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Fellowship vs. Scholarship vs. Studentship (Major tips)

Fellowship vs. Scholarship

Fellowship, scholarship, and studentship are important supports given to students at different levels as financial aids for education, funding for research purposes, or guides for career development.

Fellowship, scholarship, and studentship are all interconnected, and they are vital for students’ development.

These grants make student education and development easier by providing extensive support, deep practical knowledge experiences, and research funding. 

Although most governments provide newer and better schemes to support students, fellowship, scholarship and studentship remain reliable educational aids currently run in most countries.

For this article, we will look at fellowship and scholarship as two different terms before covering the differences between the two forms of aid.

Finally, we will relate fellowship and scholarship to studentship and provide some important tips to boost your chances of landing these grants. Read on and enjoy!

Fellowship vs. Scholarship

What is a Fellowship?

Fellowships are academic support that offers students the chance of obtaining rich practical and research experience at no possible costs.

Fellowships are awarded to students who have finished their undergraduate studies in any discipline and are awarded primarily based on merit as a source of motivation. However, the duration of a fellowship is between a few months to several years. 

Types of Fellowship

Fellowships are mostly awarded to students with outstanding academic records. However, possessing some leadership skills or running high technical research will also improve your landing of a fellowship. The types of fellowship include;

Medical Fellowship: 

Medical students receive a medical fellowship to complete detailed studies in cutting-edge knowledge like kidney transplants and heart surgeries.

However, these fellowships are reserved only for physicians that have completed medical school and concluded a residency in their field. 

Humanitarian Organisations Fellowship

Humanitarian organizations provide fellowships for graduate students that are championing solutions to environmental issues.

Post-PhD/Research Fellowship

This fellowship is for doctorate holders that want to undertake research.

Graduate Fellowship

Graduate Fellowships are granted to graduate students to sponsor the costs of their graduate school experiences and professional development.

Benefits of Fellowship

Students that are awarded a fellowship will enjoy;

Rich practical experience 

Fellowship offers students the opportunity to enjoy an extensive hands-on experience that will boost their knowledge and expertise. Through fellowship, students get exposed to cutting-edge innovations that are highly rewarding in the long run.

Stipends

Although most fellowships are unpaid, paid fellowships offer a money-earning incentive throughout the fellowship. The funds cover the cost of necessities like food and transport. Also, this money can serve as a source of funds for grad school.

Boosts career qualification

The mere inclusion of a fellowship experience in your CV is enough to boost your chances of landing your desired job.

Fellowship vs. Scholarship

What is a Scholarship?

Scholarships are monetary supports government offers students to cover all or part of their learning expenses at universities or colleges. Scholarships are offered based on academic excellence, financial needs, or the basis of the field of study. 

Governments and other organizations offer undergraduate scholarships every year before every academic session.

They are mostly open based on financial needs and merit to freshers and sophomores. Graduate scholarships are also available for current seniors looking to pursue a master’s or PhD degree. 

Costs covered by a Scholarship

A scholarship will cover one or a combination of the following costs;

Tuition

All scholarships pay the tuition fees of a student. Tuition fees cover the cost of lecturing, laboratory work, and educational materials.

Transportation

Not all scholarships cover transport fees. However, some scholarships will cover the cost of traveling for students leaving to complete a program oversee.

Learning materials

Some scholarships cover only the costs of learning materials like books, study guides, or manuals that are essential to students’ academic progress. However, students directly receive this money in their accounts.

Accommodation

Scholarships can be awarded to cover the housing costs of students. For students residing inside the school premises, payments are made directly to the school accounts.

On the contrary, students staying outside the school campus receive the payments directly in their accounts.

Benefits of scholarships

Scholarships reduce the cost of education:

The academic progress of several brilliant high school students had been hindered in the past by their inability to afford the cost of tertiary education.

Scholarships offer an opportunity for these students to further their education at little or no possible costs by settling their learning, accommodation, transportation, and books costs.

Scholarships boost resume:

Winning a prestigious academic scholarship can boost your resume and increase your chances of landing your dream job. Companies consider scholarship winners as hard workers who gave their all to receive a competitive grant.

