7 Key Tips on How to Get a Scholarship to Study Abroad with Funding

It is the dream of many Nigerian students to study abroad. But for those who aren’t from a wealthy home, getting a scholarship can make that dream come true easily. If you don’t know how to get a scholarship to study abroad, this article has been written for you.

So keep reading as you learn the tips and hacks on how to get a scholarship.

How to Get a Scholarship to Study Abroad

Applying for a scholarship is full of procedures depending on the institution. If you miss out on any procedure, the slimmer your chances of winning becomes. There are guidelines to follow in order to make the most of scholarship opportunities. They include:

1. Carry Out Research

Before applying for a scholarship, you need to do your research. Some of the things you’ll need to research on include:

• The requirements to apply. Some scholarships require essays.
• The country you’d love to study in.
• The necessary English proficiency test. This could be IELTS, GRE, TOEFL, etc.
• The university of your choice and its ranking.
• The deadline for application.

2. Confirm Your Eligibility

After carrying out the necessary research, you should also confirm if you are eligible to apply. This is because, most of the time, these scholarships come with their eligibility criteria. If you don’t meet any of them, there really is no point applying.

For instance, to apply for a Commonwealth scholarship, you need to be a citizen of a Commonwealth member state.

In view of this, some of the criteria for eligibility include:

• Academic qualifications
• Work experience
• Leadership and voluntary work experience
• English proficiency test results
• Nationality

3. Understand the Purpose of the Scholarship

Another tip on how to get a scholarship to study abroad is to know the purpose of such scholarship. This is because scholarships are usually given with a purpose in mind. Before you tender your application, you need to know and understand this purpose. That is, you need to understand what the institution aims to achieve through the scholarship.

You can find this by reading about the institution and their mission statement. Discover what seems important to them and the values they uphold. Furthermore, the kind of people they want for the scholarship will go a long way in telling you about their purpose.

And for scholarships where you are required to write an essay, this knowledge will help you tailor your essay to meet their specifications.

4. Write a Good Essay

A scholarship is an opportunity to gain education without paying for tuition (or at least a percentage). However, it doesn’t come for free. You need to do a number of things like writing a good essay to prove that you qualify to win.

When writing your essay, try not to be generic. Write something compelling and easy to understand to sell yourself in an intelligent manner to prove that you know the value of the scholarship.

In fact, before you begin to write your essay, do a quick homework on the institution. How do they evaluate their candidates? Read their Frequently Asked Questions as you can get a lot there. Never forget how they evaluate their candidates as you apply. Ensure you tailor your essay to meet their expectations otherwise you stand no chance of passing.

In addition, your essay must be peculiar to you. Don’t make the mistake of copying other people’s essays; be it a sample or something a past candidate wrote. The examiners aren’t dumb. They’ve been reviewing scholarship application for a while and can easily differentiate between authentic contents from fake ones.

Hence, you should use your own words to write your essay. Don’t worry about lifting sentences from past entry.

5. Proofread Your Essay

When you write a good essay but fail to proofread it in order to get rid of errors, your essay loses its quality. The reviewers won’t just check the content of your essay. They’ll also look at your delivery too.

Hence, you should make sure your spellings and grammatical construction are good. You can give your essay to someone else to read so they can easily point out errors for you. Doing it yourself may not be effective.

6. Gather the Necessary Documents

Another tip on how to get a scholarship to study abroad is to ensure you have all the necessary documents and keep them well. For example, you should have your proof of English proficiency ready, academic transcripts, research proposal if it’s for PhD, international passport, recommendation letter, etc.

Save all these documents in a file so when it’s time to upload them, you won’t have any issues. In addition, if you don’t have a specific document, let’s say a recommendation letter, work on getting one on time.

You can meet your lecturers or anyone of high regard to be your referee.  Let them know about your plans to study abroad. And don’t forget to reach out to them early since most of the time they usually have busy schedules.

7. Apply Early

Remember that there is a deadline attached to the application and as such, you should apply on time. However, don’t make the mistake of rushing to apply that you forget to confirm if you’ve done all you’ve been asked to do.

In essence, take your time to prepare. It is one of the tips on how to get a scholarship to study abroad. Write a good essay and personal statement. Prepare to ace the necessary English proficiency tests like IELTS and the likes. Get the important documents and apply before the deadline.

Now that you know how to get a scholarship, are you psyched up about achieving your dreams to study abroad? You should be but first, you need to stay abreast of all information regarding scholarship opportunities.

Therefore, to get notified about scholarship opportunities, subscribe to our newsletter and don’t forget to check out our opportunities page. We will always show you the opportunities that will turn your life around and take you to the apex of your career.

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Originally posted 2021-04-03 15:20:09.