Scholarships For Graduate School

 College Grants And Scholarships  No Responses »
Mar 152012
 

scholarships for graduate schoolScholarships for graduate school are a form of financial aid that can help students to pay for higher education. While they are less common than scholarships for undergraduates, there are still plenty of graduate scholarships available for those who need them. Unlike loans, scholarships are sums of money that do not need to be repaid once the student has graduated (which is one of the reasons why they are highly sought after).

Scholarships For Graduate School For Every Student?

Scholarships for graduate school should be looked for by every student, regardless of whether they think they will qualify for them or not. There are thousands of scholarships from thousands of sponsors available, students won’t know until they look properly whether there is something out there that is suitable for them. Anybody that wants to further their education after they have successfully completed undergraduate study will greatly benefit from the use of graduate scholarships.

The med student / PhD  path of study for grad students is challenging and may come with plenty of scholarships and grant money.

Graduate students that are pursuing areas like teaching or nursing will often need to look for scholarships and other financial help to finish graduate school. However, there are also scholarships and other non-repayable financial aid for graduates who want to pursue other career paths.

People tend to think of scholarships being reserved for those who have had a lot of academic achievement, but scholarships for graduate school are also available to those who wish to study particular fields, those who are members of groups which are underrepresented E.G. part of an ethnic minority, those who live in particular areas or those who just need financial help. Not all scholarships are awarded based on academic merit, which is good news for those who are considered average students. Scholarships range from the larger, competitive scholarships open to those who are high achievers to a variety of scholarships which are less competitive that are awarded based on other criteria E.G. gender, nationality, field of study.

A wide variety of people are eligible for scholarships for graduate school.

The eligibility requirements for graduate scholarships vary from location to location, organization to organization, as well as on a number of factors about the individual applying and the scholarship itself. Each scholarship is designed to help a particular type of person or a particular organization to get the future employment that they need. Some scholarships are aimed at helping international students, others are given to graduate students in exchange for project results and a lot require certain academic objectives to be met E.G. particular grade point average, in order for students to be eligible.

As an example, if a female student wanted to study a post-graduate course in Computer Science or a Math related subject, she could apply for the Graduate Women Scholarship Program offered by Microsoft Research. The eligibility requirements for this scholarship are different to those for a scholarship relating to economics, for example.

A lot of scholarships on offer to graduates are location/university specific E.G. Ontario Graduate scholarship. This scholarship has 2,000 awards which are given out to eligible students that are studying in a university in Ontario, Canada. In order to be eligible for the award, students must have achieved 80%+ or an average of A- over the preceding two years.

The requirements for obtaining scholarships for graduate school vary. If students are looking for financial aid and know where they want to do their post-graduate study, the easiest way to check eligibility requirements and scholarships on offer would be to contact the chosen place of study. Requirements are often things like the ability to maintain high grades, attend a certain number of hours or complete research in a particular field of study. Scholarships for graduate school are normally only awarded on a one year basis, if the academic year the scholarship is awarded for does not get fully completed the year then students won’t be eligible for the same financial aid the next year.

There are a number of ways that it is possible to locate and apply for scholarships for those who want to attend graduate school. There are multiple scholarship databases that individuals could search online E.G. the FastWeb Scholarship search. The FastWeb service matches the personal background of the searcher with scholarships that they are able to apply for. Only the awards which are relevant to the student will show up in the search results. This saves the amount of time that is spent trawling through lists where most of the information is irrelevant.

There are several other free databases online, but FastWeb is one of the largest, most frequently updated and the most accurate scholarship database currently available. There are details of over one and a half million scholarships, and FastWeb effectively does all the hard work by narrowing the list down to the ones that the student is only eligible to apply for. FastWeb even notifies students when new relevant scholarships become available so that they have the most chance of getting the financial aid that they need in order to continue studying. It is also possible do a search using other scholarship sites for relevant financial aid that could be applied for.

Alternatively, information about local scholarships for graduate school can be found in places like public bulletin boards at local libraries, at the current place of study E.G. outside student finance offices, or at nearby education institutions like universities and colleges. Before applying for post graduate school, students should read through the website of their chosen place of study as they will normally have a list of relevant scholarships mentioned somewhere on the site.

Many scholarships often receive lots of attention, so it should not be too hard to find scholarships for graduate study that students may qualify for. Aside from the usual linked organizations offering scholarships, students may also find that college alumni or private sponsors will offer them a scholarship if they can meet their requirements. It is worth contacting relevant organizations to see if they will sponsor graduate study.

If potential post-graduate students have already gone through the process of applying for scholarships for undergraduate study, they’ll find the process of applying for scholarships for graduate school is extremely similar. Scholarships for post-graduate study are normally obtained and maintained in the same fashion as undergraduate scholarships, so those who have already obtained scholarships before will know just how easy it is to find and qualify for relevant financial aid.

