Scholarships

A Scholarship can be termed as a financial award or aid is given to a student on the basis of academic achievement and promise. Many scholarships are awarded to the hardworking students on the basis of merit. However, some also take into account the financial needs of the students. Hence it would not be wrong to say that scholarship is an award of financial aid for a student to further his or her education. Scholarships are awarded based upon various criteria, which usually reflect the values and purposes of the donor or founder of the award. Scholarships do not have to be repaid.

There is a common misconception about the scholarships scheme that these are only available for the smartest students with the high percentage and ranks, which is not true or even close to true. There are scholarships out there for every type of student whether seeking college education or school education, rich or poor. There can be scholarship at both school level and even college level. In recognition of some outstanding achievements by a student in the field of academics or sports, the University offers a number of scholarships for incoming freshmen or even those already enrolled in some course. The availability of scholarship is determined by many factors such as funding by the government, availability of funds to college/university and sponsorship by individuals or trusts.

Purpose and Importance of Scholarship

The scholarship is an investment in a young person's future, enabling talented and deserving students to gain the distinctive, lifelong benefits. Education and success always move in parallel to one another. Neglecting one, it becomes hard for you to achieve the other part. With the great economic slowdown, many parents are worried about the cost of education to be paid for the higher studies program of their children. This is also a major concern among some bright students who lack sufficient funds to support their education. There is no secret that the price for education is raising, and higher studies are becoming really expensive day by day. In the times of growing inflation and high unemployment rates, the family income and saving fail to maintain the balance with price rise, and there are people who are not able to save in enough amounts to provide quality education to their children. Hence for such people scholarship program plays a role here to cover the cost of education in acquiring any high qualification degree by helping them out financially.

Scholarships are an aid that helps students to pay for their education - unlike loans, do not have to be repaid. Hundreds of thousands of scholarships from several thousand sponsors are awarded each year for deserving candidates. Many students compete for scholarships, which are awarded on merit and on a first-come. Though sometimes there can be other considerations also for awarding a scholarship. However, some scholarships are aimed at promoting some regional language and are offered to students studying those languages or some are aimed at promoting sports in a school or college and are specifically given out to meritorious students from the field of sports.

The criteria and requirements for scholarship packages are depending on different circumstances, qualifications and the type of scholarship. If a student has the ability to study some potentially expensive course but not enough money to pay the fees then it is not necessary to skip the idea of taking up the course, instead find a way out as there are a lot of scholarships available for eligible students. All the financial aid packages of any college or university are designed with the aim of providing facility to eligible and needy students. Extraordinary effort can provide you with some extraordinary monetary results, but for those extraordinary results, you need to be focused and hard-working.

Another important purpose of the scholarship is to award the meritorious students from the field of art, science, culture or sports that are performing well in their respective fields and bringing in some laurels for their respective schools, colleges, state or country. In this case, scholarships are aimed at promoting and recognizing the hard work put in by the particular person and aim is to motivate him to further carry on this hard-work.

Types of Scholarships in India

The state government, national government agencies and other private organization are the leading resources for scholarship and grants who offer scholarships to meritorious as well as needy students. The scholarships offered by these organizations can be available for any student performing exceptionally in the field of art, science, sports etc. The higher education degree is necessary because you can earn more if you have high capable skills, keeping this fact in mind these different types of scholarships are designed, that is aimed at providing financial assistance to those who really need it and at the same time also deserve it. The scholarship provides you with the ways to complete your education and a high standard of living dreams. As you want to get or continue your studies, a lot of scholarship opportunities are available for you. It helps you to cover your college expenses with the support of some extra money in your hand for other miscellaneous expenses. Different types of scholarships are:

