Masters abroad: grants and scholarship programs

Financial obligations for admission to the magistracy abroad seem to be very heavy: the cost of education, living expenses, textbooks. However, we should not forget that many universities give scholarships to their students , in addition, there are many grants for tuition fees . So, today we will talk about scholarships and grants for master's programs. Recall that in the last article we talked about the cost of graduate abroad.

The main advantage of a magistracy abroad is the possibility of free or partly paid tuition due to receiving grants and various scholarships. These can be private grants, such as Google’s Anita Borg Grand Prix for female programmers or government scholarships, which, if desired, and with sufficient quality of knowledge, can be obtained by anyone.
')
Among the most popular international programs that provide a grant or scholarship to study at foreign universities are the following:

• Fulbright - a grant program for graduate studies in the United States for 1-2 years. Funded entirely by the US Gos. Department and aims to strengthen international relations with the Russian Federation. The competition is held in three rounds: application, interview and delivery of TOEFL and GRE in the format of computer testing. Successful candidates receive a grant.

• Erasmus Mundus - a program that pays for not only tuition, but also accommodation, food, and even flight. But it is impossible to choose a university by yourself, it will be one of 10–12 universities in Europe, and not always prestigious and iconic, but it may be lucky to get to Oxford.

• Chevening Scholarships - British system of grants for training talented students with leadership skills. Student support is sponsored by the British government and provides free education and development opportunities in British universities. Everything is paid, from the flight to accommodation and meals.

• Visby is a Swedish grant system for citizens of Russia, Georgia, Moldova and Ukraine. It assumes full payment of tuition, accommodation, travel and meals to successful candidates. A grant is not provided to citizens or citizens living in Sweden for more than 2 years.

• French government scholarships - program to support academic mobility of talented students. Each year, over 200 scholarships are awarded in various specialties to provide financial support for students planning to study in France.

• DAAD - under the Russian government, there is a German international exchanges service where applications for scholarships for annual or two-year studies are sent, depending on the specialization.

• Global Education - Russian program to finance students who independently enroll in foreign universities. More than 200 universities in 27 countries are already participating in the program.

If under international programs admission to a university and a scholarship is provided at a time, the Russian grant is given only to those who have already enrolled in a foreign university, but want to pay for their tuition at state expense.

Grant requirements are very similar. It is necessary to submit an application for training in the selected university until a certain date, it has its own for each grant, and provide a package of documents.



For admission to the magistracy in foreign universities, students need the following:

1. Certificate IELTS or TOEFL (to confirm the level of proficiency in English);

2. Notarized translation of a bachelor’s or specialist’s diploma and insert with grades;

3. Motivation letter (essay);

4. Two or three letters of recommendation from teachers or employers;

5. Summary;

6. GMAT or GRE certificate (for some technical and business programs);

7. Valid international passport;

8. The average score. Sometimes the requirements state that candidates must have a grade point average of the first higher education not lower than a certain mark. It is better to have an average score of at least 4.5 on a 5-point scale;

9. Confirmation or preliminary confirmation of enrollment in the selected university.

Depending on the program, the list of requirements may vary slightly, for example, a resume of a supervisor or a research plan may be required.

In most cases, documents are sent online. You need to register on the university website, fill out the application form and attach the necessary documents to it. All data are considered by the commission, and then either a refusal or an offer to come for further processing comes.

To get a grant for training, you do not have to be the most talented or the smartest. However, you must be distinguished by your academic and / or professional accomplishments. If you have experience of participation in scientific or industry conferences, publications in periodicals, this will be a big plus to the summary. It is desirable to have a profile experience. Ideally, your teachers and supervisors at work will be able to give you excellent recommendations.

If you have always dreamed of studying abroad, you know what specialty you like and want to develop further - Master's degree in foreign universities is the ideal solution. The requirements for receiving grants are quite feasible, the main desire and active steps towards the goal.

In the next article we will try to dispel the myths associated with education abroad. We hope it will be interesting.

The author of the article is Vyacheslav Davidenko, founder of MBA Consult