Studying abroad can be financially challenging for many meritorious students who often opt out due to the expensive course fee, visa charges, accommodation and food expenses. Therefore, scholarships help many to pursue their dreams.
News18 ‘Scholarship Guide’ brings the best and most prestigious grants for Indian students to study in emerging destinations, with most of them covering flight tickets, accommodation and course fee; and some also providing stipend.
After the Covid-19 pandemic, Indian students are choosing destinations that are closer home and offer similar opportunities like in the US, UK, Canada and Australia, but at a cheaper cost.
Therefore, there is an influx of Indian students, especially from Tier II and Tier III Cities, in Europe, Philippines, Russia, and Singapore to pursue their higher education.
“The preferences among students regarding their desired study destinations have undergone a gradual shift throughout the pre-pandemic, pandemic, and post-pandemic periods. Other than popular destinations, Indian students have started to explore New Zealand and Ireland since they offer similar quality opportunities while being cost-friendly. As we move into the post-pandemic era, every nation is striving to make up for the lost time by implementing favourable policies and enhancing post-study work rights, among other incentives, to entice students,” said Piyush Kumar, Regional Director, South Asia and Mauritius, IDP Education, – a consultancy body, which also conducts IELTS.
If you aim to study abroad with a budget, here are few options you can look at:
New Zealand
Covid-19 Relief Scholarship, Otago International Excellence Scholarships, and Wellington International Excellence Scholarship are some of the popular grants offered by New Zealand to Indian students.
With 100% tuition fee waiver, New Zealand’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade (MFAT) offers Commonwealth scholarship for students from all commonwealth nations to pursue PhD or PhD MS courses. The scholarship covers full tuition fee as well as allowance for living expenses. It also covers medical and travel insurance. The scholarship was temporarily closed due to pandemic and will be reopening soon.
Who can apply: Students with a Master’s degree can apply for scholarship to pursue a doctoral degree.
Selection Procedure: Candidates will be assessed based on academic performance, age limit, commitment, and selection of courses, and adaptation
Where to apply: www.mfat.govt.nz
New Zealand Excellence Award, a special scholarship award only for Indian students for undergraduate and postgraduate students will restart from February 2024. This scholarship offers a unique opportunity to immerse oneself in a welcoming, multicultural community while receiving high-quality education.
Ireland
Ireland offers several scholarships including The Government of Ireland International Education Scholarship, The Walsh Fellowship, and the Government of Ireland Postgraduate Scholarship. The Government of Ireland Postgraduate Scholarship supports research-based master’s and doctoral programs in Ireland.
Ireland receives more US investment than the BRIC counties combined, claims education in Ireland — the nation’s official study portal.
The Government of Ireland offers International Education Scholarships Programme under which it funds 100% tuition fee of students for one year and grant an amount up to €10,000 for other expenses. The scholarships are offered to 60 students from across the world to study in Ireland.
Who can apply: To be eligible to apply, students need to have admission (conditional or final) from their respective college.
Selection Procedure: The documents required for admission, includes recommendations, reference letters, essays, English language test. Students also have to submit application for the scholarship including the admission letter. The Higher Education Authority (HEA) will shortlist students based on their portfolio including but not limited to academic merit, extra-curricular activities, rationale for pursuing their study in Ireland, and communication skills.
Where to apply: https://hea.ie/2022/12/14/government-of-ireland-international-education-scholarships-2023/
Spain
“Compared to other European countries, Spain has relatively lower tuition and living costs. Popular study fields include a broad range of study areas, including business, engineering, humanities, social sciences, art, design, and architecture”, said Lakshmi Iyer, Managing Director, India, SI-UK.
While there are many scholarships offered to study, research, and work in Spain, the most famous one which covers all costs is Erasmus Mundus.
The Erasmus+ funding scheme is an umbrella scheme funded by the European Commission. It has a series of highly competitive scholarships, which are available to foreign students to study in Europe. The list of master’s and joint master’s degrees sponsored under the list are updated yearly.
Who can apply: Candidates with bachelor’s degree or those in their final year can apply for the scholarship. Applicant needs to have 180 credits or 180 ECTS or equivalent in their first degree.
Selection Procedure: Candidates will be shortlisted based on their academic score, English proficient, motivation letter, CV, and recommendation among others.
Where to apply: https://www.emhrpp.com/how-to-apply
Council on International Educational Exchange (CIEE) also offers many other scholarships and grants. To study in Spain, students can also apply at university-offered grants. Some of the famous scholarships also include Spanish Studies Abroad Merit-Based Scholarship, Global Experiences Generation Study Abroad Scholarship, UIC Barcelona Scholarship and European University of the Atlantic.
Japan
Famous for its technological advancement, Japan has become a new favourite destination for students to study, especially science and technology related courses. While there are several partially funded scholarships, the most famous option for Indian students is the ADB-JSP grant, which covers the entire tuition fee.
Asian Development Bank (ADB) sponsored Japan Scholarship Program (JSP) offers scholarship to 135 students each year from across countries including India. The highly competitive scholarship is for students who have pursued bachelor’s in economics, business and management, science and technology, and other development-related fields. It covers full tuition fees, offers monthly subsistence allowance including housing. The scholarship also covers expenses towards books and instructional materials as well as medical insurance and travel expenses. For scholars engaged in research, a special grant may be available for thesis preparation. In special circumstances, computer literacy, preparatory language and other similar courses may be covered under the scholarship.
Who can apply: Candidates who hold a bachelor’s degree or its equivalent with superior academic record and have at least two years of full-time professional working experience can apply. The applicants will have to agree to return to their home country after completion of studies. Further, the upper age to apply is capped at 35 years, however, there are some exemptions. Applicant also need to obtain admission to an approved master’s course at a designated institution.
Selection Procedure: Applicants need to first apply for admission. Those who secure admission will be shortlisted by the institute based on their profile, application forms, and documentations as submitted by students. The selected profiles will be evaluated by ADB.
Where to apply: https://www.adb.org/work-with-us/careers/japan-scholarship-program
Singapore
The global financial centre, Singapore, is also gaining traction as one of the most popular study destinations for Indian students, thanks to its multi-cultural societies. The nation offers several scholarships among high-ranking institutes with the most famous being Dr. Goh Keng Swee Scholarship and Science & Technology (S&T) Undergraduate Scholarship.
The Science & Technology Undergraduate Scholarship is for Asian students who wish to study undergraduate courses at the National University of Singapore (NUS). As part of the scholarship, students get a living allowance of S $6,00 and a one-time computer allowance of S $1,750. Students also get a settling-in allowance of up to S $200. The scholarship covers tuition fees and one-way airfare for students.
Who is eligible: Students applying for admission to full-time undergraduate degree programmes in Computing, Engineering or Science are eligible for the scholarship. Students need to be citizens of Asian countries (other than Singapore).
Selection Procedure: Scholars need to have exceptional academic qualifications to achieve the scholarship. Further to sustain the same, students need to maintain a 3.5 GPA and good conduct. Students applying for admission to NUS for UG courses will be automatically considered. Selected candidates will be called for interviews.
Where to apply: www.nus.edu.sg
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