Global Study Awards: What Is It and Who Is It For

Are you someone searching for various scholarships & grants to study abroad? This article discusses one such grant that will help you significantly bring down your study costs. We are talking about the Global Study Awards which are jointly provided by the British Council, the International Student Identity Card (ISIC) Organization, and Studyportals. And the best part? Students pursuing undergraduate or postgraduate courses in any country in any field are eligible for it. Let’s dive more deeply into it.

Eligibility Criteria for Global Study Awards

The Global Study Awards program aims to reflect that education drives change and cultural equilibrium, creating better opportunities for everyone.To be considered for the Global Study Awards, candidates must comply with the following requirements: 

1. Age Requirement: The candidates should be above eighteen years of age to ensure that those who want a full-time undergraduate or postgraduate course can use this scholarship.
2. Language Proficiency: Candidates must have passed the IELTS language test at a British Council center, proving their English competence. There should be no more than two years between the issue of the official Test Report Form (TRF) for the test and the date of application.  The TRF should have been obtained after 1st June 2017.
3. ISIC Card: Candidates should hold an International Student Identity Card (ISIC), which demonstrates their student status along with providing many benefits and opportunities like  UNESCO-endorsed student status, access to a global community of ISIC card holders, etc. Another requirement that students may be asked for at the time of application is the International Youth Travel Card (IYTC).
4. Letter of Acceptance: Applicants must submit an acceptance letter from a recognized educational institution indicating their admission or enrollment into a program. 
5. Study Experience Review: Among the other standard eligibility requirements, applicants are also encouraged to write a brief review of their experience as students at British Council IELTS, ISIC, and/or Study Portals portal. This review is considered as proof of the applicant’s involvement with the platform and a statement on how they articulate the value of their educational journey.

How to Apply for Global Study Awards

Once you have checked the eligibility and gathered requisite documents, you can apply for the Global Study Awards by filling out an online application available on the Global Study Awards' official website. It is to be noted that the application can only be filled in English. After filing the application, they must submit the requisite documents and share reviews on mentioned portals. After this, a few selected candidates are invited for an in person interview prior to the final winning selection. The list of winners is usually announced within 3 months after the application deadline.

Benefits of Global Study Awards

The Global Study Awards offer a wide range of benefits to the selected candidates, making it a transformative opportunity for those seeking international education: 

1. Financial Support: Grant recipients are awarded funds to offset a large portion of the tuition fees, easing the monetary challenges accompanied with foreign education. There are a maximum of nine awards presented each year. Each awardee receives a maximum reward of EUR 10,000, which can be directly used for the first instance of the tuition fees. This amount is directly paid to the higher education institution that the awardee will attend. In case the tuition fee is less than the prize amount, the remaining amount is allocated for living costs for a maximum of 52 weeks (from the date the student registers for the program).
2. Alumni Network: Not just the monetary benefits, but this award also comes with the benefit of a robust alumni network, allowing them to spread wings beyond multiple boundaries, collaborate, and share information.