Scholarships are sources of extra support:

Most scholarship schemes come with free mentoring sessions that are highly beneficial to students. Freshers who are new to the school environment can take advantage of these sessions to ask important academic and personal development questions.

Scholarships give you access to more colleges:

For students that are not from rich homes, scholarships offer an opportunity to attend and complete their education in some Ivy League schools. In these schools, they can enjoy the best education at little or no possible cost.

Scholarships are medium to build positive relationships:

Winning a scholarship will connect you with current and past winners in your field, offering you an opportunity to build positive relationships that will improve your academic knowledge and boost your contacts in the industry.

Scholarships encourage charity:

Since scholarships are given out of sheer generosity, some of the recipients of scholarships will likely follow suit to sponsor students who find it difficult to afford their education fees.

Scholarships reduce stress:

Some students attend classes between work shifts to raise funds for their academics. The majority of them do poorly in school because of stress at the end of a long day to study much.

However, scholarships are reliefs for students that go through unwanted stress and eliminate the need to work. 

Scholarships are sources of motivation:

For high school students looking to get into university or college, scholarships can inspire them to study hard. Most universities offer automatic scholarships to students who come out top in placement exams.

Fellowship vs. Scholarship

Differences between fellowship and scholarship

Fellowships and scholarships are two very similar words. However, they differ from each other in the following ways;

  • Fellowships and scholarships are forms of support for students. However, while money may not be involved in a fellowship, there is no scholarship without financial assistance, including tuition fees, accommodation fees, or financial aid that covers all possible costs.

Hence, if someone receives a scholarship to study abroad, he or she has received money which is not the case in fellowship.

  • Fellowships are sometimes awarded as a status that allows the recipient to enjoy access to the learning materials of the school or faculty, or department. However, scholarships cannot be enjoyed as a status but are financial support that lasts for a fixed period.
  • High school students can apply for scholarships before gaining admission into college. On the contrary, undergraduates can only enjoy fellowship, in most cases, seniors undertaking research projects.
  • Fellowships are mostly awarded to people that have experience in a particular field of study. On the contrary, scholarships are mostly given to students about to leave high school to further their studies in university.
  • Fellowships are mostly awarded for research purposes, while scholarships are given as financial aids to support them in their further studies.
  • Fellowships are not awarded based on needs but based on skill alone. On the contrary, scholarships are awarded based on intelligence and, in most cases, needs.

Fellowship vs. Scholarship vs. Studentship

Relationship between Studentship, Fellowship, and Scholarship

Studentship, fellowship, and scholarship are all forms of grants given by the government, college, or private organizations.

However, while fellowship and scholarship are given to undergraduates, studentships are granted to postgraduate students working on a research project. PhD students are often the beneficiaries of studentships. 

The application process for studentships, fellowships, and scholarships can be difficult. However, you can earn any of these grants by applying the following tips;

Start on time:

To land a studentship, fellowship, or scholarship, applicants must submit their essays, CV, transcripts, or letter of endorsement. Developing these requirements on time will give you enough time to proofread them for excellence. 

Check the requirements:

Every grant has its requirement. While studentship and fellowship may emphasize current CGPA or past research work, scholarships, especially those awarded by governments, are given based on needs.

However, the bottom line is; check the eligibility requirements before making some efforts to avoid wasting time on a scheme you are not eligible for.

Give your best:

Since these grants are completely free, countless entries are received when the application process commences. Hence, whether the selection process is based on tests or interviews, give your best to come out top at the end of the process.

Read the instructions carefully:

When writing the tests, read the instructions carefully before attempting any questions to avoid unnecessary mistakes.

Dress properly:

If you get a call up for a physical interview, do not fail to dress properly in a very presentable manner because your appearance will create an impression on the interview panel.

Fellowship vs. Scholarship

Conclusion:

Fellowships, scholarships, and studentships are forms of supports awarded by the government, schools, and private organizations.

Unlike the first two supports, only PhD students receive studentships. However, while money must be given to recipients of scholarships, not all fellowships are financial aids.

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Hello, I am ST Admin! For five years, I began actively assisting students in Europe, the United States, and Canada in their pursuit of college advice and scholarship prospects. I am the Administrator of www.schoolandtravel.com at present.

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