How to apply for a scholarship? This is a common question that pops up when you seek a scholarship. Every year, thousands of scholarship application forms are getting rejected in India for reasons that are easily avoidable yet far too common – non-fulfilment of eligibility criteria, a discrepancy in the details provided, or simply failing to fill in all the required fields. As a result, many applicants get screened out in the very first stage of the selection process.
Thus, a correctly filled application form is a primary requirement for an aspirant to stand any chance of winning a scholarship. Therefore, it is important for all the students to know how to apply for a scholarship before starting the application.
This article will provide you with a brief about the key things that you should consider while understanding how to apply for a scholarship. Also, you will get the complete picture of what a scholarship form contains and an understanding of how can you apply for scholarships online through specific portals like National Scholarship Portal (NSP), UP Government’s Scholarship and Fee Reimbursement Online System, OASIS scholarship portal, SJE scholarship portal and more.
How to apply for a scholarship – Key things to consider
Both online and offline scholarship applications require a variety of conditions to be fulfilled. Though the application procedure may differ from scholarship to scholarship, here are few basic steps that you should adopt while filling up the scholarship application form:
Get to know about the scholarship
Prior to filling any scholarship application form, you should know every bit of information available about it. Go through the respective scholarship website carefully and make a list of necessary documents and information you require to apply.
Go through the application guidelines (if provided)
At times, some scholarship providers offer complete application guidelines for students to ease out the process of application for them. Carefully going through these guidelines before applying will tremendously reduce the chances of errors occurring in your application.
Prepare all your accomplishments
Most scholarships require supporting documents in a prescribed format as proof for all academic and personal information stated in your application and the important information that is necessarily required to apply for the scholarship. These may include, but aren’t limited to, the following:
- Mark sheets and certificates of educational qualification
- Identity proof
- Family income certificate
- Caste certificate
- Admission letter
- Essay submission
- Letter of recommendations
- Applicant’s photograph
Note: Keeping a scanned copy of all the important documents as per the specified size guidelines is advisable to avoid rejections, in the case of online applications. For offline applications, you need to have photocopies of the required documents.
Keep an eye on the deadline
All scholarship applications come with a deadline. To avoid any last-minute rush and other hurdles, you are suggested to fill your scholarship application form as early as possible. However, in any circumstance, if you are unable to do that, make sure you give yourself enough buffer to not miss the deadline.
Start filling the form
Once you’ve all the information and documents on hand, you can begin the application procedure. We recommend you to be very vigilant while filling up the details, as any discrepancy may lead your form to be rejected. If filling an offline application form, you need to make sure that you avoid any overwriting in it.
Do proofread before submission
Are you done with all the mandatory details required in the application form? If yes, then do a thorough proof-check of the application form once again before final submission. There’s always a chance of human error; a thorough proofread can rectify these errors, though, before being submitted.
Following these steps and paying attention to all details can ensure that you cross this first hurdle successfully, with a chance to win your dream scholarship.
How to apply for a scholarship – Know the scholarship form
What does a scholarship form contain? What is the important information required to apply for scholarships online? Whether you are applying for a scholarship online or offline, a standard scholarship form consists the following key details –
Personal details
This section covers your personal information such as your name, parents name, email id, contact details, etc. Also, there are some government scholarships that ask for your bank account details in this section such as name of the bank, account number, IFSC code, etc., as they disburse the scholarship amount directly into the account of the students.
Educational qualification
Depending on scholarship to scholarship, the academic requirements may vary. In this section, the students need to provide their current as well as previous academic details (as required). You may need to keep the mark sheets and academic transcripts intact before applying for the scholarship. It is important that you enter the correct information. The details that you need to provide include the marks, year of passing, board/university of passing your class 10, 12, graduation or post graduation (As specified in the scholarship).
Family income details
This section is not necessarily asked in all the scholarships. However, the scholarships which are being disbursed based on the financial need of the students may require you to enter the details of family income. This section requires you to provide the total annual income of your family (including the income of both the parents (if available) or guardian. Also, you need to support your family income with an income certificate issued by a competent authority.
Upload documents
While proceeding ahead in the scholarship form, you will also have to upload all supporting documents required. Just like all other details, this may also vary from scholarship to scholarship. Thus, prepare scanned copies of all your important documents in advance so as to avoid any hassle while applying.
How to apply for a scholarship – Apply for scholarships online
With the advent of technology, most of the scholarship providers invite students to apply for scholarships online. While the step-by-step application process may vary, the basic online application process requires scholarship registration, student login, updating the details, documents upload and final submission. In this section, we have tried to cover step-by-step guide of how to apply for a scholarship through renowned government portals like NSP, UP scholarship portal, OASIS scholarship portal and more.
How to apply for a scholarship at National Scholarship Portal
National Scholarship Portal (NSP) is a one-stop portal for all government scholarships. Introduced by the government of India, the portal lists a number of scholarships that are being offered by the different department of the government including Ministry of Minority Affairs, Ministry of Tribal Affairs, Ministry of Labour and Employment, etc. The portal also enlists the scholarships that are being offered by different states’ governments. How can you apply for these scholarships online? Find your answer hereunder –
Step 1: National Scholarship Portal Registration
- All fresh users need to visit the Home Page of National Scholarship Portal to register.
- Click on ‘New Registration’.
- A page of ‘Guidelines for Registration on NSP’ will open.
- Go through the guidelines carefully.
- Click on ‘Continue’ to proceed.
- Fill in all required details.
- Click on ‘Register’.
- You will receive a student application ID and password on your registered mobile number.
Step 2: Logging in with National Scholarship Portal
- Click on the login button to start scholarship application.
- Enter the application ID and password received on your registered number.
Step 3: Change the password (A compulsory step)
- Upon successful login, you will receive an OTP on your registered mobile number.
