Fellowship and Scholarship are two terms often used interchangeably to refer to financial aid provided to a student, but the meaning of these terms differ a lot. 

If you are planning for higher studies, you might be aware of the high costs you need to pay for better education. These costs are even higher when you want to pursue higher education in a foreign country. 

Different institutions provide several Scholarships and Fellowships to students who want to pursue higher education. To get the benefit from financial aid, you need to be clear regarding the difference between Fellowship and Scholarship. 

You also need to be clear about the popular Scholarships and Fellowships for students and whether you are eligible for them. 

In this blog, we will discuss the difference between Fellowship and Scholarship. 

Difference between Fellowship and Scholarship

Many students get confused when they hear the words fellowship and scholarship. Here we will differentiate between the fellowship and scholarship to help you get a clear understanding these two terms.

Fellowship

Here we will discuss the fellowship to get a deep understanding of fellowship. We will discuss its definition, types of fellowship, and some popular fellowships students can choose.

Definition

A Fellowship is an award granted to students with excellent academic records. It is financial aid or status granted to a research scholar or a Ph.D. holder. 

This is used to fund them during their research and to uplift the education system. A Fellowship doesn’t always have to be a granted fund, sometimes, you may be given a place at an institution as a Fellowship with no financial benefits. 

The main difference between Fellowship and Scholarship is that a Fellowship is granted only after graduation. It is a kind of training where you work in an institution. 

Some institutions may also pay you and give you access to other facilities of the institute as a part of the fellowship. Still, it can also be just a position for you to learn without any other benefits. 

While pursuing higher studies, research scholars sometimes contribute greatly to society and their field. This contribution is awarded as a monetary fund, other resources, or a position. This is the basic concept of a Fellowship. 

A major difference between Fellowship and Scholarship is that you get a Fellowship as a part of your higher study or research. Many times a Fellowship requires the student to take up a Ph.D. program as a part of it. 

The government or the institution providing the fellowship pays the researcher to help them sustain themselves during their research. 

If the institution is very reputed and has limited seats for the fellowship, they may just give you a chance to work with them or a status to show in your academic record or work experience. 

A Fellowship can help you get a job faster. The employer will quickly get an idea of your experience and your academic record by the fellowship you have. 

Types of Fellowships 

Now that you understand what a Fellowship is, let us move to the types of Fellowships. 

Doctoral fellowships

The most common Fellowships are given to doctoral and postdoctoral students. These are the students that have chosen a specific field for research. 

Their research greatly contributes to their field, and thus their efforts are awarded with a Fellowship. You have to understand that these fellowships are given only to students with excellent academic records and after a thorough screening process. 

Sometimes as a part of the fellowship, the fellow may also be asked to take lectures and conduct other work. 

Fellowships of medical students

A Fellowship is important to the student’s career in the medical field. A medical fellowship is a way for a medical student who has completed the basic medical course and is ready to start practicing. 

The fellowships offered by colleges and universities allow students to gain on-ground experience if surgeries and other medical practices. 

The better university you get to be a fellow, the better your career is. The university also gives you financial aid to be a research fellow and to practice in their Institution. 

Some popular Fellowships

Some of the popular Fellowships are listed below. If you are interested in them, you can check their official websites for detailed information. 

• Fulbright-Kalam Climate Fellowship 
• Stanford Reliance Dhirubhai Fellowship
• Fulbright-Nehru Master’s Fellowship
• The Indian Trust Fellowship

Also Read: Best Scholarship Exams for Abroad Studies

Also Read: Study MBBS Abroad Scholarships

Scholarship

Now that you understand fellowship, its types, and some popular fellowships, to understand completely the difference between fellowship and scholarship, let’s understand the scholarship too.

Definition

A scholarship is also financial aid given to students with excellent academic records to fund their further studies and support their education. Remember that a fellowship may or may not be financial aid, but a scholarship always has a financial aspect.

A scholarship is mostly given to students who are applying for college or have completed their graduation and are applying for higher studies. Scholarships can be of many types, like the ones that fund your tuition fees, book and study expenses, or they can also fund your living expenses to support your education. 

Both public and private institutions give these Scholarships. Usually, every college and university has a scholarship program that funds the tuition fees of some students. Even though there is a lot of difference between Fellowship and Scholarship, both are only awarded to excellent students with the best academic record. 

In the case of scholarships, all the Institutions have different criteria for shortlisting students. Most require you to have excellent grades and a proven interest in extracurricular activities. 

As the number of international students wanting to study in a foreign country increases, the need for Scholarships has also increased. 

Thus almost all countries have many Scholarship programs, especially for international students. Sometimes these Scholarships fund your entire expense, including your food, fees, travel, etc. 

Of course, the competition gets tougher as the amount of the grant increases. Even if you can’t get a fully funded Scholarship, you can still get another kind of Scholarship that funds a small amount of your fees. 

Read our other blog to learn how to get scholarships in Canada for Indian students.

What A Scholarship Covers 

Scholarships are of many types, and they all have different benefits. However, these Scholarships can be characterized based on the expense they cover. Some expenses covered by various universities are listed below:

Tuition fees

This is the most common expense covered by Scholarships. This is also a major difference between Fellowship and Scholarship, the fellowship doesn’t cover any expense related to fees. 

The scholarship often funds a student’s tuition fees partly or fully. You can search for scholarships that fund tuition fees and apply for them. 

Your financial background also matters while getting shortlisted, as these Scholarships may also be need-based. You can also attain a scholarship by having an excellent rank in English testing tests like the IELTS and TOEFL. 

Living expenses

When students think about studying abroad, the first expense they plan for is tuition fees, but another major expense that must not be ignored is living expenses. 

It includes your daily meals, rent, and other miscellaneous costs. Students are often unaware that some Scholarships cover the living expense of the student. 

Mostly these Scholarships are even harder to get, but some universities offer Scholarships that cover your tuition fees and living expenses. 

Transport expenses 

These are other aspects that students often ignore. Traveling to a foreign country includes visa costs and flight ticket costs. These costs are high, and some students have difficulty paying these costs. 

However, some Scholarships help students with this kind of expenses. Many scholarships offer a 100% allowance, while some offer 50%. These kinds of Scholarships are a boon to students needing travel allowance. 

Books and other stationery expenses

Some courses require you to study from technical books and have some stationery items. These books and items are often very expensive; thus, a scholarship that covers tuition fees often also covers these comparatively smaller expenses. Some institutions may also provide gadgets like tablets, computers, etc, under the scholarship. 

Some popular Scholarships 

Now that you know the difference between fellowship and scholarship, let’s look at some popular Scholarships. The eligibility criteria and other benefits can be found on their respective websites. 

• Chevening Scholarship
• Rhodes Scholarship
• Tata Scholarship
• Gates Millennium Scholarship
• QS Undergraduate Scholarship

Conclusion 

The difference between Fellowship and Scholarship is clear, but still, students are often confused between these terms. 

The basic meaning of Scholarship is financial aid given to a student to pursue higher education. While a Fellowship is offered as an award for research work at an institution. 

A Fellowship may or may not contain a financial aspect, but a scholarship always supports a student financially. 

The above-given information regarding both terms will help you to clear your understanding. So, choose what is the best for your career at the present moment and then apply for it.

If you have any queries or questions regarding this, please contact our experts. Keep visiting CourseMentor™ for more interesting content like this.

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