Financial aid for Arts Students in the UK

The UK is a popular destination among Indian students who want to study the creative arts. UK universities are especially popular for undergraduate and postgraduate courses in fine arts and music. As the international fee is on the higher side compared to the domestic fee, it might be worth finding out what are the scholarships and financial aid available to you at the universities you are applying to- this will ease the financial burden on you by providing partial or full tuition fee coverage.

Here are some scholarships you could apply to:

University of Birmingham
Those of you enrolling at the University of Birmingham can apply to the scholarships offered by the Charles Wallace India Trust (CWIT). These scholarships are aimed at encouraging entry-level and mid-level Indian professionals to take up higher study in the UK and enhance their careers. Areas of focus include arts, heritage conservation and humanities.

CWIT offers 10 Long Term Awards in the Arts and Heritage Conservation  to practitioners who want to gain international exposure and study in the UK. The awards are usually for a maximum of one year of study and cover accommodation and living costs in the UK, tuition fees and a contribution to international fares.
CWIT also provides grants to Indian students towards completing their doctoral study at UK universities. Three to four grants valued at £1000 each are given in a year to Indian students in their final year of doctoral study in the performing and creative arts.

For more details, visit the British Council India website.

The University of Birmingham also offers International Postgraduate Scholarships worth £10,000 every year, towards the cost of tuition fees for a one year master’s course. Given the high demand and competition for these scholarships, only applicants with excellent academic background, outstanding achievements in extra curricular activities, and a first class bachelor’s degree are considered.

Royal Academy of Music, University of London

The Academy offers postgraduate international students scholarship and bursary support based on both merit and financial need. Entrance Scholarships are awarded based on merit following your live audition, and bursaries are awarded to eligible students who complete a Financial Assistance form outlining their financial situation.

Cardiff University School of Music Research Studentships

The School offers a number of postgraduate studentships for PhD students. These are awarded on a competitive basis and available to students studying three year full-time courses for a doctoral award in Composition, Performance or Musicology. The scholarship fund covers tuition fees at the Home/ EU fee rate and a stipend allowance. International applicants need to fund the remainder of the course fees through another source.

University of Bristol

The Faculty of Arts at the University of Bristol offers Master’s level Postgraduate scholarships in subjects including German, Music and Theology. These scholarships, valued at £4,450, are awarded based on merit and academic excellence, to international students pursuing taught MA and research MPhil programmes at the University. Students interested in applying for these scholarships need to complete and submit separate scholarship applications forms.

Scholarships for Studying in Ireland

Ireland offers courses that are on par with the courses offered in the UK. With its beautiful landscape, friendly people and heritage spots Ireland is a popular higher education destination as well. Most Irish institutions offer limited scholarships to international students; additionally private institutions and charitable organizations and trusts also offer scholarships and study grants to deserving international students.

 

Some of the popular scholarships available to international students studying in Ireland are:

• NUI Galway Government of Ireland Scholarships 2013
• DCU Government of Ireland Scholarships 2013
• IOTI Postgraduate Scholarship Initiative 2013
• The Undergraduate Awards

 

NUI Galway Government of Ireland Scholarships 2013

 

The National University of Ireland, Galway is one of Ireland’s leading research oriented institutions. In partnership with the Irish government, NUI Galway offers a number of scholarships to students from India. These scholarships are offered to eligible Indian students who opt for taught-Master’s programmes in the fields of either Biomedical Science and Innovation or Software Engineering and Informatics. The scholarship includes a full tuition fee waiver and a stipend of €10,000 to cover living expenses for one year.

 

DCU Government of Ireland Scholarships 2013

 

Dublin City University (DCU) is Ireland’s University of Enterprise and has been at the forefront of top-class education since 1989. Applicants to the following postgraduate courses offered at DCU can apply for a scholarship:

• MSC in Management
• MSC Computer Science
• MSC Bioprocess Engineering
• MA International Relations

Successful scholarship awardees get a full fee-waiver for the courses listed above. Only students from India are eligible to apply for these scholarships and the scholarship offers full tuition waiver and a stipend of €10,000 to cover living expenses for one year.

 

IOTI Postgraduate Scholarship Initiative 2013

 

The Institutes of Technology Ireland is a group of eleven institutes - (Athlone Institute of Technology; Institute of Technology, Carlow; Cork Institute of Technology; Dundalk Institute of Technology; Galway-Mayo Institute of Technology; Dun Laoghaire Institute of Art, Design and Technology; Letterkenny Institute of Technology; Limerick Institute of Technology; Institute of Technology, Sligo; Institute of Technology, Tralee; and Waterford Institute of Technology). The IOTI Postgraduate Scholarship Initiative offers full-time postgraduate students who have undertaken research the chance to win up to €6,000 per annum as a maintenance grant and up to €2,000 per annum for travel and consumables. This is a prestigious scholarship that has been created to improve the research output and funds deserving students who are at the threshold of making important discoveries in the field of medicine and healthy living.

