Understanding and Searching for University Scholarships
Understanding and Searching for University Scholarships
Finding scholarships is a very time-consuming process, but with some hard work and persistence, it can “pay off.” The process of finding a scholarship can also be quite complex as a number of eligibility criteria can be used including nationality, academic ability, sporting prowess, musical ability and financial need. Scholarships can also cover a range of costs including full and partial costs of tuition, living costs and travel costs. They can also be for different levels of study and generally, more funding is available at postgraduate level than undergraduate level.
There are mainly two types of scholarships: merit-based and need-based. The primary difference between these two types of scholarships is that while merit-based scholarships are awarded to students based on academic or other merit, need-based scholarships are based on demonstrated financial need.
Some universities offer automatic merit scholarships based on academic performance to-date, while other institutions will ask students to submit a separate scholarship application. An automatic merit scholarship is one that a university provides “automatically” based on the student meeting specific criteria and will be given in conjunction with an (un)conditional offer letter. Many universities offer automatic merit scholarships as a form of tuition discounting to attract top students. For scholarships that require a separate application, students would need to complete such a scholarship application and such application-based scholarship can be competitive.
The quickest and most accurate way to see if a university offers a scholarship is to go directly to their website. Information about scholarships, or grants (which is funding that doesn’t have to be paid back) or other forms of financial help is usually found under the “financial aid” section of the university website. It is here where students and parents can read about eligibility criteria, including whether there are specific scholarships for IB students.
While not considered a scholarship, an IB student can be eligible for university/advanced credit for the IB course(s) that they have taken and have done well in these course(s) (usually a 5 and above). This will vary depending on the country which they are applying to. For example, this is not a common practice in the UK and other countries that have 3 year programs but is more common in countries that have 4 year programs (United States and Canada). Some universities will actually award up to a full year of university credit for both IB HL and SL courses. Click here and here for a list of universities that award credit for IB courses. This amounts to a considerable savings if you can get one year of university credit for taking the full IB.
If a student is interested in a course at a particular university then they should contact that institution directly to ask if any scholarships are available for that program. Parents are also welcome to call the financial aid office to ask any detailed questions they may have about financing their child’s education.
** please be cautious about for-profit companies that sometimes may “guarantee” university scholarships. This is usually very misleading in the advertising. If you have any questions about the legitimacy of a scholarship, please don’t hesitate to consult with the UAS College Counselor Mr Taskin first before moving forward.
There are mainly two types of scholarships: merit-based and need-based. The primary difference between these two types of scholarships is that while merit-based scholarships are awarded to students based on academic or other merit, need-based scholarships are based on demonstrated financial need.
Some universities offer automatic merit scholarships based on academic performance to-date, while other institutions will ask students to submit a separate scholarship application. An automatic merit scholarship is one that a university provides “automatically” based on the student meeting specific criteria and will be given in conjunction with an (un)conditional offer letter. Many universities offer automatic merit scholarships as a form of tuition discounting to attract top students. For scholarships that require a separate application, students would need to complete such a scholarship application and such application-based scholarship can be competitive.
The quickest and most accurate way to see if a university offers a scholarship is to go directly to their website. Information about scholarships, or grants (which is funding that doesn’t have to be paid back) or other forms of financial help is usually found under the “financial aid” section of the university website. It is here where students and parents can read about eligibility criteria, including whether there are specific scholarships for IB students.
While not considered a scholarship, an IB student can be eligible for university/advanced credit for the IB course(s) that they have taken and have done well in these course(s) (usually a 5 and above). This will vary depending on the country which they are applying to. For example, this is not a common practice in the UK and other countries that have 3 year programs but is more common in countries that have 4 year programs (United States and Canada). Some universities will actually award up to a full year of university credit for both IB HL and SL courses. Click here and here for a list of universities that award credit for IB courses. This amounts to a considerable savings if you can get one year of university credit for taking the full IB.
If a student is interested in a course at a particular university then they should contact that institution directly to ask if any scholarships are available for that program. Parents are also welcome to call the financial aid office to ask any detailed questions they may have about financing their child’s education.
** please be cautious about for-profit companies that sometimes may “guarantee” university scholarships. This is usually very misleading in the advertising. If you have any questions about the legitimacy of a scholarship, please don’t hesitate to consult with the UAS College Counselor Mr Taskin first before moving forward.
