How to fund your university degree or postgraduate studies is nearly always the first consideration when selecting and short listing the potential places for your future education and what is incorrectly perceived as a lack of available financial assistance when studying abroad, can be the barrier to realising your ambitions.
Dan Billington of Study –International examines how a scholarship award from the University of Notre Dame allowed one postgraduate scholar to undertake postgraduate research on Campus in Australia.
Research thriving thanks to Notre Dame’s international student scholarship
Seren Dalkiran was the first European student to receive an International scholarship award from the University of Notre Dame “ my research is thriving thanks to the financial, academic and community support I receive from the University” she proudly announced..
Born in the Netherlands, Seren, who now calls Sydney, New South Wales , her home , was the first recipient of Notre Dame’s International Fee Remission Research Scholarship. Ms Dalkiran is undertaking a Doctor of Philosophy, and her research assesses the social change processes within the emerging empowered and conscious proportion of youth leaders across the globe.
“Notre Dame has a strong focus on treating each student as an individual, which is enhanced and enabled by its close-knit community,” Ms Dalkiran said. “As an international student conducting doctoral research, I have really appreciated that supportive environment. The scholarship funding has not only enabled me to conduct my research, it has also allowed me to attend leading conferences around the world to gain a deeper understanding of my field of research.”
Ms Dalkiran said Australia is an exciting place to work study and socialise. “Australia offers a totally different culture to my own; with so much space, the opportunity to get close to nature and easy access to the emerging dynamics of the Asia-Pacific region,” Ms Dalkiran said. “It (Australia) is a young country and is open to innovation and creative and critical thinking and I like the fact that this is also reflected in its energetic and open-minded attitude towards higher education.”
Vice Chancellor Professor Celia Hammond said Notre Dame looks forward to welcoming other international students to its Sydney, Broome and Fremantle campuses in 2013 through the International Fee Remission Research Scholarships program.
“I am pleased to see Seren’s research flourish at Notre Dame and hope the University can provide mentorship, academic support and a community connection for other international postgraduate students through this scholarship,” Professor Hammond said.
The International Fee Remission Research Scholarship program will provide up to five scholarship places per academic year to international students who wish to undertake a higher degree by research at Notre Dame. Notre Dame will support individuals undertaking research degrees (including Research Masters and Doctoral studies) in the University’s areas of research strength, namely Health, Education, Indigenous Studies and Theology and Philosophy (including Ethics). However, the University will consider awarding Scholarships to students in other discipline areas where there is a compelling case for supporting the research student and the project and where appropriate supervision is available.
A World of Funding
Contrary to popular believe in the United Kingdom, Seren’s opportunity to secure this type of funding is not an isolated example. Other scholarships, bursaries and grants are available to British students applying to universities abroad as International students worldwide.
In Canada, for example, the St Francis Xavier University in Nova Scotia, assess all undergraduate applications automatically against their eligibility to receive entrance scholarships of $3500. Other awards also exist, ranging from $12-32000. Access to funding like this, is common place across Canada.
In Europe as we know, tuition fees are largely subsidised and in Malta, the tuition fees to study for a Bachelor Degree awarded by a British University start from €2700 per year . Furthermore, and after graduation, a British student may also be entitled to a further 80% refund on all related tuition he or she has fees paid in Malta.
And in the United States, certain performance related scholarships may also be available to British Students wishing to study there. The Fulbright Commission lists numerous such awards covering student exchanges, undergraduate and postgraduate opportunities coast to coast across the USA..
Study-International, the Yorkshire based Study Abroad Advisory service assists students to identify these opportunities before making an application to study overseas.
“It is just the tip of the iceberg” remarked its founder, Dan Billington,, who been advising students about international study since 2003. “we really want to help students to realise this” he continued “They might seem to be small amounts in comparison to expectation but when you consider tuition fees overseas can be much lower than here in the UK, it certainly puts it into perspective”
For further information about what funding might be available for you; please contact Study-International directly via www.studyinternational.eu
Dan Billington
.jpg)