- Verify the OTP.
- You will be directed to change the password page.
- Change the password and continue.
Step 4: Enter the Dashboard & Complete the Application
- Once the password is changed, you will be directed to the Applicant’s Dashboard Page.
- Click on ‘Application Form’ to start the application.
- Fill in all registration details, academic details and basic details.
- Click on ‘Save & Continue’.
- Add contact details, scheme details and upload necessary documents.
- Click on ‘Save as Draft’ (To confirm if you have entered correct information)
- Once confirmed, click on ‘Final Submit’ button.
Note: The applications finally submitted cannot be edited again. So, the applicants are advised to be double sure while clicking on final submit as no change of information will be entertained after final submission.
How to apply for a scholarship by UP Government?
Just like the government of India runs its online scholarship portal for the implementation and disbursement of various scholarship schemes, the government of Uttar Pradesh also has its separate portal for its state-funded scholarships. The online system of scholarship and fee reimbursement by UP Government accepts applications from students of UP state for different scholarships. What are the steps to be followed to apply for UP government scholarships? The answer to this question is mentioned below in the step-by-step guide.
Step 1: New student registration
- Visit the UP Government’s Scholarship and Fee Reimbursement Online System.
- Click on the “Student” section and select “New Registration”.
- Select the scholarship for which you want to apply.
- Fill in all mandatory details that are marked with an *.
- Click on “Submit” to register.
- Take the print out of registration slip for future references.
Step 2: Student Login
- Once registered, click on the “Student” section and select “Fresh Login” option for fresh applications and “Renewal Login” option for renewal applications as per the scholarship you are applying for.
- Log in using your registration number, date of birth and password.
- You will be directed to a page containing important instructions regarding form filling.
- Read all instructions carefully and tick on the box given at the end of the page and click “Proceed”.
Step 3: Filling the scholarship application
- The moment you click on the “Proceed” button, you will be directed to the user dashboard.
- Click on “Fill in application form” section.
- Fill in further details in the scholarship application form.
- Click on submit.
Step 4: Upload all supporting documents
Once you click on submit after filling the application form, you need to upload your photograph and other supporting documents.
Step 5: Final submission online
Before heading on to make the final submission of the application form, the applicants are advised to go through every information filled carefully to avoid any kind of discrepancy afterwards. Also, there is no provision of making changes to the information filled by the applicant, once you finally submit the application form.
Step 6: Submission of form at the respective educational institution
After final submission of the scholarship application form, the applicants are required to take the print out of the form and submit it along with other supporting documents to their respective educational institutions.
How to apply for a scholarship through SJE?
SJE is the state-level scholarship portal for the students having a domicile of Rajasthan state. It allows you to apply for scholarships offered by the state government’s Social Justice and Empowerment Department. The scholarships available on SJE portal are applicable for students who belong to SC, ST, EBC, OBC, DNT and SBC category. If you fulfil the eligibility criteria of these scholarships, you can apply for them online by following the steps given below –
Step 1 – Registering with SJE
- Visit the official website.
- Click on “New Scholarship Portal”.
- Click on the “Sign-Up/Register” button.
- You will be redirected to Rajasthan Single Sign-On page. Click on “Citizen” tab.
- Select any one from the options – Bhamashah, Aadhaar, Facebook, Google+ or Twitter to start the registration.
- Continue to register through your respective option chosen.
- Create your SSOID and password and register.
Step 2 – Logging into your SJE account
- Visit the sign-in page of Rajasthan Single Sign-On.
- Log in using your SSOID (digital identity) and password.
Step 3 – Applying for the scholarship
- Once you are logged in, you need to update your profile by filling in all the necessary information.
- The moment you update your information, you will be directed to the user dashboard containing various digital options for you.
- Select the “Scholarships” option to enter the scholarship application.
- A dialogue box will appear asking – “How would you like to register yourself?” Click on “Student” and proceed for the scholarship application.
- Fill in all required information and upload the supporting documents.
- Finally, submit the application.
Note: Following the best practices please confirm that you have entered the correct information in the application before submitting it.
Note: Make sure that you update your Bhamashah ID to apply for the scholarship. Otherwise, the scholarship application will not open.
How to apply for a scholarship through OASIS?
Likewise, the government of West Bengal also runs its separate online scholarship portal for students who are domicile of West Bengal state. The portal comprises the scholarships available for students belonging to SC, ST and OBC category thereby creating a one-stop platform for eligible students to apply for them. How to apply for a scholarship through OASIS? This question may haunt many of the eligible candidates. The answer to which is given hereunder.
Step 1: Registering with Oasis scholarship
- Visit the official website.
- Click on “Student’s registration” in the students’ corner.
- Choose the district where your institution is based.
- A page for verification of caste certificate will appear. Fill in all details and click on submit.
- Once the caste certificate is verified then you will be directed to the online registration page. Now, fill in all mandatory fields and click on submit.
Step 2: Oasis login to complete the application
- After you have registered successfully, you can download your permanent user id/application number and password through “Download login information/acknowledgement slip” button.
- Click on “Login Now” button using your application number/user id and password.
- After logging in, you have to fill in your details and bank information carefully
- Click on ‘Save and Proceed’.
Step 3: Verify and Lock the Oasis application
Once you have filled all your information in the application form. You can click on “Verify and Lock” button to lock all the information filled. Note: Once you have locked the information filled, you cannot make any changes further. So, make sure you enter the correct information in the application form.
Step 4: Print the application
After successful locking of the application form, click on “Download Application Form” button to get the computer-generated copy of the filled in application form.
Step 5: Submit the printed application
Submit the printed copy of duly-filled application form along with the copies of all supporting documents to your concerned BDO (Block Development Officer) for Block area or PO cum DWO for municipality corporation.