When students think of a scholarship, many think of “winning” one. But did you know that it is much more about “winning” the scholarship? It's just that being one of the selected may not be very simple.

In general, some scholarship programs are very competitive and the number of applicants is much greater than the number of scholarship holders selected . In terms of numbers, we can even speak of millions of students disputing only thousands of scholarships available.


So how can you improve your chances of winning an international scholarship? How to be one of the few selected to study abroad with a scholarship? Come with us and we'll give you some very precious tips!

Increase your chances of being approved to study abroad with a scholarship

Follow the UDI

Of course, the first tip couldn't be any different! On social networks and on our blog, you will find various articles and content that will certainly help you find scholarships, assess the criteria and prepare yourself in the best way.

Here, you will better understand some basic points of the application, such as how to write an essay , how to ask for letters of recommendation , among other essential items for any application for a scholarship outside Brazil.

How to win a scholarship

 

Find scholarships that few know about

For many students, winning a very famous scholarship such as Chevening is the main objective! But the more famous and more complete the exchange is, as a full-ride opportunity , the more competitive it also becomes.

For this reason, an important tip is that during your research, you can keep in mind some less popular universities or scholarships, but still very renowned.

This is a good opportunity to review your college list and see if you've included other college and scholarship opportunities that may be less popular.

There is also a type of scholarship that you may be more likely to win: scholarships that are department or area-of-study specific . It's just that these scholarships that are more targeted are exclusive to students in a certain field of study, such as engineering or business, for example. Generally, there is less competition in applying for these grants, thus increasing your chances.

Apply for scholarships that best suit your profile

To follow this advice, you must find out which handbags are most suitable for you. Some scholarships are aimed at excellent students who have high grades and are generally selected on merit. So if your grades are average, this might not be the ideal opportunity.

On the other hand, other opportunities place more value on extracurricular activities or leadership skills. Other vacancies will require you to meet a certain socioeconomic profile and have a family income of a certain amount to be eligible.

For this very reason, knowing what is the requirement to be one of the approved is the first step to check if you have chances. The main goal is to enroll in a scholarship program aimed at Brazilians, whose eligibility requirements match their qualifications and, even better, which has priority areas of study related to their interest in the case of undergraduate or diploma, research or postgraduate experience. .

Scholarship Approval

Stand out in your application

As the application process for a scholarship is quite competitive, your application should stand out from the rest. In practice, this means that you must not only meet the scholarship criteria, but exceed them. For example, in some cases you must have a Grade Point Average (GPA) of 3 to apply, so imagine submitting a grade of 3.5 to get attention.

The key is to know the specific criteria set by the university or government offering the scholarship and make them work in your favor. You can find creative ways to highlight the strengths of your scholarship application. Either with an exceptional text in your personal statement or with a neat letter of recommendation and, above all, written by a professor or coordinator who knows your work!

For example, if you don't have very good academic grades, you can highlight relevant extracurricular activities. It is also worth doing your research on who offers the scholarship: is it a foundation or an organization? Is it a scholarship offered by the government? Knowing more about who is the grant provider, you will know the mission of the company or university and, thus, verify if you are aligned with it.

It can also be very useful to know the profile of previous fellows . This will help a lot for you to know what makes them different, what is the point that made them stand out from the crowd and to know what is their characteristic that can give you that boost.

Be prepared and qualified

It is not uncommon for students to have questions such as “am I really qualified for an international scholarship?”. And it's not just passing or failing a scholarship that will demonstrate your ability. As we have seen, there are grants for all profiles.

It's just that you win the scholarship by demonstrating your potential and qualifications. But it may be that in that particular application your profile did not meet expectations, but in the next one you could be chosen! Some scholarships allow you to apply more than once, while others do not. Therefore, reading the edict and verifying this is essential to ensure that you do not waste chances.

Generally, you also need to meet some basic eligibility items. We have prepared the following list for you to check-list:

Are you from a country covered by the scholarship?

Are you of a certain age, as defined by the public notice? Remember that if there is no age requirement, everyone can apply!

  • Do you have the requested level of education? For example, complete high school for graduation; an undergraduate degree to apply for a master's degree; and a completed master's degree when applying for a doctorate.
  • Do you meet the academic requirements of the program you are applying to?
  • Do you have a good score on a proficiency test such as TOEFL or IELTS for English?
  • Do you have a passport ?
  • Do you have letters of recommendation?
  • Did you prepare your documents and arrange for their translation?

In addition to these items, other requirements can be made, according to the bag's profile. Typically, the most common are the following:

 

  • The student must have a high school academic average of 90% or higher;
  • Either the candidate must meet the required GPA, which is usually 3.0 or higher in a 4.0 grading system;
  • Either the student must demonstrate leadership potential and have leadership skills or experience;
  • Either the interested party must win some competition, such as writing;
  • Or the selected must, obligatorily, return to their country of origin after their studies;

It is worth remembering that each criterion may be different according to the opportunity. Therefore, one more primordial guideline: read the edict! Research is essential and the best way to find out what each scholarship requires is to check the official website.

 

How to Get a Scholarship Abroad

Don't be afraid to get a no

Even if you meet the minimum scholarship qualifications, it does not necessarily mean that you will be awarded a scholarship. Each chance is unique and has specific requirements, such as academic and potential excellence, application quality, extracurricular activities, honors received, among others.

Many people fail to apply because of competition or even because they think they will not be able to receive acceptance. But don't get carried away by pessimism! There are scholarships for all types of people.

And receiving a scholarship abroad is not just for rich people or those with a high level of experience, so it's worth taking a risk (and with the right preparation, the process becomes simpler).

Know what comes after acceptance

Get to know the country you are interested in doing the exchange, what are its differentials and what is its culture like. Even what are the sights you need to know and the apps you can't miss. This will make your life a lot easier there when you are approved!

It's a good chance to find out if it's a safe country , if you'll have a strong international community there, and organize your time while studying abroad. It is also essential to know what you will need to live there, if there is student accommodation, if the public transport is of good quality . All this to prepare you for when you receive your dream yes!

And it's also important to check if you will need a visa! Some countries allow Brazilians to stay for up to 6 months without a visa, such as the United Kingdom . Therefore, if it is a summer program grant, for example, which has a shorter duration, you will not need to worry about one more document.

In any case, it's always easier to get your visa accepted when you've already been approved at the university and the scholarship! And if you don't need the document, you should still organize your personal documents.