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Are You An African student who attempts to pursue studies in any part of the world but is worried about the Financial Implications? well, Worry no more because there are lots of scholarships for African students trying to study anywhere, a few of those scholarships are fully funded scholarships, African scholarships for undergraduates, and a few are graduate scholarships. Most of these are organized and tailored to meet the student need of almost any student.
but being smart with your money before studying abroad is just one stepping stone on the way to bigger and better adventures. Smart saving tactics mixed with financial aid (like scholarships to study abroad) mean you’ll be able to *finally* achieve your travel goal — just as long as you’re willing to put in the work of applying!
We know you want to travel to great places, but since you're busy juggling school, work, family, and friend commitments, we didn't want to waste YOUR time with outdated ideas or strategies to help you win those awards. We wanted to cut to the chase. Pick a destination (ideally one of the best), then without further ado, read our barebones advice on how to study abroad with scholarship.
First and foremost, don’t be afraid to reach out to the people around you for help. Contact your university’s study abroad office, your professors, the financial aid office, and your academic advisors to ask them about scholarships or grants that they may know of.
If possible, go in-person to these offices to ask for advice on how to get a scholarship to study abroad, rather than just emailing or calling. Not only will this make it easier for your professors or study abroad office to help you, but they’ll be impressed with your clear determination and initiative in arriving to discuss financial aid in person. The hardest part of getting study abroad scholarships is simply finding them, so be sure to ask the professionals if they know of any!
It cannot be said enough: do your research! The more scholarships you can apply for, the more financial aid you will get. You can start by exploring the world scholarship forum. There are also a number of other resources, such as NAFSA, that compile lists of scholarships for study abroad students, but this list is not exhaustive and there are many different types of scholarships to study abroad that you should also explore, including:
The best way to know all the nitty-gritty details of the scholarships you will be applying for, as well as up-to-date application requirements, is to contact the funder directly — they practically wrote the book on how to get a scholarship to study abroad! Not only will this ensure that you have all the correct information, but you will also be showing the scholarship or grant funder/provider that you are not afraid to take the initiative and actively pursue the scholarship you are applying for.
Get. On. Their. Radar!
Once you’ve compiled your list of study abroad scholarships that you plan on applying for, you now have to work on actually being awarded the scholarships. A huge part of this is your resume! Be sure to highlight any international experience you’ve had, update all of your recent campus activities and try not to go over one page. Writing concisely is important.
Cover letters go hand-in-hand with resumes, and are sometimes a crucial part of an application, as they can be your one chance to make an argument for why you deserve to be awarded a scholarship. However, you can’t just send in a generic cover letter about the wonders of a student you are. Focus on how you plan to translate your lessons from abroad into your life on campus and at home.
If you are applying for scholarships to study abroad provided by an international university, be sure to research how that country typically organizes their resumes or cover letters and, if you’re confident enough in your language skills, you could try writing them in the language of the country you will be studying in!
It may seem tiring but apply for study abroad scholarships as quickly and thoroughly as you can. This bit WILL require considerable amounts of time and patience, but every little bit counts. Since you've already done a lot of legwork, your process should run smoothly. Even smaller awards all add up and ultimately will allow you to have a much more affordable and less stressful summer, semester, or year abroad!
Also, be sure to customize your applications whenever possible, and avoid the temptation to simply copy and paste from one application to another. Scholarship providers know when you’ve done your research on the values of their foundation or the focus of a specific scholarship. Customizing each application will give you a much better chance of becoming a pro at figuring out how to study abroad with a scholarship.
It can be easy to feel the need to rush through applications, especially if you are applying to a number of them. However, you should treat study abroad applications just as seriously as the applications you completed to be accepted into your university. Read and follow the directions for scholarships to study abroad, and leave yourself enough time to complete all of your applications without feeling like you’re under a heavy-hammer deadline. You’ll turn out better-quality work if you do not feel rushed, and better-quality work means a better chance for more financial aid!
At the end of the day, the most important thing to remember is to put in the time and effort when applying to study abroad scholarships, just as much as you would for any other academic scholarship, and you are sure to see the results. Even if you do not receive as many scholarships for your study abroad experience as you would have hoped, there are other options to fund your time abroad with crowdfunding websites such as FundMyTravel or even by finding tutoring and babysitting jobs while you are abroad (an excellent way to immerse yourself in the culture you are studying in!).
Staying organized, working hard, and following these tips will lead you to score a study abroad scholarship, and will ultimately lead you to achieve your goal of studying abroad.
Study in Africa with Scholarships and Financial Aid – Find the best scholarships for African students studying for college degrees in Africa and abroad.
Here we have listed scholarships that will meet any of the following