Students aspiring to pursue higher education in US universities and colleges should keep in mind certain things to make the most of need-based and merit-based scholarships, says Rohan Ganeriwala
In US institutions, there are two major categories of financial aid — need-based scholarship and merit based scholarship. Need-based financial aid is awarded on the basis of the financial need of the student. With need-based aid, needier students applying to a given college usually receive more aid than more affluent students who would normally pay more on their own.
Merit scholarship is essentially a tuition discount that a college offers to encourage a student to attend. Most often, merit awards are independent of need and can be awarded to any student a college would really like to have, using whatever criteria the college wishes to apply. Merit-based scholarships are granted on the basis of special skills, talents, or abilities. Your university may have scholarships based on Test of English as a Foreign language (TOEFl) scores, academic record, artistic ability, musical ability, or athletic ability. Merit-based scholarships are usually very competitive. To be considered, you will need to demonstrate exceptional ability in the area required.
Some schools award both need-based and merit aid, but a small number of schools, including many of the most selective, provide only need-based aid. Scholarships can cover a significant portion of college costs, but all too often students don’t take the time to apply for them. They may be dissuaded from checking out scholarships because they have been misled by some common scholarship myths. Here are a few of the most common misconceptions about scholarships and why students shouldn’t buy into them.
Myth 1: You need to be a class topper to earn scholarships. Some scholarships are open only to students with exceptional academic records, but there are so many more that are for those who have certain interests or hobbies. Some are open to everyone and have no requirements at all.
Myth 2: Scholarship applications take too long. Some awards require you to write an essay, create a five-minute video, submit recommendation letters and fill out a lengthy application. But, not every scholarship has extensive application requirements that will take days to complete. There are plenty of awards which require you to just enter your information for a chance to win. But, these aren’t the only ones you should apply for. Typically, the easier an application is, the more competitive the award will be.
No matter where you decide to pursue your higher education, your college’s financial aid office and its website should be your next stop. Where most colleges have scholarship programmes specifically for international students attending their institutions, there are a few who offer grants, scholarships, and loans specifically to the US citizens. However, this doesn’t make getting financial assistance impossible. It’s definitely hard but once an in-depth researched there are several resources available.
Thorough research: Some colleges offer a lot of financial aid for students, while others only have a limited amount to offer. Some colleges offer merit scholarships, while others only offer need-based assistance. Some scholarships are offered to students of specific countries or regions, and some scholarships are offered to students majoring in a particular area. It varies greatly from college to college, so it really is in your best interest to do a lot of research. Check online sources, look for information in the admissions section of the college’s website, call, and email as needed.
Need-blind & full-need admission
Some schools offer need-blind and full-need admission to international students. This means that the school admits students regardless of their ability to pay, and for those students that can’t afford the expensive fee, the school will award scholarships and grants to cover the difference. These schools are MIT, Harvard University, Princeton University, Yale University, Dartmouth College, and Amherst College.
These aren’t the only schools that provide financial assistance to international students. According to US News, 345 US colleges offered aid to at least 50 undergraduate international students for the 2012-2013 school year. University of Chicago, Williams College, Yale University, Skidmore College, Harvard University, Amherst College, Wesleyan University, Stanford University, Trinity College, and Dartmouth College are the 10 colleges that offered the most financial aid to international undergraduate students during the 2012-2013 school year.
However, it’s important to note that, for example, the University of Chicago only offered assistance to 57 undergraduate international students, less than 11 per cent of all undergraduate international students. These are all things to take into consideration while looking at colleges and universities.
HOW DO I APPlYIJ
While some just require you to complete an application form, others may require a specially written piece of work, or for you to be pursuing studies in a certain field. Students seeking need-based financial aid from a college may be able to use the College Board’s form International Student Application for Financial Aid, but may also need to complete a college specific form. Mostly, international applicants are required to fill the College Scholarship Service (CSS) Profile and submit supporting financial documents. It is advised to check with each college for its policy.
When applying to a college or accepting an offer of admission, all international students needs to provide proof that they have the financial resources to attend the college. One commonly used form is the Certification of Finances. If you want to be considered only for merit scholarships, you don’t have to submit any additional forms. You are automatically considered for a scholarship based on merit.
WHEN DO I APPlYIJ
Most selective colleges that offer merit scholarships have application deadlines as early as November 1. Generally, the scholarship consideration is reviewed along with the overall application submitted by the student. The deadline to submit the CSS Profile is between January 1 to February 1.
UNIVERSITY-SPECIFIC SCHOlARSHIPS
American University (AU) Emerging Global leader (EGl) Scholarship: Undergraduate scholarships for international students with leadership potential to study in the US at American University in Washington DC. The AU EGl scholarship covers all billable AU expenses (full tuition, room and board) for one international student who will need a visa (preferably an F-1 or J-1 student visa) to study in the US. The scholarship doesn’t cover non-billable expenses such as mandatory health insurance, books, airline tickets and miscellaneous expenses.
Brandeis University Wien International Scholarship Programme: Funding opportunity for high-achieving students with an interest in student community contribution.
Clark University Global Scholars Programme: Scholarships of no less than $10,000 and a guaranteed $2,500 taxable stipend for a paid internship are available for first-year international applicants.
Emory University Needs-based Scholarship Programme: Funding opportunities for international students at Emory University. Students must demonstrate financial need.
Harvard University Scholarships: Harvard offers a good range of international scholarships for students from all over the globe. However, competition is fierce.
Illinois State University International Awards: Illinois State offers tuition waivers, merit awards and graduate assistantships to incoming international students.
Iowa State University International Merit Scholarships: Merit-based scholarship programme for high-achieving international students.
Michigan State University International Scholarships: Various grants and scholarships for international students to study at MSU.
The Art Institutes Scholarship Programme: Competitions and scholarships for international students to study at various Arts Institutes in universities across the US.
The New School Competition: The New School offers the chance to win international scholarships for bachelor’s programmes in liberal arts subjects at its campus in New York.
University of Arkansas International Scholarships: Funding opportunities for international students of varying backgrounds and nationalities.
University of Minnesota International Excellence Scholarships: Two scholarships of differing amounts allocated to international full-time students at UM.
University of Oregon International Scholarships: US scholarships to study at the University of Oregon, aimed at international students from around the world.
lniversity of Wisconsin Superior Non-resident Tuition Waiver Programme: Tuition waiver for international students demonstrating financial need at this University.
(The author is co-founder, Collegify, a college consulting firm for study abroad).