So much about applying for scholarships and fellowships is daunting, everything from finding the scholarships to gathering the courage to actually apply. I don’t know that I can help you with the second, but I can certainly try with the first. There are numerous websites that curate lists of scholarships including details of the offering and requirements, all for free. They also curate lists about internships, fellowships, grants, awards, training, and conferences. Each of the sites allows for free subscription to their newsletter which is sent out multiple times a week. Scholarships are an absolute lifesaver especially when you don’t have the financial means to pursue your academic goals.
The opportunities are classified by level of study, the field of study, deadline, place of study and target group, for ease of use. Level of study has categories like competition, diploma, masters, fellowship or PhD etc. Deadlines for application are clustered in ranges of three months. Field of study covers the subject matter. Place of study is about the country which is a key consideration especially when it comes to language. The target group includes categories like Africans, Any developing country, Women, and Youth among others.
This has to be among the most well-known scholarship sites dedicated to Africans. The main categories are scholarships, internships, entrepreneurship and more opportunities which have awards, grants, and contests among others. The scholarships are classified by level, courses, university, African nationality, country, and deadline. They also have a category featuring special groups like scholarships for women and Muslims. They helpfully provide tips on applying that are useful for both first-time applicants and ‘repeat offenders.’
They recently published a book, The Scholarship Digest, which contains practical advice from multi-scholarship award winners and is designed to help applicants win scholarships. The first chapter is free for download. The PDF is available for purchase for $15.99.
This one is also focused purely on Africans. The main categories are scholarships, contests, fellowships, and internships. The scholarships are categorized into undergraduate, post-graduate, masters, MBA, Ph.D. and post-doctoral. Internships are classified into jobs, volunteer work and training and conferences. It’s not the easiest site to navigate because of the limited classifications but it’s worth the effort it takes to sift through the listings.
It’s moderately user-friendly with the opportunities broken down into numerous categories based on country and subject. The categories also include undergraduate, masters, Ph.D. and post-doc. It also has an extensive list of online course both free and paid that is very easy to navigate. Internship opportunities are also prominently listed.
The opportunities are organized mainly within five categories: conferences, scholarships, fellowships, jobs and search by region. It’s certainly not the most user-friendly site but the opportunities are there if you’re willing to sift through the numerous listings. There’s also a very helpful Deadlines Approaching tab. They also run a competition every month featuring students who have won scholarships in what they refer to as Young Person of the Month. They interview the winner who shares how they were able to secure the scholarships, sharing tips that may be helpful to other applicants.
Step 1: Subscribe to the newsletters at each of the sites. Step 2: Curate your own spreadsheet of opportunities you qualify for and are interested in, complete with deadlines. Step 3: As daunting as it may appear to be, go for it. Apply. You have nothing to lose.
Our doubts are traitors and make us lose the good we oft might win by fearing to attempt.
– William Shakespeare
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