There are new smart ways to get a scholarship to study abroad that only a few people have heard about. Getting a scholarship to study abroad can be quite challenging, demanding and time-consuming. This is because it is very competitive and the number of applicants is quite numerous at the same time. Most people study abroad to have access to hands-on information about their careers, further studies, carry out research and increase their wealth of knowledge. There are a lot other reasons but that is not within the scope of this content.
Before now, if you plan to study abroad you must take into consideration the tuition fees and cost of living because those can be quite a large sum for education expenditure. Currently, things have changed. Scholarships have been designed to lift these burdens from students to enable them to focus and remain comfortable throughout their years of study. It provides the necessary financial support to take care of every expenditure.
In this article, you will learn the following:
- About Scholarships Abroad
- The difference between scholarships, grants and loans
- Types of Scholarships
- Eligibility for Application
- How you can apply for a scholarship
- New smart ways to Get a Scholarship to study abroad
- Scholarship opportunities
- List of Postgraduate Scholarships for Nigerian Students Abroad
About Scholarships Abroad
Scholarships are financial awards or waivers given by a school, university, college or other organisations specifically for academic endeavour both research and general studies of a person who has shown great abilities but has little or no money. This financial aid is expected to take care of tuition fees, accommodation and every other thing in between.
It is important to note that while some scholarships are more flexible, allowing students to apply with few restrictions, others may be very strict with their eligibility status. Though some schools prefer to give scholarships and others give grants. There is a huge difference between scholarships, grants and loans.
The Difference Between Scholarships, Grants and Student Loans
Both scholarships and grants are financial aid that a student receives for their academic study. They are not going to pay back the money because it’s not a loan. The major difference is that grants are given based on specific needs to students who cannot afford the cost of their studies. Small-scale business owners also receive grants to grow and expand their businesses. While scholarship awards may be on an academic, artistic or athletic basis. It’s not always for business reasons but for studies or research purposes.
Scholarships and student loans are just like two sides of a coin. The major difference between them is that while the students are not to pay back the financial aid in scholarships, they must pay back the money in student loans and sometimes with interest. Sometimes, you could refer to it as being good and bad.
Now that you know these differences, let me recommend some study-abroad universities for you.
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Types of Scholarships
The new smart ways to get a scholarship to study abroad have a lot of things in common with types of scholarships. Pay keen attention here. Many students seek scholarships abroad. These include the undergraduates and the postgraduate students. However, there are more postgraduate scholarships compared to undergraduate scholarships from common observation. As of the time of this article, there are no studies to prove this point. You can research more on that. I will be glad if you share with us here your findings.
There are three (3) categories of scholarships available for Nigerian students who have an interest in studying abroad. Which are:
- Fully-funded Scholarship
- Subsidized Scholarship
- Tuition-free Scholarship
Fully-funded Scholarships
In Fully funded scholarships, monetary awards take full care of the student’s tuition fee, accommodation and take-home stipends.
International missions and Multinational companies offer this kind of scholarship in Nigeria. This category of scholarship is still the best scholarship opportunity for Nigerian students to study abroad. This is because the student would not have to worry about any academic expenditure and other costs involved.
Subsidized Scholarships
This is a low-income student scholarship for Nigerian students who want to study abroad. In this kind of scholarship, the financial aid is not enough to pay for the full tuition fee, accommodation and other expenses.
This scholarship is majorly for students whose family’s household annual income is below a particular amount.
Tuition-free Scholarship
In tuition-free scholarships, financial aid can only take care of the tuition fees. That is to say, it does not take care of other costs such as school materials, accommodation and even take-home stipends.
Countries like Sweden, Finland, and Germany. etc award tuition-free scholarships to international students.
Eligibility for Abroad Scholarship Application
Different scholarships target different kinds of students, therefore anyone who meets their requirements is eligible to apply. Before you apply, remember to check if the deadline has not passed and also, if the scholarship is open to International students, national students or both.
Among others, these are common general requirements for scholarship application abroad:
- An application form
- Acceptance Letter from an academic institution
- Recommendation Letter
- Letter of motivation or personal essay
- Proof of low income, official financial statements
- Proof of athletic or academic achievement
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New ways to get a scholarship to study abroad
Here are some new ways to get a scholarship to study abroad:
A direct online search for scholarship opportunities
While searching for scholarship opportunities, one of the smartest new ways to get a scholarship to study abroad is online and you achieve this by direct online search. You cannot overemphasize the search process, that is to say, the financial aid you get will be largely dependent on the number of scholarships you apply for. Begin this journey by visiting Passbuttons or GoAbroad’s Scholarships Directory. You can as well explore some other resources that compile lists of study abroad scholarships for students, such as NAFSA, others include:
- Scholarshipportal.com – A database that contains over 5,000 lists of study-abroad scholarships
- Scholarships.com – This database contains over 3.5m study abroad scholarships
- Scholarships for Development – This site provides scholarship opportunities mainly to students in developing countries
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Visit the official website of the institution of your choice
This is another major place to begin your search for scholarship opportunities abroad. Moreso, it is on this website that you will find some other useful information concerning the scholarship. But if you did not get a piece of satisfactory information, do well to contact the university representative either by chat or email for better help.
Ask for help
Sometimes, you need the help of others no matter how brilliant you think you are. Reach out to people around you to refer you to scholarships they might be aware of. You can start by asking your academic mentors, professors, academic advisors and even friends online. They can go a long way to help you find legit scholarships abroad. It is said that finding the scholarship is the hardest part of the process of study abroad scholarship, therefore there is a need to ask for better help from professionals if they know any.