 

The Undergraduate Awards:

 

The Undergraduate Awards or UA as they are popularly known as are awarded to students who are pursuing an undergraduate course. The award is not limited to a country and is open to students from all over the world. Participants should submit their coursework and an essay or project along with the online form. Selected students will be invited to Dublin where they will be felicitated with a medal and will also get to be a part of the UA summit. Winners get their work published and recognised and it creates a quick path for them to apply for a relevant postgraduate course in a reputed institution.

 

More scholarships:

 

In addition to these scholarships, institutions like Dublin City University, Trinity College Dublin, University of Limerick and the Waterford Institute of Technology also offer scholarships to international students.

 

The Way Ahead:

 

The Irish government is all set to woo students from India and other Asian countries and offers a number of scholarships to eligible students to attract them to study in Ireland. With a strong research-oriented curriculum and the proximity to the UK and rest of Europe; students have a great time studying in Ireland and enjoying the country’s natural beauty and ancient castles.

Top 4 Methods To Study Abroad For Free

Top 4 Methods To Study Abroad For Free

So many students dream of studying abroad today, but not all of them have a financial opportunity to do that. Yes, it's clear that such an education can't be cheap because it requires so much expenses from a student and his parents... Anyway, there are some ways to study abroad for free, and all of them are related to this or that form of financial help from universities themselves, a country, and private or public funds. 

 

Let's check what forms of such a financial help you can get if you dream of studying abroad, but you do not know what to start with.

 

1. Grants

 

This is a general term that often refers to any free financial help on specific purposes. It does not require a cash return.

 

Grants may be awarded in the form of social help to applicants who are not able to cover all costs of studying abroad. In this case, an applicant should provide documentary evidences of his financial situation. 

 

There is also another form of grants, which are given to cover all costs of some scientific projects for example. In this case, a grant serves as a way to attract or encourage the best applicant, and that is why it is given regardless of their financial situation. 

 

Grants are given without any possibility to renew them. It means that if you want to get one more grant, you will have to take part in a competition again. 

 

2. Scholarships

 

This is another form of financial help that allows you to study abroad for free. The award of scholarships is less dependent on the financial situation of a candidate, but it requires some other criteria that reflect the goals or values of the source of funding. As a rule, you will be required to write a motivational letter where you should justify why you are worthy of this scholarship. Depending on the criteria, the following types of scholarships can be called:

 

For your talents and achievements

 

These scholarships are awarded for an applicant's achievements in academic, artistic, athletic, or volunteer field. For example, if academic achievements of a candidate are very important for a fund, the criterion to evaluate him will be his average score in the certificate or diploma.

 

Demographic ones

 

This category includes all the scholarships which are awarded among a specific group of applicants who have some common characteristics, such as a nationality, ethnic group, religion, age, or health condition. For example, there are some scholarships for women only, or for the citizens of a particular country. But it does not mean that every woman or every citizen of a particular country gets a scholarship at once. The point is that these are the only criteria to participate in a competition, but not to get it. 

 

For the fields of priority

 

This category includes conditional scholarships which are given to encourage those students who choose a profession of priority. Most often, this is a specialty where the lack of professionals is felt, or if your chosen field is a priority for research on the chosen foreign university. 

 

Institutional

 

These are scholarships that are awarded by a particular university only. Foreign colleges use them to attract the best candidates. The number of annual scholarships depends on the budget and the number of applicants. Sometimes such scholarships are awarded under certain conditions: an applicant should participate in some activities on campus for example, or take part in some student volunteer project. 

 

3. Fellowships

 

This form of financial help lets you get a free education in Master's or Doctor's degrees abroad. Depending in the program of study, funds for living expenses can be also provided. 

 

In this case, the source of funding may be your country, or some private and public funds. The criteria may be different: your academic achievements, research potential, or your financial status. Sometimes you can apply for a fellowship through a college itself, and sometimes an application is submitted separately through a fund or any other organization that administers this fellowship program.

 

4. Assistantships

 

As well as fellowships, this form of financial help is available for the holders of Master's or Doctor's degrees. It assumes, that a student gets a discount on study, or a salary working as a professor's assistant in his free time. For example, an assistant can read some introductory courses of his specialty to freshmen or sophomores (it is called a teaching assistantship), or participate in some research projects conducted by a faculty (a research assistantship).

 

So, we've mentioned the most common ways to study abroad for free. The method you choose depends on your education, achievements, or a level of chosen education.