study abroad scholarship

Of the various types of financial aid available to foreign students studying abroad, the most desirable are scholarships. The reason is obvious: they do not have to be repaid.

Individuals and groups that establish scholarship funds do so for a wide variety of reasons. Most of the time, it is to recognize the academic merit of the recipient. However, other factors that qualify scholarship applicants include intended field of study, country of origin, and even such surprising things as physical disability. Donors generally want to help students whose needs they can directly relate to.

What is surprising is that, despite its clear advantage as a means of financing study abroad, thousands of scholarships are not applied for, or even not applied for, each year. The reasons for this are many and are not worth detailing here. The more relevant issue is how you can find out about scholarships that may be available to you.

Here are two tactics to try:

1) When applying to a university, explicitly ask if a scholarship assistant is available and, if so, how. Many scholarships are university-specific, created by the respective universities to attract types of students they find particularly desirable. Ask for a list of available scholarships you can apply for, if any.

Keep in mind that many colleges now have as many resources as the students they admit, so their admissions staff may be too small to provide all the services they’d like, particularly in the area of ​​financial aid. Some schools make scholarships available to foreign students they admit or inform those students of scholarship aid that is available to them if they apply. However, if that doesn’t happen in your case, don’t assume that the scholarship assistant through the university is not available. Politely inquire about available scholarships and take responsibility for applying for them yourself.

2) Do an internet search for scholarships. Many scholarships are not university-specific, but are available to qualified students who attend any suitable school. Your internet search should include the words scholarship, the country you intend to study in, and your intended field of study. If the search results don’t return the information you want, consider changing the parameters to include things like your country of origin, for example, “Chinese students,” or other things related to your background, character, religious affiliation, or physical disability.