Overseas Education: Scholarships
I came to know of overseas education after joining the IIT in 1986. In those days, no one from Kothamangalam, my native village, went abroad for higher studies. Nor did we have teachers, news sources or agents those days who could guide us along these lines.
Between January and March every year, hundreds of friends would apply for overseas education. We did not have emails those days, so the applications would be sent by post and the responses would also come by the mail. These took considerable time and expense. The responses to the applications would come in between April and June. Most of those would be slim envelopes. These letters would begin with how the candidate is outstanding and how the university is immensely pleased that you have chosen them to study with. Seeing that flourish at the beginning, we would know that the letter is going to end with 'however we have had thousands of applications and we regret that we are not able to have an outstanding scholar like you with us.' In fact, this was our first acquaintance with the foreigner's style in language.
On rare occasions there would be a fatter envelope! It would have an admission offer, documents in connection to visa application as well as financial assistance. And the lucky recipient of that envelope would sponsor that day's party: which was treating friends to Maggi or omelette from the IIT canteen!
There were three kind of financial assistance that students were offered then:
- Full Scholarship/Assistantship: The university provides the entire amount required for education. Alternatively, there will be an option to find a small job in the university itself and make some money.
- Partial Scholarship/Assistantship: Complete financial assistance for the program will not be provided. You may get around 30-80% support.
- Exemption of Fee: There would be no scholarship. However, you do not have to pay any tuition fee.
These are the kind of assistance you can expect from universities, be it then or now. Those days, parents never sent their children for overseas education with education loans or by selling property. The news of an admission without full or partial financial assistance was even more aggrieving than that slim envelope with the rejection letter. If you have a sponsor abroad, even a partial scholarship is worth it.
Eminent educational universities in developed nations are on a look out for outstanding students from all over the world. It is also, as a matter of fact, this exceptional talent that makes these institutions preeminent. Universities make decisions about financial assistance based on four perspectives:
- Excellence in Academics: Universities provide scholarships to their academically brightest students, based on their SAT/GRE/GMAT Score, school/ college grade and so on.
- Financial status: Universities in developed nations have schemes for providing financial aid to students from economically backward families or countries.
- The country the students belong to: Each developed nation has one or more countries that they have special interest in: It is Liberia for the US, the Commonwealth Nations for England, countries that speak French for France, South East Asian countries for Japan and so on. There are provisions to provide special scholarships to applicants from these nations.
- Other criteria: Diversity is a key policy for most universities. There are provisions to provide special funding to assist women, persons with disability and other marginalised groups.
Whatever be the category, what we need to keep in mind is that universities in developed nations have various funding policies that provide financial assistance to encourage excellent students. You should keep this in mind when you apply for education overseas. There are ample opportunities to secure several scholarships and assistantships even after you join the institution. You only need to make thorough enquiries and searches for the same.
Another significant thing to keep in mind is how attracting overseas students has flourished as an industry in Australia and England. The fee paid by the students from overseas and the money they spend in the community is beneficial for the economy of the country as well as the financial standing of the university. They have short term courses specifically to attract students from outside the country. Do not expect any financial assistance from such universities. There is an extremely easy way to identify these institutions. The easier it is to get admission at a university abroad, the harder it is going to be to get financial aid from the same.
I believe that smart students must get as many scholarships as possible before going for education in foreign countries. It will greatly enhance your confidence and free thinking. You should finally lay hands on your parents' resources only after you have tried and exhausted all these ways.
Apart from the financial aid provided by universities, many countries and trusts offer educational grants and funding. Following are some of such important scholarships and fellowships. More details are available in their websites:
- Fulbright-Nehru Fellowships: Assistance for Postgraduate program
The United States-India Educational Foundation, or USIEF, offers these scholarships to Indians who wish to pursue either a master's course or research in any U.S. institution.
http://www.usief.org.in/ - Commonwealth Scholarship and Fellowship: Assistance for Postgraduate program
The Commonwealth Scholarships Commission offers these scholarships to students from Commonwealth countries (such as India) who can make a significant contribution to their home country. The scholarship is for students applying to master's and PhD programs in the UK.
https://www.britishcouncil.in/study-uk/scholarships/commonwealth-scholarships - Chevening Scholarships: Assistance for Postgraduate program
These scholarships are an initiative of the UK government to encourage students and professionals from India to take on leadership roles in the future. It aids in completing a one-year master's program in the country.
http://www.chevening.org/india/ - Chinese Government Scholarships: Assistance for Undergraduate/Postgraduate program
These scholarships are offered under the India-China Cultural Exchange Program to students applying to Universities in China for undergraduate, postgraduate, as well as doctoral programs.
http://www.csc.edu.cn/laihua/ - Inlaks Scholarship: Assistance for Postgraduate program
The Inlaks-Shivdasani Foundation grants this scholarship to exceptionally talented Indian Students who wish to study or gain professional training at international universities.
http://www.inlaksfoundation.org/inlaks-scholarship.aspx - Erasmus Mundus Scholarships for International Students: Assistance for Postgraduate program
The Erasmus Mundus Scholarships are funded by the European Union and are directed at students from EU and non-EU students to study at European Universities under approved Erasmus Mundus Action Joint Programmes.
https://erasmus-plus.ec.europa.eu/opportunities/opportunities-for-individuals/students/erasmus-mundus-joint-masters - Raman-Charpak Fellowship: Assistance for Doctoral program
The Raman-Charpak Fellowship programme is in honour of two Nobel Laureates in Physics: Prof C.V. Raman, Indian Nobel Laureate (1930) and Prof Georges Charpak, French Nobel Laureate (1992). The Fellowship was launched during the State visit of the President of France to India in February, 2013. The aim is to facilitate the exchange of doctoral students between the two countries, to broaden the scope and depth of future engagements in Science, Technology and Innovation.
http://www.cefipra.org/Raman_Charpak.aspx - Japanese Government Scholarships
The Japanese Government offers seven Categories of scholarships for Indian Students.
https://www.in.emb-japan.go.jp/Education/japanese_government_scholarships.html - South Korea
South Korea offers many scholarships that are provided by the Korean government as well as by other organizations. Some scholarships are meant for Indian students specifically while others are for international students in general. One may also go to the university websites directly to see the availability of scholarships for international students. There are other scholarships which may be found in the following Korean government websites
http://www.studyinkorea.go.kr and http://www.krf-help.net/ - Singapore
The National University of Singapore (NUS) offers a variety of undergraduate scholarships and awards in recognition of outstanding academic achievements, leadership qualities and special talents.
https://www.nus.edu.sg/oam/scholarships/freshmen-international-students - Sweden
The Swedish Institute (SI), a government agency, offers scholarships each year for international students and researchers coming to Sweden.
https://studyinsweden.se/scholarships/
