People from India and other developing countries have long seen the western world as an opportunity to obtain a world class education. They look at successful Indians abroad and aspire to be like them. They also look at foreign movies, read books, watch TV shows and dream of studying or working abroad. A foreign degree is seen as a gateway to this amazing land of opportunities. As with everything else, reality is very different from perception. There are many hurdles that people from India need to overcome to achieve their dream.
The biggest burden is the financial one. People from upper middle class and rich families can afford the fees needed for the high grade of education. However, everyone else must scramble. There is the opportunity for graduate research and graduate teaching assistanships. But those who are not able to get these assistanships must rely on loans taken at very high interest rate in Indian banks. Given the cost of foreign education and salaries in India, it is almost impossible to pay off the loan with an Indian salary. So, there is huge pressure to get a job in the country of schooling. This can be difficult as most jobs cater towards those with local citizenship.
If students are debt free at the end of their university program, it gives them a lot of options in their careers. They can take risks in their professional careers as well as start businesses, travel and spend money to improve the local economy. It makes a huge difference to spend the best years of one’s life following one’s dreams instead of contributing to the economy.
From personal experiences with scholarships for higher studies abroad, I realize that most of the scholarships for higher studies abroad that are shown to students require citizenship or permanent residence of the local country. When I was at Georgia Tech, there were plenty of scholarships for higher studies abroad available to local residents of Georgia, USA. Most of the local students could cover their entire tuition with the scholarships. The international students were left hanging.
To address this issue, our team looked at several programs, both in India and the developed countries. There are scholarships for higher studies abroad in USA, Australia, USA and Europe that are specific to students from developing countries to help educate their workforce.
Also, there are scholarships for higher studies abroad by private and public organizations in India that are for Indian citizens. Several universities provide scholarships for higher studies abroad as well. We have compiled a list of all the relevant scholarships into an ebook.
Here are a couple of scholarships that are in this book:
S. N. Bose Scholars Program
This is among the best scholarships for higher studies abroad for Indian citizens. It is available to Indian citizens pursuing a Bachelors’ or Masters’ at recognized high learning institutions in India. The courses included are Engineering sciences, computational sciences, Earth and Atmospheric Sciences and related courses. The selected applicants are exposed to world class research facilities in US Institutions. It funds all living expenses such as health insurance, airfare etc. There is also a living allowance. Should be Indian citizens that are currently pursuing a Bachelor’s or Masters degree from a recognized higher learning institution in India.
More information about this can be accessed at: http://www.indousstf.org/
Emile Boutmy Scholarships
This is among the available scholarships for higher studies abroad in the EU. This scholarship is specifically for non-EU International students to study in Emile Boutmy, one of the best universities in France. They work with four other Parisian Universities that offers higher education and high quality research. The quality of research is of world class caliber. Applications must be citizens of nations outside of EU; and you cannot supplement this scholarship with other scholarships like Eiffel scholarship, AEFE scholarship etc.
The scholarship award differs based on the program involved and the financial need of the student, as described below:
Undergraduate students can get an award of € 7,300 per year for a period of three years with an additional grant of €5,000 for cost of living. A grant amount of €3,000 – €7,300 can also be awarded for the undergraduate students minus the grant that can take care of the cost of living. In exceptional circumstances a scholarship amount of € 19,000 can also be granted to the undergraduate students for a period of three years.
You can lose your scholarship if you do not validate your academic year, or decide to defer it.
Masters students can get a € 10,000 award for tuition fees for two years. And € 6,000 for annual cost of living. In addition, they can also get an award of around € 5,000 – € 10, 000 for tuition fees. Students in exceptional situations can get a scholarship amount of € 19,000 per year.
Abhishek Kumar
Author, Scholarships for Study Abroad
