HERE ARE SOME TIPS ON PREPARING A STRONG SCHOLARSHIP APPLICATION

■ Read and understand the scholarship eligibility criteria well. It is better to select and focus on the scholarship that you seem to be eligible for rather than applying for all scholarships on offer.

■ Pay attention to the deadline for scholarship applications to assess if you are able to complete and provide all the paperwork you need to submit a complete application. As universities receive interest from a large pool of applicants, it is unlikely they will accept an application after the deadline has passed or an incomplete application.

■ Some scholarship do not have a separate application form and applicants are assessed for a scholarship based on the documents they have provided at the time of admission to a particular course. If this is the case, it becomes important for applicants to provide all their academic and extracurricular achievements at the time of applying for the course.

■ If scholarships are directed towards attracting high performing sportsman, it is important then for you to provide details of all your achievements and evidence of the same such as certificates.

■ Your CV is crucial. It provides a snapshot view of all that you have done and achieved at the time of application and makes the job of the scholarship assessor easier. It also gives you the opportunity to highlight areas relevant to the scholarship application. A covering letter with your application is also useful if you want to highlight any special circumstances or address any gaps in the application you have submitted.

■ Referee reports can be the difference between getting you a scholarship and losing out to some one else. Referee reports need to be professionally written (preferably on a letter head) in good business language from an impartial person that is not related to you. This allows for the report to be treated as credible and acceptable to the assessor. Referee reports from employers are always highly valued as they indicate your ability to apply your knowledge and succeed at the workplace

■ Fraudulent documentsis a major concern for all universities. It is therefore important that you get your documents attested by a government body or a person who has authority to attest your documents as genuine after having seen the original.

■ And finally, a successful scholarship application is not so much about how many scholarships you apply for, but more about how well you prepare your application ensuring you meet and address the eligibility criteria. Scholarships funds are hard to come by, so focus on a select number of universities you want to apply to and then apply for their scholarships.