Scholarship vs Assistantship

A scholarship is a non-returnable financial aid typically granted to a student on grounds of academic performance, extracurricular excellence, or financial need. It covers a part (or in some cases the entirety) of the student’s study expenses abroad. A scholarship may be funded by the university, the government, or even a specific subject department or an alumnus.

Different types of scholarships

1. Merit-based: Depends on student’s academic or extracurricular performance.

2. Student specific: Applicants who meet the criteria based on gender, race, religion, family, and medical history.

3. Destination specific: Bursaries and funds granted to students from a particular country.

4. Subject-specific: Certain universities award grants to students for a specific field of study.

5. Need-based: Targeted towards students facing financial constraints owing to parent’s financial background.

6. Athletic scholarships: Provided to top-notch sportsmen who can represent the university.

An assistantship entails paid on-campus employment of a student in his/her field of study. It is like a work-study program as it helps the student earn a certain amount of money to help cover his/her expenses. But here, instead of working in the cafeteria or housekeeping, the student performs tasks related to teaching or research for faculty members and/or the chosen subject Department. This is usually restricted to 20 hours a week in return for a stipend or tuition fee reimbursement.

Different types of assistantships

Depending on the university or course, a student may get to choose the kind of role they want to perform as part of the assistantship. Broadly, paid student assistantships are of two types:

• Teaching Assistantship: The student supports the faculty with making lesson plans, organizing learning activities, maintaining records, and managing class behavior. They may even support students in the class with remedial work. You may also be required to teach certain parts of the syllabus.

• Research Assistantship: The student assistant supports the faculty by verifying and organizing research data, evaluating research strategies, writing research reports, and identifying improvement areas. This work will not necessarily be related to your own area of interest but will definitely help you practice research tools that will be helpful in your career.

The application process for a scholarship may vary from university to university. Usually, the applicant is required to have scored more than 60% marks at the school and/or undergraduate level to be eligible.
For you to get a good amount of merit-based scholarship, you should be able to provide marksheets that display academic excellence. Similarly, for an athletic, region-based, or minority scholarship you should be able to show supporting documents.

For a need-based scholarship, too, you will need to turn in your financial documents, parents’ employment proof, and relevant tax documents.
The university may also require you to write an essay or a letter to make a case for yourself against the other applicants.

The application process for an assistantship may vary from one institution to the other. However, this is what the standard application process usually entails:

• Meeting the minimum GPA requirement

• Standardised test scores

• Satisfactory performance in the interview round

Your department or interviewer would try to ascertain that you are a meritorious, organized student who is skilled at time management so that the assistantship work doesn’t interfere with your grades.

Not only are scholarships and assistantships a great way of cutting down on the cost of studying and living abroad, but they also look great on your resume. These help you come across as an exceptional candidate to your employer and improve your chances of employability at an above-average salary.

Since international scholarships and assistantships are so prestigious, you should expect stiff competition when applying for one. It is always a good idea to start planning your application in advance to get an edge over peers. IDP’s international education specialists can help you with some expert tips to enhance your application. So, whether you have queries, jitters, or simply need some advice on your application, reach out to us!

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