Scolarships: What Are They?

Colleges and Universities the world over present fresh prospective students the opportunities in the form of a variety of scholarships, to further assist with their finances under graduate and post graduate students who are beginning for the first time or continuing their education. This system essentially helps to elevate some of the potentially heavy burden an education can impose on a student, especially a student with limited funds who may not have otherwise had the opportunity to study. What is a scholarship? Scholarships are awarded for different criteria’s, there is no one scholarship which suites every student. There are several scholarships which are better known than others, the most popular types of scholarships include those that are merit based, means tested, student specific or career path specific. Merit based Merit based scholarships help those students who excel within their particular area of study whether that is in the arts, science, sports or other area of higher education. Scholarships are awarded to individuals by private entities or by the academic institution itself in which the student is planning to study at. Means tested Means based scholarships are awarded to those prospective students who are unable to afford the costs associated with the course such as tuition fees, material costs and associated expenses. Student specific A student specific scholarship is one that is allocated to a student who matches certain patterns usually race, ethnicity, gender or prospective students in a minority group. When I was in University I was eligible for such a scholarship which was available to students who were half caste and I also managed to be eligible for an age related grant. Career based Career based scholarships are ones awarded by the academic institution to a student who enrols on a specific course or a particular career pathway. Notably an opportunity into public sector and the armed services can include such a scholarship which in turn is connected to a minimum employment term, companies also provide these type of contract based scholarships but not as much as public sector. Sporting Scholarships A sports scholarship such as a football scholarship fall under the category of merit based scholarships; these are based on a student’s ability within the given sport. Sports scholarships can be fiercely competitive and therefore if you manage to qualify for one, you have great potential in your sporting area. It is worth keeping your eyes open when playing your sports, scouts or head hunters will regularly be invited (or just show up, like a mystery shopper) to games. Scouts will often grade players and based on performance may tender an offer based purely on what they witnessed during your game, the money from which goes towards your continued studies which is usually but not always enough to cover the entire costs.

Richmond University, the American University in London, provide opportunities for undergraduates to get a world class education and offer prospective students the opportunity of football scholarships through their International Soccer Academy course.