Looking to apply for scholarships? Here are a few tips to help you with the process and also a list of scholarships offered by various educational institutions in the country.

Whether you choose to obtain a certificate, a degree, or a diploma from a licensed or accredited institution, the first thing you need to do is research about courses that meet your expectations. Guidance counselors, older siblings, relatives, teachers, and students already part of the courses you are interested in – speak with as many of them as you can and do your research systematically well in advance.

While analyzing several institutions that offer your choice of study, compare their location, the hostel facilities, their accreditation, program duration and cost, transferability of course credits, placement rates, financial aid availability and so on.

Organize yourself next. Make a list of documents you would need to submit, make ample photocopies of them, keep a note of the cut-off dates for application submissions and send them by registered mail to ensure they have reached the correct places.

Read the fine print carefully – be attentive of scholarship frauds, take care to follow instructions in the application forms precisely and give correct grades and qualifications and honest reasons for applying for scholarships. Ensure your presentation is neat and complete.

Here are various ways to pay for your courses:

• Federal student aid
• State student aid
• Financial aid from your chosen institution
• Academic department-sponsored scholarships
• Loans from corporates, non-profits, and private individual
• Veterans and military service member benefits and
• Your own or your family’s savings
• Scholarships are available for undergraduate, postgraduate, Ph.D. and Postdoctoral students in different disciplines. Finding the right scholarship program may seem daunting, but with a bit of research, you can find scholarships dedicated to nearly every field of study. There are many subject-specific and career specific scholarship programs designed to help you realize your educational goals.

Here is a list of scholarships that are currently offered by US Colleges and Universities:

• Rotary Peace Fellowships
• Global Undergraduate Exchange Program (Global UGRAD)
• Clark Global Scholarship Program
• George Washington University Global Leaders Fellowship
• Stanford Africa MBA Fellowship
• Harvard Fellowships in Sustainability Science
• Microsoft Research Women’s Fellowship Program
• MasterCard Foundation Scholarship Program for Africans
• AAUW International Fellowships in USA for Women
• ADB-Japan Scholarship Program for Developing Countries in Asia and Pacific
• Emerging Economy Fellowships at Wharton Business School
• United World Colleges (UWC) International Youth Scholarships
• International Fulbright Science and Technology Scholarships
• Campbell Fellowship in Social Sciences for Women from Developing Countries
• United States-Timor Leste Scholarship Program