Many students from low-income families want to study abroad but cannot afford the hefty tuition fees and the living cost that comes with it. Thomas Jefferson wrote many years ago, “…the children of the poor must be thus educated at common expense.” Today, grants and scholarships open doors for students from low-income families to study abroad at great universities and institutions of learning from around the world.
According to Wikipedia, “A scholarship is a form of financial aid awarded to students to further education. Scholarships are awarded based on various criteria, such as academic merit, diversity and inclusion, athletic skill, and financial need.”
Studying abroad is very expensive and only a few can afford it. But thanks to the myriad of scholarship opportunities available to students from low-income families looking to take their studies overseas.
Scholarships originate from many sources, and each has its own unique eligibility requirements. Major sources of scholarships are governments, non-profit organizations, philanthropists, universities, private donors, companies, etc.
In this article, students will find answers to where to look for scholarships to study abroad. There are many pointers to look for when searching for scholarships to study abroad. Students’ nationality, country of study, university of study, programme of study may be undergraduate or postgraduate, and the course of study. All these are good pointers to follow when looking for scholarships to study abroad. They will lead students to scholarship opportunities that are a good fit for them.
Now let’s consider major places to find scholarships to study abroad.
Government Websites
Government funding is one of the major sources of scholarships for students looking to study abroad. Government scholarships are very generous, and tend to be fully funded, covering all the student’s needs and expenses.
One of the best ways to study for free as an international student is to apply for scholarships offered by the government of the country, where you’re looking to study. Governments of several countries welcome international students to study in their country on full scholarships.
These scholarships are offered for undergraduate, masters, doctoral and post-doctoral studies.
If you’re looking to study abroad, check the education section of the government website for the country where you are looking to study. This is where you can find accurate and up-to-date information about government scholarships in that country.
For instance, if you’re looking to study in the UK, check the education section of the British Council website.
University Websites
Apart from government scholarships, there are also institution-specific scholarships. These are scholarships offered by specific universities. Many universities have their own scholarship programmes. Each university offers a lot of scholarships to students currently enrolled or entering studies at the University.
Universities offer programme-specific scholarships, course-specific scholarships, departmental scholarships, international student scholarships, and many more.
It is advisable that international students first check the funding and scholarships section of the website of the university in which they’re looking to study to see available scholarships they can apply for and the eligibility requirements of each scholarship.
The scholarships and funding section of a university website has all the information about available scholarships at that university.
Scholarship Databases
Scholarship Database as the name implies is a repository for scholarships. It’s a website where students can find information about all kinds of scholarships, maybe government scholarships, university scholarships, or scholarships offered by private donors and organizations. Scholarship Databases are great resources for finding scholarships apart from government websites or university websites.
Scholarship Databases sometimes called scholarship search engines let users filter scholarships and awards based on their location or citizenship, where they want to study, their point average (GPA), ethnicity, etc.
ScholarshipAir, Scholars4Dev, and ScholarshipPortal are some of the great scholarship databases international students can use to find scholarships to study abroad.
Scholarships are as close as one can get to free money. They are a great opportunity to study abroad for free as scholarship awards don’t need to be paid back.
If you’re looking to study abroad, don’t let the heavy tuition fees hold you back. Start your scholarship search right away and you might be well on your way to studying abroad on a fully funded scholarship soon.
Looking to Study Abroad? Worldwide Integrated Network and Education helps Nigerian students get into academic institutions of their choice abroad for High School, Undergraduate, and Postgraduate programmes. You can reach out to our team of Certified Admission and Immigration Consultants via email: info@winenetedu.com for more information.
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