Applying for Scholarships: The Comprehensive Guide

The rising cost of higher education is always a concern for parents and students, alike. And a question that always scares the students is: How to raise this money for higher education? As mentioned in our previous articles; there are two ways to go about it - through education loans and scholarships.

What is a Scholarship?

A scholarship is a grant or payment awarded to the students, to help them with their higher education, based on their academic performance and other achievements. Unlike loans, they need not to be repaid. These grants are provided to you by the university itself or by the state or country that you represent.

Landing the right scholarship can decide whether you’ll be graduating debt-free or you’ll be stuck repaying your loans for years. Getting the right scholarship in the US especially for students applying for MS is a hard nut to crack. Let’s go through a basic tour of how to apply for scholarships in the US for 

What Are Some of the Important Questions to Answer?

How do I get a scholarship for MS in the US?

What percentage do I need to have on the 10th and 12th? To apply for a scholarship?

What percentage do I need to have in B.Tech to apply for a scholarship?

Do the universities look at GRE and TOEFL scores for granting scholarships?

When should I apply for a scholarship?

Where to look for scholarships for MS?

What kind of scholarships is available for Indian students to do MS in the US?

Through This Article, We Will Try To Answer The Above Questions

What are the Various Stages of Applying For Scholarships?

1. Prepare: Prepare yourself thoroughly with all the facts and figures regarding the scholarships. You should always know about the ins & outs of the scholarship program that you are applying for.
2. Organize: Organise all the data and documents that you will need for the scholarship.
3. Search: Start searching for various scholarship programs well in advance. There are always time constraints when applying for it. The early you start searching, the more time you will have to make the right decision.

Apply: With all the above preparation, applying for scholarships become a much easier task.

Read Also:

Fulbright Scholarship: Give Wings To Your Dreams

Scholarships for Studying in the U.S.A: The A-Z Guide

How do I get a scholarship for MS in the US?

The answer is “excellent preparation”. The better the preparation, the better is the chance that you will land up with a great scholarship program. Besides, you should have full knowledge about what the scholarship committee requires you to pass the eligibility criteria. Every scholarship type is different and so are their eligibility criteria. For example, if you are a first-generation student applying for a college scholarship; then the key criteria to follow would be that you actually are the first person in your family to go to college. Students should visit various websites to get full information about the eligibility criteria of various scholarships.
Amongst these, the basic requirements are that the student should be of Indian nationality and should have proof of the same. The student should have a visa and passport and the legal permit to stay in the US.

How much percentage do I need to have in the 10th and 12th? to apply for a scholarship?

One of the biggest myths is that students scholarship request gets denied only because of the 10th & 12th grades. This is not true. Most of the US universities do ask you for your 10th &12th grades but that is just for mere record keeping. This rarely affects their judgment to provide you with the scholarship.

So what grades are considered while granting scholarships?

Most of the US universities only consider your B.Tech grades. This would be the last class you attended before applying for MS. And therefore, its grades are of utmost importance. Though these, not the sole factor.

Do the universities look for GRE and TOEFL scores for granting scholarships?

GRE, and TOEFL grades are also of equal importance when it comes to granting scholarships. Although this depends from scholarship to scholarship. The student should try getting high grades in these exams. This increases their chances of getting an apt scholarship.

When should I apply for a scholarship?

The deadlines of “applying for scholarships” and “applying for admissions” may either coincide or be different - this varies from university to university. Therefore students should careful find out the deadlines for their target university.

Where to look for scholarships for MS?

Go through the prospectus and the university website thoroughly. Various sections of the website give you various information about the scholarships.

Financial Aid section is the most common section to look for when looking for scholarships. This is where most of the universities provide all the information about the kinds of financial aids that they provide. This can be student loans, scholarship programs, on-the-campus jobs, etc.
 

Use free-scholarship search sources to the fullest. These can be various websites on the internet, free counselors, civic groups, various articles,  seniors, etc.

What other factors should we take into considerations for an apt scholarship?

An excellent Letter Of Recommendation can add an x-factor to your candidature. Ask your teachers, mentors, colleagues or coaches to write a good letter of recommendation for you. LoR is basically a letter written by a higher authority besides your family member vouching for your good behavior, good academics, growth and various other qualities of yours. A good LoR differentiates you from other students and therefore increases your chance of getting a scholarship. For more about LoR, you can read here.

Do organizations outside the universities offer scholarships for targeting studies in the US

Here are a few scholarship programs that students of Indian nationality can apply for:

1. GyanDhan Scholarship - To make abroad education more accessible to bright students, GyanDhan provides a scholarship of INR 1 Lakh to 1 student. It is a one-time reward that is offered to a student at the start of the academic year. The selected student gets the scholarship for the postgraduate program, notwithstanding of the course and the country. It’s a merit-based scholarship presented to the student with excellent academic records and caliber. The scholarship is given based on the solitary discretion of GyanDhan.
2. The Fulbright-Nehru Master’s Fellowships - This fellowship aims at providing aid to Indian students trying to pursue master’s degree in the US in the areas of Arts and Culture Management including Heritage Conservation and Museum Studies; Environmental Science/Studies; Higher Education Administration; International Legal Studies; Public Administration; Public Health; Urban and Regional Planning; and Women’s Studies/Gender Studies.
3. Obama Foundation Scholars Program - Obama Foundation and the University of Chicago Harris School of Public Policy, USA hosts this scholarship program. It aims at helping students from all over the world to fulfill their dreams of doing MS from a US university.
4. RD Sethna Scholarship - This program helps the students to pursue higher studies in the US by providing them with loan scholarships. This enable students to take up higher studies in the fields of scientific, technical, industrial or commercial studies.
5. Charles Legeyt Fortescue Fellowship - An amount of $24,000 is allocated to the students who apply for this program. This fellowship is available for students pursuing engineering. It is hosted by the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineering and is strictly for students aiming at US universities.
    

There are N-number of such programs, which aim at providing better education to students who dream big. More information about scholarship programs is present in this article. Besides, this you can also browse through the extensive Scholarship Database of GyanDhan, containing more than 2,000 scholarships and find one for you!