Frequent asked Questions about scholarships in the US

 

WHAT ARE MY CHANCES OF GAINING A SCHOLARSHIP? Don’t be fooled; scholarships are highly competitive. After all, there are many students around the world trying to get funding for their studies. Although some scholarships depend on outstanding academic records (‘meritbased scholarships’), your chances of success are often determined by the quality of your application, and whether or not you are in financial need. 

There are a number of things you can do to improve your chances of gaining a scholarship. When applying for scholarships, you should make sure to include all the documentation requested, and dedicate plenty of time to writing your application. In particular, it’s important to clearly communicate your motivations for studying and explain how gaining a scholarship will support your ambitions. Stay within the deadlines and, most importantly, show the scholarship providers you have the potential to do great things!

CAN I APPLY FOR A SCHOLARSHIP BEFORE BEING ACCEPTED BY A UNIVERSITY? If you’re relying on scholarship funding in order to be able to study, you should let the university know of your situation. Some universities offer only ‘fully funded’ places, meaning all applicants must have sufficient funding in place. But many allow you to apply to a program before gaining scholarships, on the understanding that you let them know as soon as possible if   you have to reject the place due to lack of funding . If you

do not get the scholarship, you should still have time to

withdraw your university application or find an alternative

method of funding before the start of term.

WHAT ARE SCHOLARSHIP SCAMS AND HOW DO I AVOID THEM? A common way of identifying scholarship scams is to ask yourself if the scholarship sounds simply too good to be true. If the application process seems too easy, or if you have to pay to apply, you should be wary. If a website is offering a ‘guaranteed scholarship’, 

or you receive an unsolicited email, you should be very skeptical. If you are worried about the authenticity of a scholarship, conduct an online search to see if there is any more information online about the same scholarship. If there is very little information, or the information provided is somewhat vague or unclear, walk away! To minimize your chances of being taken in by a scam, stick to official websites belonging to universities, governments and other reputed organizations.