Scholarships provide financial help to the students who attend college. The process of getting a scholarship is not easy because it requires a lot of planning and preparation. The awarding time of the scholarship depends upon various factors. After application, students need to track their financial aid because it takes around one to three months for the announcement of winners. If the procedure is too late, students contact their financial providers and ask when the scholarships are disbursed. Here, we will learn how long it takes to receive a scholarship, what factors affect the scholarship timeline, and some other points.
How Long Does It Take To Receive A Scholarship?
Sometimes, the scholarship providers take weeks and sometimes, it takes one to three months to announce the winners. Several factors influence the whole timeline of the scholarship including application procedure, volume of applications, requirement of documents, etc. Sometimes there are additional processes available that the provider needs to fulfill, and it may take longer to disburse the scholarship. The scholarships that cover larger amounts, go through with additional processing and take a longer time to announce their winners. The other factors that influence the timeline of the scholarship are discussed below.
How Long Does It Take For Scholarships To Be Awarded?
Various types of scholarships are available including merit-based scholarships and need-based scholarships. Scholarships differ from each other due to their requirements and eligibility criteria. The range of scholarships is from small, local awards to prestigious national or international awards. Students need to track the scholarship after application and are required to be in touch with the providers.
Factors that Affect the Scholarship Timeline
The major factors that create hindrances and take longer to evaluate the applications are mentioned here.
- Policies and Procedures of the Institution: Scholarship providers work with various procedures and schedules which are either set by the funding agency or their institution. These procedures set different timelines and evaluation criteria which create problems and take more time to reward the scholarship.
- Evaluation Criteria: The scholarship provider establishes a scholarship committee that evaluates all the applications. They said the basic criteria and the applications that fulfill that benchmark are considered eligible. Some providers follow the simple evaluation criteria and some follow in-depth review procedures.
- Volume of Applications: When the provider receives a large number of applications, it impacts the whole procedure and timeline of the award. The winners are decided after evaluating all the applications and it takes a little longer to evaluate a large pool of applications.
- Rolling Deadlines: Some scholarships have fixed deadlines and some have rolling deadlines which impact the evaluation time and awarding time. The rolling deadline scholarships accept applications for a little longer and affect the other scholarship procedures.
- Adherence with the Requirements: Sometimes, applicants don’t meet the selection requirements as they fail to attach important documents to their application. It may take longer to determine their eligibility. The providers follow the strict criteria of verification. So, students are suggested to submit their applications after performing proofreading.
- Additional Verification: The scholarships that are awarded based on financial need require additional verification and affect the overall timeline of the scholarship. The providers carefully evaluate their financial situation by verifying their enrollment and financial information. The providers follow the administrative steps added to the scholarship timeline and delay the process.
So, these are the factors that influence the overall timeline of the scholarship and affect the awarding time for which students have to wait a little longer.
Steps that Students Can Adopt to Navigate the Longer Process of Scholarship Disbursement
If students follow the below-mentioned points, they can easily affect the whole processing of the scholarship.
- Apply for Multiple Scholarships: To increase the chance of securing scholarships, students can apply for multiple scholarships. It diversifies their scope of securing scholarships.
- Submit all the Required Documents: Analyse all the requirements of the application and then gather all the documents. Attach all the required documents including academic transcripts, financial transcripts, extracurricular certificates, etc.
- Stay Organized: Students need to stay organized and keep all the records regarding deadlines and application dates. You can create a timeline that notifies you of all the important dates.
- Track all the Communication Channels: Keep an eye on all the communication channels including emails, online websites, phones, etc. In case, the provider notifies you with any additional information, respond promptly to their request. It shows your dedication to the achievement of a scholarship.
- Stay Calm: Till the announcement of the results you have to stay calm and busy. In the meantime, you can apply for additional scholarship programs and prepare for the interviews.
- Contact Providers: If you have any queries reach out to the providers. They will provide you with the updated details and provide you additional guidance and support.
So, these are the tips that students can follow to manage the longer awarding time of the scholarship. If students submit their documents with full care and attention, it will decrease the evaluation time and may give the results a little earlier.
Do Scholarships are Directly Awarded to the Students?
The awarding criteria of the scholarships depend upon the policies and procedures of the institution. Some providers directly send the money to the students. On the other hand, some scholarship providers send the scholarship award to the school or institution from which they pursue their higher degree. This thing depends upon the type of the scholarship whether it is a partial scholarship or a full-ride scholarship. It also depends upon the direct expenses and indirect expenses. Most of the scholarships are awarded for direct expenses, the expenses that are directly related to the cost of education including fees, tuition, and books.
Conclusion
The awarding time of the scholarship depends upon several factors. After the deadline, the disbursement of the award may take one to three months. Students have to wait for two to three months for the final results. The factors that influence the processing time of the scholarship include the application process, review timeline, volume of applications, requirement of documents, etc. In the meantime, students can prepare for the interviews that are conducted after selecting students from the application. They can apply for multiple scholarships as it increases the chance of securing scholarships.