In recent years, students have shown more interest in studying abroad and are heading to various countries.
One of the issues that most interests students who want to study abroad is scholarship programs.
AzEdu.az has investigated study abroad opportunities and scholarship systems:
Studying abroad is not only about obtaining an academic diploma, but also about getting acquainted with different cultures and expanding future career opportunities.
Since the biggest obstacle students face in this process is financial costs, scholarship programs are vital.
Before applying, it is necessary to deeply understand the forms of scholarships offered by foreign universities and states, as each program is based on a different financial mechanism. Fully funded scholarships (fully funded), which are most favored in the international education system, fully cover the student's university tuition fees, monthly living expenses, medical insurance, and round-trip air tickets, meaning the student studies without paying any additional funds. Tuition waiver programs (tuition waiver), which belong to another category, zero out the university's annual tuition cost, but the student must pay for food, accommodation, and insurance expenses from their personal budget. Partial scholarships (partial scholarship) cover only a certain percentage of the tuition fee (for example, 30% or 50% of the fee), and the remaining amount falls directly on the candidate.
At the forefront of the most applied programs globally is Germany's DAAD scholarship program. This program is mainly intended for master's and doctoral (PhD) levels and requires applicants to have high academic results (GPA) in their bachelor's degree. Master's students who win the DAAD scholarship receive a monthly stipend of approximately 934 Euros, and doctoral students receive around 1300 Euros, with medical insurance and travel expenses also covered. Since state universities in Germany are already free, this scholarship completely covers the student's high living expenses in the country.
The European Union's most prestigious project, the Erasmus Mundus Joint Master program, allows students to study not in a single university, but alternately in at least two or three different European countries over two years. This fully funded program usually transfers a stipend of around 1100–1500 euros to the student's account each month, and covers all travel, visa, and insurance expenses. In the selections for this program, the compatibility of the student's bachelor's diploma specialization with the program applied for and their research potential are considered the most critical criteria.
The UK's famous Chevening program looks for not just academically successful students, but potential leaders who can bring about change in their own country in the future. This program fully covers the tuition fees for a one-year master's education in the UK, living expenses in London or other cities, visa fees, and round-trip air tickets. One of the most important conditions of the Chevening scholarship is that the candidate must have at least two years (2800 hours) of work or volunteer experience at the time of application. In addition, another strict condition of the scholarship is the return obligation; every graduate must return to their home country immediately after graduation and live in their country for at least two years to apply the experience gained there.
The Fulbright program, funded by the US Department of State, is also one of the most prestigious scholarship systems in the world. Fulbright mainly fully covers tuition and living expenses at the master's and doctoral levels. One of the main principles of the program is that graduates return to their countries after education and apply the knowledge they have gained, but this rule may vary depending on the country and program type.
In Asia, Japan's MEXT program offers a full scholarship, a high monthly stipend, and airfare, but its difference from other programs is the mandatory special written test exams and verification of mathematical knowledge held at the Japanese embassy during the admission process.
There are also regional programs that accept more students and have relatively softer conditions. The Türkiye Scholarships offered by the Turkish government provide full funding for bachelor's, master's, and doctoral levels. Within this program, students are accommodated in free state dormitories, given a monthly pocket money, provided with medical insurance, and gifted one regular air ticket per year. The biggest advantage of Türkiye Scholarships is that an international language certificate is not mandatory in the initial stage; students admitted to the program are given a one-year free and intensive Turkish language course (TÖMER) before university classes.
In Europe, Hungary's Stipendium Hungaricum program is one of the most applied scholarships in recent years. This program provides full tuition fees, dormitory accommodation, and a monthly stipend. In addition, in some cases, additional compensation for living expenses is also provided. Admission requirements include a high school diploma or bachelor's degree, transcript, motivation letter, and language proficiency.
The Italian government's MAECI scholarship program mainly covers the master's level and provides 6–9 months of partial financial support. The biggest advantage of this country is its regional university scholarships (for example, DSU or EDISU). These regional scholarships are awarded not based on the student's grades, but on their family's annual income level; students with low income are provided with free dormitory accommodation, daily free meals in the university cafeteria, and approximately 6000 Euros in cash annually.
Canadian universities in North America (University of Toronto, McGill University, etc.) mainly offer internal university scholarships and research grants funded by professors. These scholarships are especially intended for students engaged in scientific activities at the master's and PhD levels.
The quality of documents plays a decisive role when applying for scholarship programs. Key documents include a passport, diploma or education certificate, transcript, motivation letter, and recommendation letters.
In some countries, especially the USA and Canada, it is required to have educational documents evaluated by an international agency called WES or to have an international authentication seal (Apostille) affixed to the documents to verify their originality.
Among the documents, the motivation letter and recommendation letters play the most important role. In the motivation letter, the student must prove their future goals, why they chose this particular country and field, and why they deserve this scholarship in the form of an essay. Recommendation letters, on the other hand, must be written by university professors or supervisors at the workplace, confirming the student's discipline and academic ability as an external expert. Bank account guarantee is also important for those applying for partial scholarship programs or those going to the visa embassy even if they receive a full scholarship, as this document demonstrates that the student has the financial capacity to support themselves in emergencies.
Finally, for studying in English-language programs, international language certificates such as IELTS (minimum 6.5) or TOEFL (minimum 80-90) are an absolute requirement. However, additional difficult standardized exams are also required depending on the type of specialization and the region applied to.
For example, in the USA, Canada, and some European universities, those who want to study master's in engineering, humanities, or exact sciences are required to submit GRE exam results, which test logic and mathematical analytics.
For those who want to study master's in business, finance, and management (MBA), the GMAT exam is valid globally. Schoolchildren who want to start their bachelor's degree directly in the USA or other top-ranked universities must score high on the SAT exam.
In this period where global competition has reached its peak, the only way to win a scholarship is to start the process at least one year before the start of classes, i.e., early. A student who wants to start classes abroad in the fall must complete all their exams and send their documents between October and January of the previous year, because the deadlines for major scholarship programs close in early winter and late applications are absolutely not accepted.
