The main and safest way foreign students can meet their academic costs is through gaining scholarships. This has been given a lot of names like bursaries, grants, awards, sponsorship, etc. but they perform one essential duty, pay all or part of the cost of your studies. Studying in the UK is a noble experience.
If you have been to the UK, you will surely like to study here. This is the queen’s land. Land of Golden Fleece. Where academic pursuits are valued to the optimum. Surely you will never regret coming to this great country in the first place. As a foreign student, if you are prepared, you will meet myriad of opportunities in the United Kingdom.
Government scholarships available
Below are some of the government’s scholarship and prize opportunities:
- Commonwealth Scholarship and Fellowship plan
- Commonwealth Scholarship
- Chevening Scholarship
- Commonwealth Shared scholarship scheme
- Gates Cambridge scholarship etc.
Top Universities for Scholarships
- Imperial College London
- University College London
- King’s College London
- London School of Economics and Political Science
- University of London
- Queen Mary, University of London
- University of Cambridge
- University of Manchester
- Oxford University, etc.
Awards and Loans available to students
Some of the available loans are:
Maintenance loans: This loan maintains the student during holidays or term times. You can as well use maintenance loans all through the period of your studies.
Maintenance grants: This is available to students whose family income is about twenty-five thousand pounds. It is a non-repayable grant. Once you are given this loan, you will not be asked to repay it back. It is a gift specifically given to help students in need.
Special Support Grant: This is meant for selected students. Eligible candidates are single parents, students with special disabilities, and student parents whose partners are also students.
Procedure to apply for a scholarship
The UK organizations and the British government make it a point of duty in offering a number of awards and scholarships to foreign students in the United Kingdom.
To be eligible, you must be at least 18 years of age, and you must have high ethical and intellectual standards. You will be disqualified if you are found wanting in any of these.
Surf the internet to gain more information on how to apply for a scholarship in your school of choice, and in your field of study. Every school has its own details of scholarship opportunities, while only very few schools don’t offer scholarship opportunities for their students.
Competitions are many, and deadlines are strict. However, you should apply for the scholarship at least six months before the beginning of the academic program.
If you have received a partial scholarship, endeavor to go with some money to help you offset some unforeseen academic fees, living expenses, and other bills. Once you have accepted the scholarships and resumed your academic activities, it will be difficult to extend your scholarship or change your course.