Tag: bursaries for college

College Bursaries for University Students

Many students attending a university may have heard of something called a college bursary and are looking to find more information on the topic.

college-bursaries
College Bursaries
Many students attending a university may have heard of something called college bursaries and are looking to find more information on the topic. Well, look no further – we intend to drop a good amount of information regarding what a college bursary is, how best to take advantage of them and how to prepare for applying to them. As a general rule of thumb, college bursaries do not have to be repaid, making them a fantastic alternative to student loans. On top of this, in many areas of the world where college bursaries are offered, the programs are available on a regional basis limiting competition to a smaller pool of students. Though these pools will still be relatively large depending on the amount of students enrolled at a student’s college of choice, it still certainly beats competing over bursaries offered at the national level outside of colleges.

Bursaries for college come in many different forms. Some are designed to help students with exceptional financial need while still others are built to award those students who perform well in their academic pursuits. There are also many college bursaries which are offered through individual departments looking to help students who have already selected fields of interest for a future career afford their college education. Without a doubt, college bursaries should be the first stop for any student seeking financial aid, long before they apply for student loans and probably before they start looking at national or privately offered programs.

A college bursary is a financial aid program offered by an individual college that does not have to be repaid after graduation. These programs are very normally relatively small compared to larger national or private offerings, but, as any student applying for financial aid should already know, every little bit counts. College bursary programs are offered at different levels, sometimes to the entire college or only to those students in particular fields. For instance, the College of New Caledonia offers two college bursaries every year through their Office Management and Supervision courses to students entering college for the first time and taking a full semester. While the award amount is only $250, it is certainly better than nothing and helps a student work towards their total goal of funding needs. Students interested in this Canadian college bursary must be residents of British Columbia enrolled at the College of New Caledonia and must have their bursary application submitted by February 27, 2011.

The Audrey Hansen International Study Abroad college bursary offered to Vancouver Island University students is a good example of a program offered more widely to all students at a college. This program gives out one $1,000 award every year for students at any classman level attending either full or part time. They can be studying in any chosen field but must be working towards a bachelor degree. The deadline for this college bursary is February 28, 2011.

As can be seen by the above two examples, not all college bursaries follow the same deadline. This applies also when you are applying for programs at the same university – not every program is going to have a submission date on the same day. The English and Canadian college bursary systems have a fairly handy application process, however, which allows students to submit a single form to their university’s financial aid office. When this form is submitted, all college bursaries offered locally which a student is eligible for will be applied to. This means two very important things to students looking for financial aid through these sources. First, students will need to be on the ball and apply for college bursaries as soon as they are able. The earlier a student applies the more university bursaries they will be able to have their application submitted to, maximizing their overall potential for financial aid. The second thing this should mean to a student is that they need to be prepared to apply as early as possible. This means having financial information, citizenship records, proof of enrollment and any other necessary documents readily available during the application process. By being organized and prepared, a student will be more likely to cover all potential college bursaries for which they are eligible further increasing their chances at aid.

What is the Difference between Scholarships and Bursaries for College Students

Scholarships and bursaries are available to a wide audience of people but sorting through which ones students are eligible for takes a good amount of time.

Applying for college can be a long and trying experience, and one of the more exhausting things that many students must go through is the financial aid application process. Scholarships and bursaries are available to a wide audience of people, but sorting through which ones individual students are eligible for from the ones they are not takes a good amount of time and research.

While in the United States, scholarships and grants are typical methods of funding college education, students outside of the US will find that bursaries are equally if not more common than scholarships with regards to potential aid. Bursaries and scholarships remain the best alternative to funding outside of student loans, and students in regions where bursaries are more common should investigate all of their options. Some places, such as Canada and the United Kingdom, have extensive bursary and scholarship programs available to students. Applying for these programs, while still complicated in many ways, is streamlined through a single application. Meanwhile students in South Africa will have to spend a considerable amount of effort trying to root out scholarships and bursaries available to them, but this process is made a little easier by having an immense amount of information online.

There will always be students who believe finding scholarships and bursaries to be unnecessary work, and will rely only on student loans to get them through school. While this is certainly a viable process, it is easily the most financially reckless way to go about seeking financial aid. Scholarships and bursaries are an important part of the funding process for many students, and will help to reduce the overall debt that students graduate with. Looking for work after graduation can sometimes be difficult, so having as little debt as possible is important for most students as looming loan repayments can add stress to anybody’s life. For any student looking to responsibly fund their education, scholarships and bursaries are the best route to go, and many countries have made the process relatively simple.

Many students wonder what is the difference between bursaries and a scholarship. It really depends on the country you live in frankly on what you call it and they are almost identical in nature in that they are awards which pay your way through college. Bursaries and scholarships vary in a number of ways that are important for students to be aware of though. Scholarships are often given out with few strings attached outside of maintaining academic achievement. While this is also true of many bursary programs, it is not always the case especially with regards to those bursaries offered by private companies. The key difference is that sometimes private bursaries require work at a company post-graduation, which is not necessarily a bad thing. If students are willing to accept this condition as part of their bursary funding, they will have the benefit of not only having access to good financial aid but will also be employed after graduation. This allows them to effectively dodge the bullet of finding a job, and often ensures decent employment freshly out of their university’s gates.

There are many reasons to apply for scholarships and bursaries for students. Not only do they give you funding for your college education, but they also allow you to assess your current status in life. In many bursary application forms students are required to review their own academic work while also considering their community involvement and future career goals. It is important for students to keep a record of their community engagement, especially when applying to post-graduate schools or even to some jobs.

Further, assessing career interests will help ground a student in the often stark reality of the world, demanding they consider what it is they want to do in life. This is especially true of students whom receive funding from private bursary programs. Students who are not entirely sure that they want a future in engineering would be advised to steer clear of bursary programs which result in them being hired in the field after graduation. Not only would they likely be miserable in their placement, but their academic interest may wane over time, lowering their grades or requiring that they pay back what they have been given.

As always, when applying for bursaries and scholarships students should be careful in selecting the programs they are eligible for and remember to apply for as many as possible as this increases their chances of gaining access to financial aid. Get a leg up on today and start looking for those 2011 bursaries and scholarships you can apply to today.