The students who applied for the scholarship programs, need to check up on their applications. Your follow-up describes your curiosity about the scholarship and how much this scholarship is important for you. After submitting your application for the scholarship, you should wait for at least 10 business days. This is the maximum time after that you can contact them for the update. Various factors create hindrances in the scholarship processing and take a long time to hear back. Here, we will discuss all the factors that influence scholarship notification timelines. The things that you can do while waiting for the application to go through are also discussed here.
How Long Does It Take To Hear Back From Scholarships?
Sometimes, it takes so long to hear back from the scholarships due to several factors. Waiting to hear back from scholarships can be so tiring because it delays a lot of other work. You can say that the evaluation of scholarships may take a little long time due to their lengthy process. The notifications received from scholarship providers depend on various factors including the application deadline, the number of applications, and the criteria of the scholarship. The major factors that influence the timeline of the scholarship notification are mentioned below.
Factors that Influence the Scholarship Notification
The points that influence the duration of the scholarship notification are discussed here. The tips that help you in managing your waiting period are also mentioned below.
- Deadline of the Application: Sometimes, the scholarships have rolling deadlines which create a mess and notify students on a rolling basis. They accept applications from candidates throughout the year. The scholarships that have fixed deadlines may also take longer to notify the students because they verify all the applications before sending notification. The reviewing may take more time and students have to wait for a little longer.
- Volume of the Scholarship Applications: Due to the large number of applications, they are unable to notify the students on time. Every application requires a proper time for evaluation which takes more time and delays the process of awarding scholarships. So, the large number of applications extends the notification timeline.
- Type of the Scholarship: The scholarship type also affects the timeline of the scholarship. Majorly, the scholarships are divided into two types including merit-based and need-based. The merit-based scholarships do not take much time and notify the students at the start of the academic year. On the other hand, a need-based scholarship requires more processing time because the financial aid packages are finalized according to the needs of the candidate and the availability of the funds.
- Methods of Notification: Various methods are adopted by the providers to notify students including email, telephone, physical letters, official website, etc. If the provider sends a notification by the physical letter method, then it takes more time to arrive. Therefore, it creates a long waiting time.
- Policies of the Scholarship Provider: Every provider has different policies, procedures, and timelines which might take a long to hear back from scholarship providers. For reviewing the application they adopt different methods, some are quicker methods and some take several months. So, it delays the whole process of notification about the scholarship to the recipient.
- Election Method: Every scholarship has different selection criteria. Scholarship providers use other methods of election of fellowships. The requirements of some scholarships include letters of recommendation, essays, etc. which consume more evaluating time and delay the whole process of notification. Wherever some scholarships also conduct interviews after selecting from the application, it extends the time of announcement.
Therefore, these are the factors that influence the whole timeline of the scholarship and extend the notification period of the scholarship. So students have to wait longer to hear back from the scholarships.
How to Manage the Waiting Period of the Scholarship?
The below-mentioned points will help you to manage the waiting period for the scholarship.
- Checking your Emails: Most of the time the scholarship notification would be received through emails. So, check your emails regularly including your inbox, and spam folder. You have to stay organized so that you do not miss any important notifications.
- Prepare Yourself for Multiple Outcomes: You can prepare yourself for every type of outcome. Sometimes, it may be the case when your scholarship application is rejected by the providers due to a lack of ability, skills, deadlines, or other requirements. You should apply for the other scholarships as well because multiple scholarships provide you the opportunity to secure other financial aid.
- Utilize Your Time to Prepare Yourself for Further Formalities: You can utilize your time to prepare yourself for the interview. Some scholarship providers conduct interviews after evaluating the applications. So just go with your application, goals, scholarship motives, etc. Try to enhance your academic skills, and extracurricular involvement, apply for other scholarship programs, etc.
- Follow-ups: After waiting for a week, you can send a follow-up message to the provider and ask for an update. After the closing of the application, do not sit ideal try to take out the feedback from the providers. It will help you in enhancing your profile. Behave professionally and politely while communicating with the scholarship committee.
- Stay Calm and Organized: Stay organized and keep records of all the scholarship programs that you are applying for. Try to make a timeline of the deadlines and notifications. It will help you in tracking the progress of the scholarship.
So, these are the tips that you can follow in the meantime. It means at the time of waiting for the notification from the scholarship providers. Scholarships play an important role in today’s educational landscape because higher education is very costly. It provides access to education, reduces the burden of student debt, and provides support to the diverse talent of the students.
Conclusion
Students have to wait for at least a week or two to hear back from the scholarship providers. It is the minimum time because it may also take a little longer and it depends upon the significant factors. Students receive notification from the providers after clearing various stages. It includes eligibility criteria, application requirements, essay document verification, financial need documents, etc. The factors that delay the process of the scholarship include the number of applications, selection process, application deadline, etc. So, to get financial support, you have to stay calm because the waiting period can be nerve-wracking. Students need to be patient and are required to behave professionally while communicating.