Scholarship vs Fellowship: Know Differences Here!

Many international students dream of studying abroad however, are worried about juggling the living expenses and the cost of studying in a foreign country. This problem can be tackled easily given that one applies for various types of financial aid in the form of grants, scholarships, or fellowships that are designed for international students specifically.

This Story also Contains

1. Difference Between Scholarship and Fellowship 2024
2. What is a Scholarship?
3. Popular Scholarships Abroad for Indian Students
4. What is a Fellowship?
5. Fellowships Abroad for Indian Students: Eligibility Criteria

However, the majority of Indian students aren’t aware of the common differences between scholarship and fellowship. Although this scholarship vs fellowship debate is age-old both tend to cover cost of living for international students, tuition fees, and travelling as well as miscellaneous expenses.

In terms of answering the question “Is there a difference between a scholarship and a fellowship?” applicants need to understand that both are availed for different reasons even though the base purpose of helping people with limited financial resources remains the same. Hence, read this article to understand the scholarship vs fellowship difference and learn more about its types and the expenses it covers for international students going to abroad for higher education.

Also read: How to reduce cost while studying abroad

Difference Between Scholarship and Fellowship 2024

To break down the common points of differentiation between a scholarship and a fellowship we have created a table below for your understanding.

Scholarship vs Fellowship: Overview Table

What is a Scholarship?

Scholarships are provided to students with great academic performance and above-average GPA scores as a means of financial aid for further continuing their education. It can also be granted to students who excel in other fields like sports, extra-curricular activities, and much more by different educational institutions. Scholarships are provided on the basis of different criteria set by the universities or colleges and can be availed at national, international, or university levels.

The main difference between scholarship and fellowship arises when you understand that the former is granted by various organizational bodies and funds aspects related to your education which can be travel, accommodation, tuition fees, etc. whereas the latter is more about granting a status or monetary support to research scholars and might not cover the above mentioned expenses. These scholarships are also varied in terms of types such as need-based, merit-based, entrance test-based, etc.

Moreover, scholarships are granted to international students while studying abroad on a proportionate basis i.e. can cover a portion of your expenses or sometimes even 100% of your studying cost. However, one needs to have checked all the eligibility criteria necessary to avail of these scholarship grants. Therefore, scholarships are a great way of providing economic relief to students who are not capable of funding their education abroad entirely and giving them an outlet to follow their dreams more efficiently.

Popular Scholarships Abroad for Indian Students

To make it easier for Indian students looking to apply for scholarships abroad we have created a list of the most popular ones as given below:

List of study-abroad scholarships for Indian students

Also Read: Study Abroad Scholarships for Indian Students 2024

What is a Fellowship?

The difference between scholarship vs fellowship is that fellowships are granted to research scholars of a particular institute for contributing to the development of a particular subject or field of studies. Under the fellowship programme, a certain amount of grant or just status is given to the scholar for pursuing their research and is usually availed by PhD or post-graduate scholars.

The purpose of granting fellowships is to award the students for their extensive research and development in different fields while being associated with reputed institutions or government-based organisations. The difference between an institute fellowship and a scholarship is that availing of fellowships does not assure monetary aid and sometimes only promises the status of a researcher in a prestigious firm much contrary to the framework of scholarships that partially or fully cover the majority of your expenses.

Therefore, it becomes almost necessary to go through the objectives of an organisation or institute before applying for a fellowship. Another important aspect to keep in mind is that fellowships are only granted to research scholars who have already completed their undergraduate and postgraduate degrees from reputed universities.

Fellowships Abroad for Indian Students: Eligibility Criteria

Some of the most famous fellowship opportunities for Indian students have some common eligibility criteria. The same are mentioned below as follows:

• Candidates should have completed their Bachelor’s and Master’s degrees in a relevant field of education.

• Applicants should have a minimum of 4 to 8 years of work experience in a field related to their area of specialisation or research.

• Research scholars must be below the age of 35 years in order to be eligible to apply to any of the fellowship programmes.

• They should also be fluent in English and any of the local languages of the country they are living in.

• They should have cleared their examinations with minimum required grades and other prerequisites that vary on the basis of their respective fellowships.