Last Updated on August 8, 2023 by Vishnu Nambiar
Scholarships ease the financial burden on students who want to study abroad. But not all students are eligible to get a scholarship. Only the bright, academically outstanding, and deserving candidates will get it. In this article, you will be reading about the main formats/types of scholarships available to Indian students who want to study abroad.
Talking about studying abroad, there are numerous scholarships available, depending upon the country in which you want to pursue studies abroad. The sad truth is that most students are unaware of the existence of such scholarships! It is a sad sight when even deserving candidates don’t make use of the scholarship that they genuinely deserve.
Knowing more about the types of scholarships available will solve this problem to an extent! Being knowledgeable about the types of scholarships will help students dig up more details about them from the appropriate sources! Let us check out the main types of scholarships available to Indian students.
Main types of scholarships available to Indian students who want to study abroad
The different types of scholarships available are:
- Need-Based scholarships– financial support provided by the University to meet the financial gap arising between the actual expenses to study in that institute and the funds that a student has at the moment.
- Athletic scholarships– provided to students who show promise in athletics and/or other sports events.
- Religious scholarships– provided by trusts and organizations operated by religious groups. Such scholarships are offered to students hailing from that particular religion only.
- Fellowship– It is a form of University/institute funding. Fellowships usually include a stipend and a tuition fee waiver. Note that only academically brilliant and capable International students are awarded Fellowships. It is usually awarded to research candidates or students aiming for advanced studies.
- Assistanship– Under this arrangement, selected PG students may work with the teaching staff of the institute and earn a stipend for the same! Please note that the work hours are limited and are set by the institute’s authorities. Assistantship opportunities are limited only to PG students.
- Partial scholarships– such scholarships are not the ‘all expense covering’ types! They usually cover only the tuition fees of the institute. Living expenses, books, stationery expenses, travel expenses, etc have to be borne by the student.
- Academic/Merit scholarships– awarded to candidates based on their academic performance. It is also known as a Merit scholarship. Usually hard to get, such scholarships go to academically bright students who are also good at extracurricular activities. Most academic scholarships are full-cost covering ones. But some of them are partial though!
- Scholarships for women– there exists scholarships solely meant for women. Many universities and Governments have created ‘women only’ scholarships to bring forward women who are academically bright and help them pursue higher studies.
- Government-funded scholarships– provided and taken care of by the Government.
Those were the main types of scholarships. Such scholarships are offered by a number of sources. Looking from the sources’ point of view, the scholarships can be divided into the following categories. The best places to obtain details about them have also been provided below-
Scholarships offered by Foreign Institutes
Many foreign universities and institutes offer attractive scholarships to international students. For example, many UK colleges are offering all-cost covering scholarships to international students coming from developing countries. Indian students who want to study abroad may make use of such scholarships.
The best way to find out more details about such scholarships is by getting in touch with a foreign university. Usually, the institute’s website will provide you with the necessary details. Just visit the official website of the institute and search for ‘scholarships’. You will be able to find details like- costs covered, eligibility criteria, name of the scholarship, etc. If the website of the institute hasn’t listed details about scholarships, you may mail them and enquire about the availability of scholarships for international students.
Scholarships offered by charitable trusts abroad
There are many charitable trusts in India, which offer financial support to deserving students from India (as well as abroad). Similarly, in other countries too, there exist many such charitable trusts. Take the USA as an example, there are many trusts out there, offering scholarships, awards, and financial support to deserving foreign students. Indian students, wherever they are going to study abroad, may search for trusts and check if they are eligible to make use of any such scholarship offered by them.
The best way to get details about such scholarships is by enquiring at the Embassy of the country where you want to study. Usually, embassies have teams dedicated to taking care of Indian students who want to study in their country. They usually have a handy list of trusts offering financial aid to Indian students. Similarly, you may also get in touch with the Indian Embassy in the foreign country where you want to study! They too could help you out with a list of trusts offering scholarships to international students.
Scholarships offered by Indian charitable trusts
There exist many Indian charitable trusts and organizations, which offer attractive scholarships and awards to meritorious Indian students who are going to study abroad. Details about such trusts and scholarships are not difficult to obtain. Usually, they come looking for students in colleges and institutes.
Scholarships offered by Governments of other countries
Governments of other countries also offer scholarships, awards, loans, and other financial support to Indian students who want to study abroad. There are select few countries being covered, as part of such loans and scholarships. They are called the donor countries and they provide such forms of financial assistance to Indian students. The whole process is then taken care of by the Government of India (the selection of deserving candidates, processing of documents, etc).
Such scholarships and loans are managed by the Ministry of Human Resource Development and the Government of the foreign country that is involved. For more details about such scholarships, Indian students may visit the website of the Ministry of Human Resource and Development.
Financial aid provided by the employer
This entry is not like a traditional scholarship! First of all, usually working professionals are the ones who manage to land such financial aid. Indian companies have been known to send their best employees to foreign universities and institutes to get international exposure/acquire new skills/for short academic & research stints etc.
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Not all companies and employers follow this trend. One may enquire about the availability of such a program with the employer. Usually, the HR department is in charge of such endeavors.
I am Vishnu Nambiar a career and educational blogger from India. I am also a full time educational consultant having more than 12 years of experience in the educational sector.
I share articles related to courses, colleges, careers, exam tips and more here.