Scholarship Guide | With or Without JEE? Lesser-Known Options to Study Engineering at Affordable Fees - News18
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Studying abroad can be financially challenging for many meritorious students who often opt out due to the expensive course fee, visa charges, accommodation and food expenses. Therefore, scholarships help many to pursue their dreams.
News18 ‘Scholarship Guide’ brings the best and most prestigious grants for Indian students to study abroad, with most of them covering flight tickets, accommodation and course fee; and some also providing stipend.
IIT JEE or JEE Advanced is the toughest exam in India, and was ranked second after China’s Gaokao in terms of difficulty level, according to Erudera Top Toughest Exams in World Report 2023. The report also said IIT JEE or JEE Advanced needs “continuous efforts through two-long years”, and has only 1% success rate.
To appear for JEE Advanced, students need to crack JEE Mains first. Among around 7 lakh students, who take the exam every year, nearly top 2.5 lakh are eligible to apply for JEE Advanced, however, among those eligible, usually no more than 1.5 lakh apply. Thus, students look for alternative options after Main. However, many students seek out for admission at top universities in India and abroad based on the Main score.
It is not known to many students that some of the foreign universities including the National University of Singapore, Queen’s University Belfast, and many German Universities including RWTH accept JEE score. Students who do not make a cut to JEE Advanced can also directly apply for these foreign universities along with IITs, NITs and other Indian colleges. Scholarships available for any international students are also available to these Indian students.
Between Main and Advanced
For students who passed the Main exam, several Indian colleges also offer concessions on direct admissions. Universities including Lovely Professional University, Bennett University offer concessions in fee based on percentile score obtained in JEE.
Those who want to bypass JEE Advanced or have a back-up option can consider these colleges.
Further, many private universities in India have their own exams. For instance, Vellore Institute of Technology (VIT) accepts students based on VITEEE. BITSAT is a standardised exam for all campuses of BITS. Many exams including AP EAMCET, TS EAMCET, COMEDK etc also accept students for state-level government and private colleges in engineering.
Is JEE Enough for Foreign Universities?
Amit Saneja, CEO of Educate Online India, suggested that not only for students who score low marks in JEE but “the (limited) number of seats available make it tough despite great scores too". Thus, students should consider overseas education as a backup option.
“While a strong JEE score can surely enhance your scholarship prospects, it is essential to recognise that most international scholarship programmes take a holistic approach. They look at a range of factors beyond just test scores. For instance, academic scholarships are common, and they consider academic achievements, which may include standardised test scores such as the JEE. However, they also weigh other elements like high school grades, recommendation letters, and the quality of application essays” Saneja said, adding that a high JEE score can showcase your academic excellence, making you a strong candidate for merit-based scholarships “while JEE scores would not guarantee your ticket abroad, they can definitely boost your application by showcasing your academic excellence and dedication to your field”.
Top Scholarships for Engineering Aspirants
Many top colleges in the world not only offer admission but scholarships including maintenance allowance and stipend to students who have a passion for science and technology. Students can apply for these scholarships despite their performance in JEE.
Tata Scholarship at Cornell
Tata Group offers scholarships to nearly 20 students at any point in time in a year to study at the Cornell University in the US. The scholarships are available for all courses in the field of science and technology except of the five-year programme in architecture, which requires 10 semesters of full-time enrolment. As part of the scholarship, Cornell offers scholarships to Indian students for up to eight semesters.
Who can apply: Any Indian citizen who has attended secondary school in India and is offered admission to Cornell as an undergraduate student can apply for the scholarship. The student needs to be eligible for need-based financial aid.
Selection Process: Students will be shortlisted based on their need and merit. They will have to provide their academic documents as well as income and language proficiency proofs. Students also need to meet admission criteria for the course they are applying for separately.
Where to apply: admissions.cornell.edu
British Council Scholarship for Women in STEM
British Council offers opportunities for female candidates to study master’s in science and technology, engineering or mathematics at a leading UK university under the British Council Scholarships for Women in STEM. The scholarship is available to students in India and other countries including the US, other South Asian and East Asian countries, western Balkans, central Asia, Brazil, Egypt, Mexico, and Turkey. The scholarship covers tuition fees, stipend, travel costs, visa and health coverage fees. Students also get support for English language as well as mothers are encouraged and offered support to continue education under the scholarship.
Who can apply: Students who have completed an undergraduate degree in STEM can apply. Students who have completed a PhD in STEM-related in the last three years can apply for a scholarship for an Early Academic Fellowship. The student should be a female.
Selection Process: Candidates need to submit an application with British Council. Shortlisted candidates will be called by one of the 21 partnered universities. Other requirements including academic performance, wholistic profile of candidate and work in STEM field will also be considered.
Where to apply: Students can apply for the scholarship at www.britishcouncil.in
Merit-Cum-Means-Based Scholarships
The Merit-cum-Means Scholarship is offered by the Ministry of Minority Affairs in India for equal opportunities to students who do not have the financial and social means to pursue higher education. As part of the scholarship, nearly 60,000 students from the minority communities receive financial assistance to pursue graduate and post-graduate courses from a recognised institution. Selected students will receive stipend for the course fee or Rs 20,000 per annum or whichever is less. They will also get a maintenance of Rs 10,000 for hostel and Rs 5,000 for day boarding.
Who can apply: Students who have scored 50% or more marks and belong to the economically or socially backward family with income less than Rs 2.5 lakh can apply for the scholarship. Students need to pursue a technical or professional course. Those who get admission to a college to pursue technical/professional courses on the basis of a competitive examination such as JEE, CUET can apply.
Selection Process: Students will be selected based on their merit as well as need. They need to share documents related to academics as well as finances. The details will be verified with the educational institutions also.
Where to apply: Students can apply at www.scholarships.gov.in.
Norman and Tess Reid Family Graduate scholarship in Engineering
The University of Alberta, Canada, is offering CAD 3,800 to students who wish to study engineering at the varsity. The scholarship supports those who have high academic calibre, and is offered at the postgraduate level. Since the grant is open to all nationalities, it is highly competitive. Preference is given to candidates conducting research in Structural Engineering.
Who can apply: Students who have completed undergraduate degree and wish to pursue higher education in civil or environmental engineering can apply. Students need to have a GPA of 3.5 or above to be eligible.
Selection Process: Students will be selected based on merit. Students can only be nominated by the Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering at the varsity. The applications received by the department will be then assessed by the Graduate Scholarship Committee of the university.
Where to apply: www.ualberta.ca
Arkwright Engineering Scholarship
One of the most prestigious scholarships, Arkwright Engineering Scholarships are offered by institutes, communities, and corporates to students from different walks of life. These are aimed at 16-year-old students who wish to pursue engineering in UK-based institutes. Selected candidates will receive £600 to purchase course materials and a financial award of £400 from the school.
Who can apply: Students in the school year equivalent to the International Baccalaureate (IB) Standards can apply. Applicants must commit to studying either Maths, Physics, Computer Science, or Engineering Science in one of the following courses at A level (England, Wales & Northern Ireland) or Advanced Higher (Scotland) unless studying for a BTEC Level 3 in engineering.
Selection Process: Candidates will have to be clear in the aptitude test followed by an interview. The scholarship is only open to students who are studying in schools partnered with Arkwright Engineering scholarships.
Where to apply: www.arkwright.org.uk
Apart from these, students can apply for country-specific scholarships including Fulbright, Erasmus Mundus, DAAD and commonwealth scholarship. These are highly competitive scholarships and are open to several streams. Students can also apply for scholarship offered by corporations including Reliance, FAEA BHEL Scholarship, Indian Oil among others.
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