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Scholarship

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A scholarship is an award of access to an institution or a financial aid award for an individual (a "scholar") for the purposes of furthering their education. A scholarship is generally awarded based on any number of arbitrary criteria, which usually reflect the views or purposes of the donor or founder of the award.

Another meaning of “scholarship“ is the pursuit of a research subject, usually in arts or humanities (as opposed to science). In both scholarly and scientific fields, the word “scholarship“ is used to mean deep mastery of a research subject, often achieved through university studies.

Types of scholarships

Scholarships may be classified into two primary groups.

  • Merit-based - financial aid for which financial need is not used to determine the recipient. The recipient may be determined by students’ athletic, academic, artistic or other abilities. The actual monetary value of the scholarship may be negligible, the scholarship being meant to motivate the student and promote the study of the subject. However, this is not always the case and the largest scholarships are almost always merit-based.
  • Need-based - financial aid for which the student and family’s financial situation is a primary factor in determining the recipient. Usually such scholarship will cover all or part of the tuition and may even cover living-costs. Very often even need-based private scholarships require the awardees to be distinguished students, as the deed founding the award may include a phrase like: “for the studies of founder's favourite subject in founder's favourite institution of higher education' for a talented youths of limited means from founder's home town/county/state etc.“.

Some scholarships have a "bond" requirement, recipients may be required for a specified time to work for particular employer, to work in rural or remote areas, otherwise they may be liable to repay the cash value of the support they received during the scholarship. This was particularly the case with teacher training scholarships and currently with health and medical education scholarships for people from or prepared to work in rural and remote areas in Australia. The programs offered by the uniformed services of the United States (Army, Navy,Marine Corps, Air Force, Coast Guard, National oceanic and atmospheric administration commissioned corps, and Public Health Service Commissioned Corps) sometimes resemble such scholarships.

Obtaining Scholarships

Local scholarships It is typical for persons to find scholarships in their home region. Information on these can be found by asking local persons and organizations. Typically, these are more easy to gain as the eligible population is smaller.

Most non-profit organizations have at some point of their history had founded scholarships for prospective students:

  • Labor Unions All the major labor unions offer scholarships for members and their dependent children.
  • Church The local parish may or may not have any scholarships for their members, but the Diocese or headquarters may have some available. Of course, the best-supported area is the study of theology.
  • Chamber of Commerce Many chambers of commerce offer (usually small) grants to students in the community, especially those planning on careers in Business and Public Service. Even if they do not offer any themselves, you can usually get a listing of members, and many of them may offer small scholarships to local students.
  • Other volunteer organizations Many organizations offer scholarships or award grants to students whose background or chosen field overlaps the field of the organization. For example, local chapters of professional societies may help the studies of exceptionally distinguished students of the region. Similarly, charity organizations may offer help, especially if the late parent of the student was a member of the organization. (E.g. masonic lodge might help the orphan of a lodge brother.) However, this kind of scholarships are mostly random.
  • School Old, well-known schools have often been endowed with scholarship funds.
  • University Old, well-established universities may have funds, used to finance the studies of extremely talented students of little means. However, to be eligible for them, the student must usually belong to some special category or be among the nation's best. However, universities have information available on scholarships and grants, possibly even internship opportunities.

PSAT/NMSQT. In the United States, students are offered the opportunity to take the PSAT/NMSQT test, usually in their Junior year in (high school). Not only does it help them to prepare for the SAT later on, but National Merit Scholarship programs are determined by the scores received on the PSAT/NMSQT test. Some private scholarship programs require the applicants to take the PSAT.

Other sources of information on scholarships are libraries, newspapers and even yellow pages.

Famous scholarships

See also

References

DiFiore, Laura, et al. "Tips on Finding Scholarships." FreSch! Free Scholarship Search. 1997.

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