HOW CAN UGANDANS FIND SCHOLARSHIPS?
So you have made up your mind that you need to further your studies. Higher education is one of the greatest investments you will ever make. The knowledge and skills that you graduate with will open doors to a brighter and potentially richer future. A scholarship is a type of financial support awarded for excellence e.g. academic, sports etc or hardship, and it does not have to be paid back.
Searching for a scholarship on the internet can be a lengthy and painstaking process. You need to know that there are many students that have benefited from scholarships and your turn depends on how much effort you put into it. I know some one who got up to three scholarship awards at the same time and had to turn two of them down to take up only one. Therefore we decided to come up with a database of scholarships especially those that are advertised annually so that Ugandans can easily find relevant scholarships and keep a steady flow of applications hence increasing their chances of succeeding. The world is so competitive and nationals of different countries are scrambling for funding opportunities. We must make sure that our own people are getting a fair share of these. We all need to come together to implement this noble idea.
I invite all Ugandans both those who have benefited from certain scholarships and those that are aware of them to submit details of these scholarships by filling in the form on the contact menu so that we can compile a database. For those that want to benefit from the database, they will fill in details of their educational background, what course they want to study, at what level (undergraduate, Masters or PhD).Then we shall try to find the opportunities for which they are eligible and advise them on the application requirements. The application process must be done comprehensively and all requirements must be met so as to increase ones chances of getting the scholarship. Most require some or all of the following: recommendations from referees, application fee, GRE and TOEFL scores, Statement of purpose/essay etc. We can be able to advise on how to go about fulfilling these requirements because it is very important that you do. They are the only thing that stand between you and getting the scholarship.
There are many universities which have internal funding arrangements that support students from developing countries who have excelled academically. Those in the UK include but are not limited to Manchester, Nottingham, Bradford, Westminster etc. Usually, you are expected to apply for your course of choice and if admitted, you are considered for the scholarship. The challenge is finding which universities offer the course you want to study and the funding opportunities available for that course. This is where we need to come together and help. The window of opportunity usually opens in September and closes in March for most scholarships so you have to apply for admission to your course of choice within that period, the earlier, the better.
Sometimes students are not aware that they can pursue a slightly different career from the conventional ones. I know someone who did a Bachelor's degree in Agriculture and they are going to do a Masters in International Development Management. For example, students graduating with a Bachelor's degree in Biomedical Laboratory Technology can do masters in any biological sciences course such as molecular biology, pharmacy, bioinformatics, biomedical engineering etc. So we advise students to think out of the box and be open-minded about potential courses. We shall be able to give career guidance to those who need it.
Scholarship opportunities come in several forms and the eligibility requirements vary. Some scholarships are offered annually by national governments to citizens of selected countries e.g the Swedish Institute Study Scholarships. For the 2011-2012 intake, there were 18 Ugandans out of the 105 students that were awarded scholarships to study a course of their choice in Sweden.
Others can be got through the embassies/consulates of respective countries e.g VLIR-UOS awards scholarships to students from developing countries so that they can follow a master or training programme in Flanders, Belgium. For 2011, VLIR-UOS awards 180 scholarships to first-year master students and 70 scholarships to training participants.
The common wealth scholarship scheme is one of the scholarships advertised annually. The Commonwealth Scholarship Commission in the United Kingdom (CSC) offers opportunities to Commonwealth citizens to study in the UK.
The Fulbright scholarship scheme for studies in the United States of America is one of the most prestigious. Grants are available for Ugandans to pursue graduate study in the U.S. Post-doctoral research and teaching opportunities are also available for Ugandan scholars.
There are many more scholarships and bursaries available worldwide. Let us come together to share as much information as we can. We are in the information-driven era and we have only ourselves to blame if we do not exploit the information available to us. So head to the contact menu and fill in the form.
