how to find a grant and scholarship abroad (Part 2)

The first milestone on the way to the desired diploma can be considered passed at the moment when you have decided on the list of courses or educational programs, drawn up in accordance with your own rating of universities. The next step is to secure funding so that the training is, if not completely free, then at least partially compensated by a grant, scholarship or award.

In the first part of the article “Grants and Scholarships: Instructions for Finding (Part 1)”, we talked about how fundraising is actually like a fundraising process - literally, hunting for benefits and compensation, when it is not only the possibility of obtaining this or that scholarship or grant, but also the program, the course for which you are looking for funds. Let's dwell on the difference between funding sources and consider their types in more detail.

Educational grants

The main type of scholarships and grants related to international students at foreign universities are government programs. To take part in them, you need to contact the representative office of the country where you plan to continue your studies Usually such questions are addressed to the department for culture or education, and, as a rule, they are already answered in the form of brochures and information posted on the site. In addition, you can contact representatives of specialized agencies, such as: British Council

German Academic Exchange Service (DAAD)

French Agency (CampusFrance)

Swedish Institute

All the necessary information about scholarships and grants can be found on their websites and there you can apply or ask for clarifications.

University grants

The next type of grants and scholarships is funding provided by the university itself. To what extent he practices such relations with students and graduate students, one can understand from the proposals open to the general public and found, in particular, in the "scholarships" section of the site hotcourses.ru Here you can choose a course and a university that accompanies this course with funding. If your specialty or the chosen educational institution is not in the lists, you can send information about yourself directly to the dean's offices of universities and colleges.

If you can convince them that the grant is right for you, it is possible that they will go to a meeting by revising funding. This is a difficult path, but completely reliable if you can justify your prospects, interest and demonstrate past success in the chosen field.

But even if you are not lucky here, you should not give up. You can always interest private foundations. There are a lot of them, for example, Open Society Foundations

Perhaps the full amount for training will not be immediately given to you, but no one forbids you to go to several places and collect the necessary funds in parts.

Procedure and formalities

Formalities and accuracy in setting out your goals are more important than anywhere else in your funding application. Of the necessary documents, most likely, you will need a copy of a higher education diploma, CV or a short resume, sometimes certificates of language proficiency and always a motivation letter (essay).

The complete list of documents may vary, including recommendations from academic advisors or colleagues, detailed plans for your projects, and other documents. The information is usually posted on the website of the selected program or organization that offers it.

If you look at this set of papers from the outside, it will become obvious that the least number of problems arises when considering official documents: various copies, translations, even a resume. But what even hints at an informal approach, as a rule, becomes a real headache in preparation.

For example, an essay or a cover letter. Its content determines how seriously you will be taken when considering your candidacy. This small literary form, in fact, is designed to demonstrate your ability to correctly and clearly express your thoughts, the ability to convince, and most importantly, to do it not only emotionally, but also reasoned. It should be clear from the text why you need a grant and what you plan to do after graduation.

Sometimes the thoughts inherent in the essay have to be revealed again already during the interview with the jury, which usually means the second round of the competition. If you have coped with the task and made a favorable impression on them, your scholarship or grant will be confirmed by sending an official notification to the address indicated in your resume.

Further, it is a matter of technology, you need to send documents to the chosen university, if your candidacy is approved, go to the consulate or visa center, start the hassle of finding an apartment and air tickets.