Are you willing to go to UK for Higher Education? Check out the Scholarships for Indian students to study in UK....
Jun 02, 2020 12:32:00
The United Kingdom has always remained a highly popular destination for Indian students in particular. This is clearly evident from the fact that as many as 37500 Indian students received study visas in the year 2019 which displays a huge increase of about 93% since 2018. The number of Indian students migrating to the country has been rising since 2016 (source: The Times of India,Mar 2, 2020).
The UK has a rich variety of educational universities with highly specialized teaching faculty. The universities here boast of global reputation and display equally incredible innovative skills. The UK thus undoubtedly has a lot to offer to all students, Indians in particular. The UK also possesses a huge Indian diaspora which is also a major reason for a large number of Indian students here.
Although the universities in the UK are explicitly grand, affording them is also a very huge challenge that has to be encountered by each and every student.Very often, students are seen to have dropped their dreams of studying in the elite universities of the UK because of their economic background.
The financial challenge posed by the universities in the UK has been quite exceptionally displayed in a recent Bollywood movie “Angrezi Medium” (Maddock Films) where a father goes out of the way to get her daughter admitted to ‘Truford University’ (fictional name). This economic problem is faced by a majority of the students. In many cases, students are found to have sold their entire ancestral properties in order to afford the expenses.
The tuition fees is indeed expensive but living costs in the UK are also unreasonably high.In the latest annual ‘National Student Money Survey’ of about 3,385 students undertaken by ‘Save the Student’ Organization, which entirely focussed on where all their money goes, and their findings were pretty interesting. With an average monthly spend of around £807, the results reveal that the Maintenance Loan often falls way short of covering students' living expenses.
It's probably no surprise that rent takes the biggest chunk out of the student budget. This figure is up £25 from 2018 and £37 from 2017, showing that rents around the country are continuing to rise.
Groceries are the second biggest expenditure for students, coming in at £92 a month. Everyone knows that students love a good party, and it turns out £49 a month is spent on going out. Some might be surprised that this is over three times the amount students spend on course materials but, with tuition fees at such a high rate, there's increasing pressure on universities to keep extra course costs to a minimum. Students also estimate they spend £32 a month on bills which include gas, electricity, water, broadband and a TV Licence.
It is therefore not very uncommon to find students opting for Education Loans by mortgaging their parents’ properties. It is a huge setback for a certain number of families to do so. Also, it has been noticed that the huge economic burden leads the students or in many cases their parents being diagnosed with several psychological & mental problems. In severe cases, the students/parents end up being in a state of depression.
It is indeed a pity watching families getting destroyed in such disastrous ways. This burden can’t be entirely done away with. However, what can be done is that students can lighten this load by opting for scholarships. A ‘Scholarship’ literally means a grant or payment made to support a student's education, awarded on the basis of academic or other achievements.
Independent studies have found that a large number of students fail to apply for scholarships. The main reasons that have been found include lack of sufficient knowledge, incomplete documents and deadlines being missed among others. This thus amounts to huge psychological & mental pressure as mentioned above.
Scholarships in the UK are offered to international students based on merit-based, need-based, student-specific or course-specific grants. Besides scholarships, most Universities in the UK provide concession in the tuition fee if initial deposits are submitted within a stipulated deadline. The merit-based scholarships are highly competitive and require a focused application and noteworthy statement of purpose.
The amount of university-specific UK Scholarships varies depending on the student’s profile, ranging from £ 1,000 up to £ 6,000. Doctoral degrees in the UK are generally fully funded.These scholarships are given to the ones who have successfully passed through the competitive application assessments set by the educational institutions.
These scholarships can be availed for MBBS in UK, MBA in UK and other Bachelor's and Master's Program.
The student must be an Indian citizen
Must have completed the tertiary education in English medium
Must have a good academic background
Funding for international undergraduate students in the UK can generally be split into two categories: those offered by UK universities and those offered by third parties – usually governments, or commercial and charitable organizations, in a student's home country. Sometimes, funding will be awarded as part of a partnership between a university in the UK, and a local representative in another country.
These may cover tuition fees in full, reduce them, or contribute to the cost of living and studying away from home, in the UK.
Bursaries and grants based on students’ personal circumstances – like coming from a low-income household, or experiencing some other form of disadvantage – are less common. They’re usually one-off payments, sometimes to help with travel costs or costs to settle in.
Check out the scholarship for Indian students to study in Canada
Academic, merit, and excellence scholarships are awarded to students with a strong academic background, including achieving strong grades in their school exams.
This doesn’t have to mean getting the highest grades possible. For instance, international students at one university automatically receive an international merit scholarship worth between £1,000 and £2,000, if they get CCC or above (or equivalent). Other merit or excellence scholarships may be more competitive, requiring you to talk about your extracurricular achievements, interest in your subject, future ambitions, plus any personal circumstances you’ve overcome, in an application. You may be invited to an interview too. It’s worth the effort though. For example, one university’s merit scholarship slashes international students’ tuition fees by half.
Subject-specific scholarships are similar to academic scholarships, but for students studying a specific course or subject. They’re usually administered by the relevant school or department at a university, and may be donated by an external organisation, or in memory of a former professor. The eligibility criteria and application process typically focuses on your interest, skills, and experience in that subject, like any relevant work placements you’ve done. As part of the application process, there could be a subject-specific task or project to complete, such as giving a presentation on a topic, or providing a portfolio of work. Any extra benefits that come with the financial award may be tailored to your subject or course, such as contributions towards field trips or special equipment. Plus, receiving a subject-specific scholarship is something you can show off in future applications for internships or graduate jobs – especially those in competitive fields.
Performance-based scholarships are awarded to those who have exceptional ability in an extracurricular activity, such as sports, music, or performing arts like dance or drama.
There’s usually an audition stage to apply, or you may have to provide other evidence of your abilities, like a video of you performing, or a statement from an appropriate individual.
While these scholarships might reduce tuition fees or contribute towards general living costs, they’re often created with the purpose of helping students develop their skill or talent.
Disability scholarships are to support international students with a disability, long term mental health condition, learning difficulty, or other special needs. These may contribute towards the extra costs that you incur as a result of your condition. Bursaries (one-off payments) may be awarded under these circumstances too.
a family member, i.e. a sibling, parent, child, or spouse, is a current student or alumnus
they studied a prior qualification at that university, and are continuing their studies there, e.g. moving from foundation degree to undergraduate degree
they participated in an international summer school, exchange, or similar program at that university, and are continuing their studies
As well as universities, international scholarships to study an undergraduate degree in the UK are typically provided by governments, commercial and charitable organizations, and special interest groups involved in international education – these may be in your home country, or in the UK. A university may have a list of these scholarships for international students, on their website. Because there are many different providers of scholarships, the eligibility criteria and application process for these can vary wildly.
Documents and other supporting evidence: Keep documents organized and stored in a safe place where you can easily access them – both original print copies and backed up digital versions
Be persistent: scholarships for international undergraduate students aren’t as widely available as those for postgraduate students. Those that are, are really competitive – especially if they promise a massive fee reduction, or are offered by a top university.
Ask questions: those reviewing scholarship applications are usually very busy, but they’ll be happy to help you if you have a valid question.
Watch out for scholarship scams: if a scholarship or bursary sounds too good to be true, then be careful – it may be a scam to steal your personal information or money. This is common online whenever there’s the promise of a financial award.
Thus it’s indeed explicitly clear that scholarships prove to be a students’ best friend while studying in the UK. So, don’t forget to apply for the same within the stipulated time period along with all the required documents.
We wish you all the very best for a bright future. Happy Studying!!
