International Scholarships for African students
Generally scholarship is an amount of money given by the government, schools or organisations to pay for the studies of a person with great ability but with little or no resources to support him or herself through studies. Scholarships can be partially or fully funded depending on the institution charged with this responsibility. Most often this is classified as "free money" but no organisations will be willing to give out this money except you put in some hard work. This is to say that the process of securing funds for international studies is not a walk in the park.
 |
| Great Hall of University of Leeds, United Kingdom |
Top tips on getting International Postgraduate Scholarships
Any funding institution is interested in honest and insightful information that makes you an ideal scholarship candidate therefore focus on the content, justify the reasons for applying for the funds and be able to convince the reviewer that you actually need the scholarship.
Searching for scholarships: The process of finding the right scholarship can be a very daunting task. Scholarships' search and applications are long processes therefore start as early as possible before the actual application time. Stay organised during the search and application processes. Make a checklist prioritising the deadlines for each of the scholarships. The checklist can be itemised noting the website links, deadline, eligibility criteria and list of necessary documentation. Pay close attention to eligibility criteria and benefits for each scholarship you intend to apply for.
Before applying for a scholarship: Make sure you have applied for an admission or better still hold an unconditional offer for a course from the University of your choice because some scholarship applications demand evidence of having applied for an admission. It is always advised to apply for several scholarships because no one is sure of which of them that will come out successfully. Read the eligibility criteria carefully so that you don't waste your time applying for a scholarship that you are not qualified for. Different scholarships have different eligibility requirements including age limit, nationality, academic excellence, work experience and in some cases having a financial need. Volunteer experience comes in handy for some scholarships that require work experience or contribution to community development.
Preparing your application: Read through the guidelines and entire application form before you begin to fill it out, that way you know the exact information needed from you. Pay attention to detail and complete application in full following all the instructions; an incomplete application will not be reviewed rather ends up in a bin. Note the list of required documents and tick off your checklist as soon as you get any. Practically, lots of time and energy are required in putting together several documentation needed for any scholarship application. Relevant documents mostly needed include: recommendation letters, essays and results including test result of IELTS or TOEFL (Test of English as a Foreign Language) for non-English speakers. Strong essays including motivation letter or personal statement are very important in supporting your application and remember to observe the word limit. Well structured recommendation letters can go a long way in boosting your chance of securing a scholarship.
Submitting your application: Before submitting your application make sure it is edited and proof-read avoiding typographic errors. If English language language is not your first language, you might want a native speaker to give it a second look. Submit the application well in advance before the closing date. For all hard copies via post, send them in time with the address clearly and boldly written as shown on their website. All scholarship applications must arrive before or on the deadline as stated otherwise any applications received after the deadline will be rejected.
International Postgraduate Scholarships available for African students
There are wide range of international scholarships available for African students but I will focus on some fully funded scholarships available for postgraduate students. By fully funded, I mean the ones that offer full tuition payment for its prospective recipients. For the benefit of this write-up, I will categorise the international postgraduate scholarships into 3 types which includes:
Fully funded Government scholarships
Several governments of different countries offer funding to international students living and working in Africa.
This scholarship enables graduate students and young professionals and artists from abroad to study and conduct research in the United States, program eligibility and selection vary widely by country. This is a prestigious scholarship for people who want to pursue a Master's or Ph.D degree in the United States.
Chevening is UK government's international award programme aimed at developing global leaders. It offers a unique opportunity for future leaders, influencers and decision-makers from all over the world to develop professionally, academically, network extensively, experience UK culture and build lasting relationships with the UK. This award is typically for a one year Master's degree.
Endeavour Postgraduate Leadership Awards (Australia)
This leadership award offers achieving individuals from Australia and overseas the opportunity to develop their knowledge and expertise thereby creating the next generation of leaders across a wide variety of professional fields. It supports international students from around the world to undertake postgraduate qualification at either a Master's or Ph.D level.
These scholarships are for highly qualified international students from developing countries who want to pursue full-time Master or Ph.D studies at Swedish Universities. These are fully funded scholarships offered by Swedish government and Universities.
This was established by French Ministry of Europe and Foreign Affairs to enable higher education institutions attract foreign students to enrol in their Masters' and Ph.D programs. It encourages applicants not more than 30 years of age from developing countries at Master's level while at Ph.D level, applicants not more than 35 years of age from developing and industrialised countries are encouraged.
Commonwealth Scholarships (UK) Every year the UK Department for International Development (DFID) offers Commonwealth scholarships to talented and motivated citizens of low and middle income Commonwealth member countries to pursue full-time advanced study for Masters or Ph.D in the UK. This aims at those who could not otherwise afford to study in the UK and enables them to gain the knowledge and skills required for sustainable development.
Fully funded Institute scholarships
There are also scholarships sponsored by different corporate and multilateral organisations
This scholarship is open to both men and women from developing countries with relevant professional experience and a history of supporting their countries' development efforts. Also applying to a master degree program in a development related topic and be under age 45 on the application deadline.
The OPEC Fund for International Development is an annual scholarship award that sponsors outstanding young students from developing countries through graduate studies in a development related field. It has an age requirement of between 23 - 32 years at the time of application. The scholarship covers up to one year Master's level studies or equivalent.
Kindly bear in mind that nationals of OFID member countries (Algeria, Ecuador, Gabon, Indonesia, Iran, Iraq, Kuwait, Libya, Nigeria, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, United Arab Emirates, Venezuela) are ineligible to apply.
Fully funded University scholarships
Most Universities have different types of scholarships therefore check the Universities' websites for more information.
Each year, this scholarship offer to outstanding applicants from countries outside the UK opportunities to pursue a full-time postgraduate degree in any subject available at the University of Cambridge.
These scholarships are awarded to graduate students from all around the world on the basis of outstanding academic merit and potential. The scholarships are open to candidates who apply for a new Master's or DPhil (Oxford's name for a Ph.D) course and are tenable in all subject areas.
Some websites for further searches
You might want to check out these links for further searches on international scholarships:
You can also watch the video by clicking on the link below and remember to subscribe to our Youtube channel and follow our blog for latest updates.
No comments:
Post a Comment