Needless to say, study abroad scholarships form a major attraction for international students. What’s better than living your study abroad dream with a handsome scholarship at your disposal? Sounds like great fun, right?
Now the real question is, what does it take to get a study abroad scholarship in 2025? Which countries and which courses give you the best odds of winning an international student scholarship?
In this blog, we will talk about scholarships for international students at length. I will tell you all that aspiring international students need to know about scholarships. So, without further ado. To begin with, let us understand the scope of study abroad scholarships.
Scope of Study Abroad Scholarships
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If we look at it from a broader perspective, the scope of scholarships for international students is quite huge. There are scholarships offered by universities and colleges on certain terms and conditions. Of course, you have to be exceptional in terms of your academics and your holistic profile to bag these prestigious scholarships.
However, the scope does not end at university specific scholarships. There is also a broad spectrum of government and third party scholarships as well that you can compete for. The question you should ask here is, how do you learn about all these scholarships and the process? The simple answer is; you will need professional help from the experts.
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Scholarship Criteria
Different categories of scholarships come with different sets of criteria. There are study abroad scholarships for academic excellence. Besides, there are scholarships for students with a holistic profile well crafted with extracurricular and super curricular activities.
In fact, there are also scholarships for leadership excellence and community service. Lastly, there are sports scholarships as well.
Having said that, one thing is for sure: academic merit counts the most. Even if the university is looking at your overall profile and is pretty impressed by the versatility in your CV, academic grades are of the highest importance.
Therefore, while profile building essential to build a scholarship-worthy profile, academics must be consistently good. For most merit based scholarships, the minimum percentage in the last degree or at high school will be 85% and above.
How to Apply For Scholarships?
Again, it is always recommended to seek professional help when it comes to scholarship applications. It is not an opportunity that you want to lose because of a step or two taken unknowingly wrong.
To further substantiate, scholarship applications work broadly in two ways. Some scholarships are granted to students automatically based on their admission application and academic transcripts.
However, for the other class of scholarships, there is a separate application that the student must make in a timely manner. For instance, the University of Southern California offers an automatic merit-based scholarship to international students. Similarly, Boston University and Arizona State University, among many others, offer automatic scholarships.
On the contrary, Lester B. Pearson International Scholarship by the University of Toronto requires a separate application. Similarly, Duke University’s Robertson Scholars Program, among many others, requires a separate application.
I reiterate, don’t take a chance. Speak to the experts for scholarship guidance!
Which Countries Are The Most Generous In Scholarships?
If we talk about the major study abroad destinations, almost all of them offer scholarships for Indian students. These scholarships, like I mentioned above, are offered by universities and also by governments or private organizations.
However, if I am to pick a few countries on the generosity of scholarships, I’d say the US, Canada and Germany are quite generous. Besides, the United Kingdom, Australia and other destinations offer good scholarships as well but they may not be as generous.
I can say with confidence that the US, in particular, has an abundance of generous scholarships for Indian students. These scholarships can roughly range between 20000 USD to 80000 USD. The exact amount of scholarship that you can win is subject to your own merit.
Next comes the real game. What does it take to maximize your chances of winning a scholarship from top global universities?
How to Maximize Your Scholarship Worthiness?
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If you are looking to pursue education overseas in the near future, here is how you can stand a chance of winning scholarships.
Focus on your grades
There is absolutely no substitute for good grades! I mentioned above, there are automatic scholarships that universities offer without you having to apply separately. In a nutshell, these universities have a minimum academic performance criterion above which they offer scholarships to international students.
For instance, if you have 90 percent or above in grade 12, some universities will offer you automatic scholarships. Hence, you need to ensure that your grades do not take a hit. The reward for academic excellence is far more than you think.
Build a Holistic Profile
Scholarships can be broadly classified into merit-based scholarships and profile-based scholarships. While merit-based scholarships only gauge your academic results mostly, profile-based scholarships take a wider glance.
Profile based scholarships, in addition to your academics, also look at your overall personality. Your leadership skills, extra-curricular engagements, community service, research work, achievements and experiential learning are taken into account.
For instance, the President’s International Scholarship of Excellence by York University, Canada considers academics, leadership and volunteering. You will not win it if you are all about academics but none to little on leadership and volunteering.
Another example I can give you here is the International Leader of Tomorrow Award by the University of British Columbia. Similarly, there are profile based scholarships in the US, the UK, Australia and elsewhere.
Create a Strong Personal Brand
Your personal brand matters! Remember, branding matters even for the best of brands! If that were not the case, Nike, Audi, Adidas or Apple would never feel the need for any advertisement and marketing.
You need to look at yourself as a brand and a valuable one! Having said that, you need to position the brand you are in a positive light both digitally and offline. Speaking of the digital sphere, the focus should be on LinkedIn.
Make sure you are sharing all your experiences and achievements on LinkedIn. Your LinkedIn should speak for your merit, well-rounded personality and strong opinions.
Clarity of Ambitions
You need to have complete clarity of the scholarships you are aiming for. Whether university scholarships or external, you need to set your goals right. Why I say this is important is because after you get this clarity, you need to work towards it to the best of your ability.
Different classes of scholarships have different sets of prerequisites to meet. You ought to know of the scholarships available to you and what it will take to claim a stake. When you have this knowledge, you can move in the right direction in a more systematic way. Hence, the chances of succeeding become much higher, don’t they?
Conclusion
Remember, winning a study abroad scholarship is no cake walk! Scholarships are there for the taking for students who stand out from the crowd. As the names of most of the prestigious scholarships suggest, scholarships are for pure excellence. However, as long as you are meritorious, you will always be in the race!
My only suggestion here is, do not risk doing scholarship applications on your own. For this, you need professional assistance and you must reach out to experts! Just to let you know, we have helped our students bag study abroad scholarships worth USD 2.8 million thus far! Get in touch with our experts on study abroad scholarships.
Reach out to us now!
Also Read
7 Things You Must Know Before Moving To The UK To Study
How Study Abroad Programs Transform Your Career Growth
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