Difference Between Scholarship and Fellowship

At the basal level, both Scholarships and Fellowships are monetary grants issued by the Government ministries, private agencies or the foreign universities to which international students are applying or currently studying abroad for their desired program. One needs to satisfy the minimum eligibility requirements laid out by the funding agency to be considered for the same.

To draw a contrast between the two terms, a scholarship refers to the monetary award granted for the duration of taught Undergraduate or Graduate programs; fellowship is the financial assistance for research-based programs (usually during PhD). There are numerous scholarships in different countries, scholarships in USA, UK, Canada, Australia for which international students can apply for.

What is a Scholarship ?

A scholarship is a financial assistance that international students seek and many private organisations, Universities or Government ministries offer so as to help the former to manage their budget in the foreign country with regards to educational costs and living expenses. A scholarship largely takes the burden off the international students hoping to channelize their focus on their main study abroad goal.

In spite of being forms of financial aid, there is a fine line of difference between a scholarship, a grant and a student loan. While grants and loans are offered to economically needy students who may not be in a position to fund their education abroad entirely by themselves, scholarships are meted out to meritorious and academically or athletically articulate students regardless of their financial standing. Moreover, unlike loans, the scholarship award need not be paid back. Student loans at times become a burden impeding upon the academic nurturing of the international student.

The Department of Higher Education, Ministry of Education, Government of India works in collaboration with foreign educational ministries and on receipt of a notification regarding a study abroad scholarship from a foreign government, publishes the relevant details on their website, summarizing the eligibility criterias, amount awarded and other terms and conditions associated.

Types of Scholarships

The major categories of study abroad scholarships available to Indian pursuers are:

• Merit-based scholarships for academically brilliant students; mostly funded by the University to which one is applying, details on these financial aids are available on the "Costs and Funding" tab of most University websites.
• Scholarships for athletic and/or articulate awards; relevant mostly for students who are in sports or are artistically rewarded, one is expected to showcase their impressive portfolio so as to convince the funding agency.
• Scholarships for minority (inadequately represented) groups of the society; the aim is to harness the educational interests in women and other minorities like SC/ST or OBCs without pondering the issue of paying tuition and living costs.
• Scholarships for students from economically less privileged backgrounds; with the condition of contributing to the community of the foreign country, many government ministries provide such awards to economically weaker students.

Scholarships to Study Abroad

Following are some of the most popular scholarships to study abroad for international students, awarded by colleges, government, private bodies among others.

What is a Fellowship?

Awarded primarily to students enrolled in MRes or research-based Masters programs and Doctoral programs in foreign universities or to students enrolled in a program with subsequent internship or research opportunity, all applications for a fellowship are scrutinized by experts.

A prominent and well outlined research proposal, academic merit and commitment to community and social service are essential deal breakers for the award of a fellowship grant. One must keep in mind that fellowships may be in the form of better academic opportunities with an option to pursue research or become a research assistant rather than being just a monetary reward.

Types of Fellowships

The major fellowships, an Indian Student can opt for are:

• University-based fellowships; offered by the Departments offering research-based Masters and Doctoral programs themselves.
• Fulbright Nehru Doctoral Research Fellowship; awarded primarily to academically prolific Indian students wishing to pursue Masters and Doctoral programs in the top US universities.
• Blakemore Freeman Fellowships; awarded for one academic year (FT) of East or Southeast Asian languages including Chinese, Japanese, Korean, Indonesian, Khmer, Thai, and Vietnamese.
• Frances Blakemore & Griffith Way Asian Art Grants; grants offered by a handful of cultural, heritage and educational art institutions in the US with the aim of expanding the scope of East Asian art in the country.

Difference Between Scholarship and Fellowship

A comparative analysis of scholarship vs fellowship is drawn below on the basis of reward agent target audience, definition among other parameters:

Financial assistance, in whichever form, be it scholarships or fellowships are a boon for international students applying to foreign Universities. According to the Department of Higher Education, Ministry of Education, Government of India, scholarship applications from Indian candidates residing abroad or from those who have been studying a previous course abroad (funded by themselves or by any financial assistance) and haven't stayed in India for a minimum of two years post the completion of that course would not be considered.

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