Tag: scholarships and bursaries

South African Scholarships and Bursaries

South African scholarships and bursaries are often considered the same thing in South Africa with minor differences.

south-african-scholarships
South African Scholarships and Bursaries

South African scholarships and bursaries are often considered the same thing in South Africa with minor differences. Students in South Africa will likely be very aware of the prevalence of bursary schemes in their country, often having to exchange time worked after graduation for payment of school costs. Even the national bursary scheme as offered by the South African national government provides only loans which, depending on academic merit, may later result in the conversation of only some debt into non-repayable bursaries. As students in America are very well aware of scholarships and very rarely knowledgeable with regards to bursaries, students in South Africa will likely know much about bursary schemes but be very lacking on information regarding scholarship opportunities. Despite this difference in balance with regards to non-repayable funding, students in South Africa do have a robust series of South African scholarships to which they may apply.

For those students who are not interested in working at a particular business after graduation, or do not want to build up debt through national loans or bursaries should consider applying to South African scholarship programs available around the country. Though there are a fair number of programs available, a disproportionate number of these South African scholarships are available to post graduate learners attempting to earn a master’s or doctoral degree in their field. Also important to know is that many South African scholarships are available specifically through individual college departments and are considered highly competitive. Students interested in these programs should understand immediately that trying to get into an available program will require exceptional dedication and a high standard of academic history.

A good example of a college department providing South African scholarships is the Biological Invasions program offered by the Department of Botany and Zoology at Stellenbosch University. This South African scholarship has only six positions available for interested applicants – three honors students, two Masters of Science, one PhD student and one post doctoral applicant. Developed to help in the Early Detection and Rapid Response Program these research oriented scholarships will bring students up to date on topics such as GIS mapping, taxonomy, population modeling, and evolutionary biology. All applicants are expected to be enthusiastic about their field and prepared to do intense research in the field. The scholarship provides enough money to cover both living expenses and university costs. In order to apply for this South African scholarship students will need to submit a research thesis indicating what relating to the Early Detection and Rapid Response Program they are interested in researching. The selection committee will consider all applications and make a decision based on the merit of submitted proposals.

The Canon Collins Trust provides a scholarship for students entering graduate school on almost any topic so long the student is able to describe how the study of a particular topic will help develop South Africa. This widely applicable South African Scholarship is a great way for students entering graduate education with an interest in helping in community development find additional funding for school. All South African students entering graduate school are eligible to apply for this program. In order to apply to this South African scholarship students will need to provide an official copy of their school transcripts, a small photo, two sealed reference letters from two professors or a single teacher and an employer. In order to get access to the award, however, applicants will need to capably explain how their education is going to aid in the development of South Africa. This can of course be tricky for students studying something like Literature, but certainly can be done. Applicants should explore what their interests are – are they interested in building reading in communities, for instance? By adequately explaining not only how a particular pursuit can be used to develop the country but also how an individual student will be applying that knowledge when they graduate will be a massive boon to any application. Currently applications are not open for 2011, but students should pay attention to the website because the program is expected to open again for applicants on April 1. At this time a deadline will be announced.

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.