Now it’s time to find some Scholarships For Graduate School.


The Differences Between College Grants And Scholarships

 College Grants And Scholarships  No Responses »
Nov 202011
 

College Grants And Scholarships – What are the differences?

Both education grants and scholarships allow students to afford college tuition fees without having to worry or stress about paying the money back. However, there are a few key differences between college grants and scholarships. Knowing the differences between these two financial aid options is key if students want the highest chance of being able to pay their college tuition fees.

Students, who wish to go to college or university, that have done research on financial aid available are likely to notice two things: one, that there is a lot of confusion about how scholarships and college grants are different, and two, that there are a surprising number of websites out there offering easy access to grant money from the government. Becoming familiar with all of the legitimate grant websites, as well as all the fake ones, is essential if students want to successfully get the right financial aid quickly. Learning the differences between legitimate college grants and scholarships on offer to college students will also help students to get the best financial aid quickly.

Similarities between college grants and scholarships.

Before the differences are addressed, it is important to note the similarities between education grants and scholarships. To best understand the differences between college grants and scholarships, students first need to understand the similarities and then build upon that knowledge by discovering the differences. Knowing both the similarities and differences will lead to students making the most informed decision possible about their academic future. College is an important step that a lot of people choose to take and it will have an effect on later life. The more potential students learn about college grants and scholarships, the better their decision about the right financial aid will be.

The confusion between college grants and scholarships stems from the fact that they have a lot of similarities. Both college grants and scholarships, unlike college loans, are regarded as “free money” because students aren’t expected to pay these types of financial aid back. Student loans, unlike grants and scholarships, often require repayments with added interest once graduation has occurred. Out of the three main types of financial aid that will help students to cover the costs of college, college scholarships and grants are the most sought after.

Grants are traditionally described as tax exempt sums of money given by non-profit organizations. The best example of an organization that offers college grants is the federal government. Students will also find that certain corporations are willing to provide grants to college students, in return for project results. There are a variety of grants available and they generally fall into two categories: those that are awarded based on the amount of financial need and those that are awarded based on project work that the student will undertake during their course.

Most grants are awarded to students that can prove, with an application, that they need financial aid in order to cover the cost of college or they won’t be able to attend. Federal college grants are grants awarded by the government that will allow individual students to pay for their college fees or career training. Examples of federal grants that students may be eligible for are the Pell Grant, TEACH, FSEOG, Academic Competitiveness Grant and National SMART grant. The amount of grant money that students receive is based on their calculated financial need.

However, there are grants that have other non-financial related criteria attached to them E.G.  corporations that give grant money for student projects expect students to report back with their findings to whoever awarded the grant.

In terms of what qualifies as a grant and what is regarded as a scholarship, there is often not much difference. Both are awarded with the same intention: that students will use the money to pay for college or career training. However, the reason for awarding the specific grant or scholarship may be different. The main reason that grants are awarded is to help those that need financial aid actually afford to complete a college education. Scholarships are usually awarded by educational institutions to those who indicate that they have performed well academically or have the ability to be successful in the future. A lot of available scholarships are considered ‘merit-based’, not ‘financial need based’ like college grants, and there is often a lot of competition surrounding them.

Grant amounts, requirements and expectations of students that receive the grants vary widely so it is important that students look at the specific requirements of each available grant before applying. Billions of dollars of grant money is estimated to be available and the popularity of college grants rivals that of college scholarships. Like college grants, scholarships are specifically designed to benefit those attending college. Both college grants and scholarships can be used to pay for college tuition, in part or in full, while studying.

The main difference between college grants and scholarships

The main difference between college grants and scholarships lies in their eligibility requirements. Scholarships require students who are applying to have above a certain grade point average (GPA) and sometimes do over certain number of college hours in the first year. Some scholarships are gender-based, some are field-based E.G. specifically designed to help those who want to study a science based course. Scholarships tend to be harder to acquire because they have rigid selection requirements and there is a lot of competition for most available college scholarships.

Grants are considered a lot easier than scholarships to obtain because they aren’t specifically based on academic achievement.… as long as there is financial need.  As grants are normally based on the financial needs of an individual, students who need financial help are more likely to acquire this type of financial aid easily. A key difference between college grants and scholarships is that after grant money has been awarded to students, students are not normally required to meet further objectives like attending a certain number of college hours.

In conclusion, while some aspects of college grants and scholarships remain the same, in other aspects, they vary widely. College grants and scholarships both aim to help students to afford a college experience and neither of these two types of financial aid have to be repaid. However, the eligibility requirements for each type differs along with the possible reasons for awarding the grant or scholarship money. When students are deciding what financial aid to apply for, it is important that individual circumstances are taken into account E.G. the subject of study, where the study will take place, financial situation and academic achievements, to determine the best financial aid type, college grants and scholarships.