Create a scholarship campaign
This is the smartest new way to get a scholarship abroad. You have seen people post their results or certificates online. They are doing nothing less than creating awareness of their academic prowess to attract the right audience to themselves. When they get the right audience, they will create a scholarship campaign asking people to donate money to assist their academic pursuits. Most times, people who do this well, earn more than a scholarship opportunity can offer them. People also take advantage of natural disasters or other bad omens to create this kind of campaign. It works like a charm. I can tell you of a medical student who was affected by the Ukraine war. He generated thousands of US-dollar because he said he was displaced by the war.
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How to apply for a scholarship
Now that you know the 4 new smart ways to get a scholarship to study abroad, it is very important to know how to apply for a scholarship abroad and get it. When you have found a study abroad scholarship for which you’re eligible, the best thing to do is to prepare your documents to start up the registration process. This is a typical process to apply for a scholarship abroad:
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- The registration starts by filling out an online application form.
- Refer to your email to check if you received a confirmation mail.
- Write a personal statement or essay, this will express your uniqueness in your experiences and ideas. However, a lot of models are here on the internet but make sure to be original in your words.
- Provide official proof of your academic, artistic or athletic achievements. If possible, translate the document.
- you can also get official proof of your low income or/and nationality(mainly for region-based scholarships). also, translate it to be on the safer side.
- Proofread all your documents for any errors and send them to the scholarship provider.
- Submit the letter of acceptance from your university or any other official document that shows your acceptance.
- Sit back and await the result. If selected, congratulations! Join Passbuttons’ admission and scholarship group.
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Most importantly, let us dive into the scholarship opportunities available to Nigerian students who want to study abroad.
Scholarship Opportunities Abroad to Nigerian Students
- Commonwealth Scholarship
- Chevening Scholarship
- Fullbright Program
- Swedish Scholarship for International Students
- Gates Cambridge Scholarship
- American Institute for Foreign Study
- Clarendon Scholarships at the University of Oxford (UK)
- Wellcome Sanger Institute 4-Year PhD Studentships
- Kanders Churchill
- Ivan D Jankovic PhD Studentship (for any nationality)
- The University of Sweden International Scholarship
- PhD Programme Scholarship for Health Practitioners
- Swiss Government Excellence Scholarship
- ETH Zurich Excellence Masters Scholarship Program (Switzerland)
- Jesus College Harvard-Cambridge Scholarship: John Eliot
- Cultural Experiences Abroad
- QS Leadership Scholarship
- Warwick Chancellor’s International Scholarships (UK)
- Yale University Scholarships USA
- EMBL International PhD Studentships
- Malati Kanbur Fund
- Erasmus Mundus Joint Master Degrees
- International Leader of Tomorrow Award at the University of British Columbia (Canada)
- Westminster Full International Scholarships (UK)
- TU Delft Excellence Scholarships (Netherlands)
- Amsterdam Excellence Scholarships (Netherlands)
- Peterhouse Postgraduate Studentship Competition
- Chinese Government Scholarships
- Adelaide Scholarships International
- Benjamin A. Gilman International Scholarship
- Government of Brunei Darussalam Scholarship
- Vanier Canada Graduate Scholarship
- Erik Bleumink Scholarships at the University of Groningen (Netherlands)
- The Royal Society Grants
- Great Wall Program
- Rhodes Scholarship
- Euraxess UK
- Schwarzman Scholarship
- Marshall Scholarship
- Knight-Hennessey Scholars
- Churchill Scholarship
In addition to this, let me show you a list of universities that offer full scholarships to Nigerian Students to study abroad.
Universities that offer Full Scholarships to Nigerian Students Abroad.
While we talk about new ways to get a scholarship to study abroad. It is also to talk about the list of universities Nigerian students can apply for full scholarships abroad: They include:
- Harvard University
- University of Chicago
- University of Toronto
- Swedish Institute
- Michigan State University
- University of Leeds
- Duke University
- University of Aberdeen
- Massachusetts Institute of Technology
- University of Cambridge
- Imperial College London
- Califonia Institure of Technology
- University of Warwick
- University of Oxford
- Bath Spa University
- University of Virginia
- University of Wolverhampton
- King’s College London
- Bangor University
- University of Michigan
- London School of Economics and Political Science (LSE)
- Aston University
- Boston University
- University College London (UCL)
- Aberystwyth University
- University of Bristol
- University of Chester
- Bishop Grosseteste University
- Sheffield Hallam University
- University of Leicester
- Queen Margaret University
- Bournemouth University
- University of Exeter
- Newcastle University
- Brunel University London
- University of Southampton
- Coventry University
- University of Glasgow
- Cranfield University
- Oxford Brookes University
- Goldsmiths, University of London
- London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine
- Durham University
- University of Derby
- London School of Economics and Political Science
- Falmouth University
- Liverpool Hope University
List of Postgraduate Scholarships for Nigerian Students Abroad
- Pan African University Scholarships (PAU)
- Fulbright Foreign Student Program, USA
- ADB Scholarships at the University of Auckland
- University of New South Wales International Scholarships
- University of Twente Scholarships (UTS)
- Italian Government Scholarships for Foreign Students
- Rhodes Global Scholarships
- IOE Centenary Master Scholarships
I hope you found this content helpful. If you have any questions, do well to let us know in the comment section.
Frequently Asked Questions
How can I Apply for scholarships Abroad?
How to register for scholarships abroad has been extensively discussed in this article, therefore you can refer to it have more information.
What is a Fully-funded Scholarship?
It is a monetary award that takes full care of the student’s tuition fee, accommodation and take-home stipends.
What are the Requirements to Apply for a Scholarship Abroad?
- An application form
- Acceptance Letter from an academic institution
- Recommendation Letter
Refer back to this article to get the full information.