• Academic Scholarships: Academic scholarships or sometimes referred to as merit scholarships are those given out to students performing well or gaining a spot in the merit list prepared by the authority. These are not based on the performance of the students on the all-rounded basis but have only one criterion that is the percentage scored in by the students. They typically have the highest payouts and are considered very prestigious as they are often national awards. Sometimes instead of considering in the academic percentages, authorities may decide to take a separate test of the students opting for the scholarship scheme. And clearly, those obtaining high ranks are eligible for these meritorious scholarships.
• Merit Scholarships: Merit scholarship is based on the performance of the student in all fields and not only in academics, sports or arts alone. Hence these can be given to sports-person also and a topper in academics also. Merit scholarships are often related to academic performance, but can also be given to a candidate displaying artistic or athletic excellence or sometimes a combination thereof. It's probably safe to say that, while all academic scholarships are merit scholarships, not all merit scholarships are academic scholarships. These scholarships are generally aimed at motivating the students to carry on their good work.
• Need-based Scholarship: There are also some need-based scholarships whose only purpose is to help out students who do not have sufficient financial sources to pay for their education. There are a lot of bright candidates who are really capable of achieving some higher goals but unfortunately due to lack of funds, they have to leave in mid. For these students, need-based scholarships are introduced that may be funded by the government or by the college authorities themselves so that no child is left behind due to economic reasons. Every year the government is spending a lot of money to help out such students who need help.
• Sports Scholarships: Sports based scholarship or athletic scholarships are aimed at motivating sportsperson displaying some extra-ordinary skills on the field. For students with strong academics and physical skills, athletic scholarships are the way to go. There is practically a scholarship for every single sport, from volleyball to football; gymnastics to cheerleading. So, if you excel in anything physical, you should definitely pursue an athletic scholarship. It is not hard to achieve if you are determined to get through.
• Scholarships for Female Students: There are also a large number of scholarships available only for female students that are aimed at increasing and motivating female students studying higher studies. Since colleges were dominated by men for many years, some special scholarships have been created for strong, career-minded women that need assistance paying for college expenses. If you are female, it is strongly recommended you pursue a scholarship for women. Moreover, scholarships for women are typically available in just about any field. These are aimed to increase more and more participation by the female students into higher courses which in turn will lead to women-empowerment.
• Scholarships for Minorities: There are also many scholarships for minorities available usually aimed at upliftment of these sections of society. Some of these are general and for all minorities as a collective whole, while others are catered to individual ethnic groups. It can be a good idea to apply for a minority scholarship if you are partially or fully of a certain ethnicity. You will get to represent your culture and possibly have financial aid also to support your education.
• Career-Specific Scholarships: There are some specific scholarships that are aimed at promoting some career field wherein demand is more, but not much of the students enrol in. These are scholarships a college or university awards to students who plan to pursue a specific field of studies like masters of some regional subject or some PhD courses. Often, the most generous awards to students who pursue careers in high-need areas such as education or nursing. A lot of students who opt for PhD are even given some fixed stipend to encourage them for some doctoral research.

Various Scholarships in India

There are a lot of scholarship schemes that are funded by local, state as well as central government. There are also a lot of private organization, NGOs and universities offering scholarships to different candidates in different parts of the country from different fields. Some of these scholarships are:

• University Grants Commission Junior Research Fellowship
• Jamia Millia Islamia UGC BSR Research Fellowship
• Jamia Milia Islamia Fellowship under the UGC SAP DRS II Project
• Jawaharlal Nehru Scholarships for Doctoral Studies
• L’Oreal India For Young Women in Science Scholarship Programme
• Scholarships for Degree Students of Science, Engineering And Medical Courses
• NEST-Junior-2013 Nationwide Education and Scholarship Test
• Fulbright Nehru Masters Fellowships for Leadership Development
• Debesh Kamal Scholarship for Higher Studies

Apart from these, every university has a lot of scholarship programs for which every student of that particular institution is eligible and can apply as per the requirements mandatory for a particular scholarship. There are thousands of scholarship schemes launched in by the government from which students can derive out benefits and make a prosperous career.

Conclusion
A scholarship is a form of financial assistance given to a student to carry forward his education in a smooth manner without any tension about the funds for his education. A lot of scholarship schemes are offered by the colleges and universities themselves and may require more than just academic excellence. For example, some may require you have some other honorary title or have received some other scholarships or recognition by an esteemed organization or society such as National Merit Scholarships or the National Council of Teachers of English award. The main aim of these is to promote education and also to motivate hard-workers to continue the good work in the form of some respectful titles and cash rewards. The scholarship aims to serve the purpose that no child is left out because of lack of financial assistance, supporting his education.