The dream of most international students is to get a scholarship. For most applicants, it is becoming very difficult to secure a scholarship to study abroad.
In this post, I will show you five mistakes you make in your application. And how you can avoid them when applying for scholarship.
And if you had never applied for a scholarship before, you will learn and avoid these common mistakes.
This way, you won’t be disappointed each time you apply for scholarship again.
Securing an international scholarship isn’t difficult. There are some reasons why your scholarship application may not be successful.
Maybe you have tried to secure a scholarship many times and it turns out your application wasn’t successful in those attempts.
All over the world, people do get scholarships to study abroad each year. And there are so many international scholarship recipients currently enjoying financial support from government, schools, and other providers.
Applying for scholarship and not getting awarded can be really frustrating. This is especially true if you had applied severally and have never been awarded.
There could be some important things you aren’t checking. Because, international scholarships are meant for you who is reading this post, not for scholarship providers.
In my experience of providing guide and resourceful information to international scholarship students over the years, I found that – the reason many students are unsuccessful in their scholarship application is ‘themselves’.
To stop to think they actually need the scholarship, yet, are the same reasons why their application has not been successful, is heart-breaking.
After reading this post, you will be in a better position to get international scholarships.
Why don’t I get scholarships after applying?
Here are five common causes of unsuccessful scholarship application.
1. Incorrect documents
Most international applicants don’t get scholarships because they submit incorrect documents to support their scholarship application.
I know because I have personally witnessed a number of applicants attempt, maybe unconsciously, to use documents that are not correct to apply for scholarship.
Over the years, some international students having trouble applying for scholarships, perhaps due to their location, request me to help them complete their application. More than 40% has since sent questionable documents and I wonder where they got those documents from.
Other times, applicants prepare documents other than those required for application.
Completing a scholarship application with incorrect documents, especially other than those specifically required can jeopardize your chances of landing a scholarship.
I recommend you check out the list of list of documents required to study abroad.
2. Poorly-written scholarship essay
A good number of international scholarships require applicants to write an essay as part of the application.
You should know you aren’t the only one applying for any scholarship you come across. In fact, you are competing with applicants from other countries for the same scholarship (s).
If it is a full scholarship to study abroad, the competition is even twice as much.
With the intense competition for limited scholarship space, submitting a poorly written scholarship essay will result in unsuccessful application.
Most applicants submit essays that are not even readable. This is a problem.
3. Unreadable documents
Apart from submitting incorrect documents, many scholarship applicants apply for international scholarships with documents that are not readable. This provides a setback for your quest to land the scholarship.
Scholarship applications, after submitted online, are carefully reviewed carefully by a selection committee. And its a costly mistake on your application to apply with documents that are blur and difficult to see or read.
Applying for scholarships with unreadable documents is one of the major causes of unsuccessful scholarship application.
Therefore, make sure you upload clear copies of your documents when completing a scholarship application.
4. Forged English test scores
From my experience being a guide to international students, I found that forged language test scores is one of the self destructive measures students take.
Many applicants are defrauded by language test vendors with promises to get test scores for them without participation.
If you want to study in the United States, Canada, Australia, New Zealand, or the UK, beware of patronizing English test vendors on social media. Especially those promising to give you scores without you taking the prescribed exams administered by the regulators.
If you are required to prove proficiency in English (for non-native English speakers), make effort to get a genuine English test certificate.
How do I go about that?
The only way to obtain genuine language test scores is to register with the prescribed organizations, like IELTS, TOEFL, PTE, Cambridge C1, and others, by taking approved tests in their test centres in your home country.
So many scholarship applications are unsuccessful due to invalid English test scores.
Find out more about English test as a requirement to study abroad.
5. Applying after deadline
One of the common causes of unsuccessful scholarship application is applying after the deadline. Most international scholarships come with deadline.
That’s why here at Wesyc, we make sure to include the deadline stated by providers in scholarship listings on our website.
When going through scholarship information on our site, be careful to check for the deadline toward the end of the post. This will enable you plan your application effectively.
Scholarship competition is high. Competition for fully funded scholarship to study abroad is higher.
Applying after the deadline will limit your chances of being awarded any scholarship. And often, such applications are not considered.
Those are the five common causes of unsuccessful scholarship application. When applying for international scholarships next time, bear these five factors in mind.
What has caused your application for scholarship to be unsuccessful in the past? Please let us know in the comments.
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Maxwell is a Dietitian with passion for showing people hope. With nearly a decade experience helping people make key decisions on education and career, you can find him almost everywhere on this site. From answering admission and scholarship questions to creating tutorials and helping others live their best lives though nutrition. Connect with me on Twitter.
Thank you for your guidence
I’m glad you found the post helpful
Thank you for a verry helpful information,hopefully it will help me.