Funding your Foreign Education

Only the very rich in India will be able to finance their children's overseas education in full. Higher education in the universities in countries like the US and the UK is so high-priced that those in the middle or even in the higher income brackets in India cannot meet the expenses by themselves. They will have to seek support from scholarship providers. There are certain institutions in India which offer scholarships to our students for their study abroad. But the amounts given are usually inadequate to meet the heavy expenses. Many universities have schemes for providing scholarships to international students. Right at the time of applying for admission, you may indicate to the professor or other admitting authority that you may need financial support for undertaking the study.

Of course, students will be able to go for part-time jobs subject to the norms of their university. There would be restrictions in terms of the number of hours of part-time work. In many cases, graduate students may be given teaching assignments in the undergraduate classes. Even after getting fellowships or scholarships, you may have to go for bank loans. The following are some of the sources support to students for higher studies. You can get detailed information from the websites, and later get in touch with the for help and assistance.
(1) Ford Foundation – www.fordfound.org/fields/education/overview

(2) Fulbright T www.iie.org/fulbright

(3) International Financial Aid - www.iefa.org

(4) Bill Gates - http://www.scholarships.com/gates-millennium-scholar.aspx

(5) Sallie Mae (Loans) - www.salliemae.com

(6) Commonwealth Scholarship & Marshall - www.acu.ac.uk

(7) Chevening - www.chevening.com (UK scholarship)

(8) Adobe - www.iies.org/new/programs/corporate.htm

(9)www.edupass.org/finaid

(10) Rotary Foundation-
www.rotary.org/foundation/education/amb_scho

(11) www.internationalscholarships.com

(12) www.internationalStudentLoan.com

(13) www.fundingusstudy.org

(14) www.grantsnet.org

(15) www.internationalstudent.com/scholarships

(16) http://scholarship-positions.com

(17) www.nuffic.nl/international-students/scholarships - Dutch scholarships

(18) www.educationuk.org — UK Scholarships

(19) www.usastudyguid.com/Financial-aid.htm - US Scholarships

(20) www.schoolsincanada.com/University-Scholarships-For-International-Students.cfm - Canadian Scholarships

(21) www.australianscholarships.gov.au - Australian Scholarship

(22) www.scholarshipnet.info/undergraduate/uk-international-undergraduate-scholarships - UK Undergraduate

(23) www.moe.gov.sg/education/scholarships - Singapore Scholarships

(24) www.sport-scholarships.com - Sports scholarships

(25) French Government Scholarships (six sites): (i) www.india-campusfrance.org (ii) www.egide.asso.fr (iii) www.cnous.fr (iv) www.onisep.fr (v) www.cefi.org (vi) www.fnege.imaginet.fr

(26) Rhodes Scholarship - www.rhodesscholarships-india.com (Higher studies in Oxford)

(27) Gates Cambridge Scholarship – www.gatesscholar.org (Higher studies in Cambridge)

(28) External scholarships arranged by the Department of Higher in countries such as China, Korea, Israel, Japan, Czech, Slovak, New Zealand, Commonwealth Countries, Belgium, Italy, Mexico, Norway, and Turkey – www.education.nic.in



WHERE DO YOU START?
In the early part of this series, we had described the formalities of 'Statement of Purpose' and 'Letters of Recommendation'. Later on, we discussed the need of qualifications acquired through tests such as GRE, GMAT, TOEFL, and IELTS.

You should have a clear picture as to how you should proceed to secure admission in a foreign university. The entire process has to be taken up with the seriousness it deserves. You have and punctual in responding to the professors or other admitting authorities overseas. Many of us have a casual approach to the need of doing things on time. Giving some excuse for not doing something on time may result in your rejection. You should invariably meet all deadlines with promptitude. You will find that professors in and many other countries respond to you through email promptly. You should not give room to an excuse such as "I am sorry, I had not opened my mailbox for a week; otherwise I would have answered your query earlier". Even one response of this kind may be interpreted as lack of interest in the admission.

You may be trying to secure admission not in one university, but in half a dozen simultaneously. You should maintain separate files or directories for each. There should not be any confusion or mistake through sending a mail to a wrong addressee. The information you give should be precise, accurate, and comprehensive. Normally you should not have to send supplementary information. Provide as much relevant information as possible to the professor or other admitting authorities, enabling them to make a well-informed decision in your In case of doubt, seek advice with regard to the information required by the university. There should not be any occasion when you a correction. The application material would be almost the same for all the But there may have to be some differences. 'That is why you should pay particular attention to each piece of correspondence. take it back. Also, you should ensure that you send your application sufficiently in advance, so that it receives before the seats are filled up. An early bird catches the worm.

Your certificates, examination scores, statement of purpose, and the letters of recommendation will paint your picture before the admitting authorities. They may sometimes speak to you over As you would know, telephone interviews are quite common these days for job recruitment. That style may be used by certain universities. to its for taking a face-to-face interview for selection to an undergraduate or graduate program. However, if you are being considered for a research degree like PhD, you may be called up for a face-to-face interview. Also, if you are in the country where the university is located, you may be asked to go for a direct interview. In any case, the object of a pre-admission interview is to check and confirm your:
(1) Claims in the application material you have furnished
(2) Ability for grasping complex ideas
(3) Ability for analytical thinking
(4) Ability independent work
(5) Ability to undergo the program successfully
(6) Knowledge level in the subject of study
(7) Suitability for the program
(8) Passion for the subject
(9) Ability for application of knowledge in a new situation
(10) Ability for innovation
(11) Aptitude for research
(12) Language skills
(13) Commitment and dedication
(14) Interests in co-curricular activities
(15) Self-confidence

All these aspects may not be relevant in every case. You should necessarily be able to furnish a convincing answer to the question as to why you have gone for the particular university/institution, and the particular subject.