationality (for region-based scholarships).
- Cross-check to make sure all the documents are mistake-free and submit them to the scholarship board.
- Then submit the acceptance letter from the university or any official document from the university proving you’ve been accepted). Note that you won’t be able to receive the scholarships without confirming that you will actually resume your studies.
- Finally, wait for the results.
If in the end you’re selected, then congratulations but don’t expect to receive the scholarship funds by yourself because the university or college usually receives the money directly to cover your tuition or part of it.
In summary, scholarships are a type of gift aid; money you don’t have to pay back. Thus, if you’re lucky to be selected for any scholarship program, it is expected that you make the best use of the opportunity for your benefit and the good of your sponsors.