Below are 10 useful tips to increase your chances of obtaining a scholarship:

Explore the course and research options

Most scholarships are rewarded with condition that you will enrol on the specified course and/or department stated in your scholarship applications. Before submitting a scholarship application:

• Identity a course and/or research topic that you genuinely wish to undertake. This can be done by contacting the department for information on courses.
• Make sure you are eligible to enrol the course that you want to study.

Read all information, instructions and clarify if unsure

Read carefully all information provided by the scholarship provider websites or vouchers. If there are doubts, remember to seek for clarification.

Research

If you apply for scholarships which are sponsored by or in conjunction with extra organisations or companies, do your home of researching those organisations and factor it into your application.

Only apply for scholarships that you are eligible

Make sure that you satisfy all eligibility requirements for the scholarship(s) that you areapplying. If you do not meet all requirements, do not waste your time on it. Instead, explore some other funding alternatives and apply all scholarships that you are eligible.

Provide all required documents

It is important to include all supporting documents such as resume, transcripts and personal statements for each scholarship application. Scholarship judges receive thousands of applications and therefore do not have much time on each application. If you only miss out one item in the check list, your application will be considered as incomplete.  Contact scholarship admission office if there are some documents that you cannot provide on-time (e.g. study results of the course that you are taking) and send it over as soon as you have.

Include your resume (Curriculum Vitae - CV)

It is important to include your CV with your scholarship application. The CV includes valuable information about your academic results, work experience, extra-circular activities.

Participate in extra-curricular activities

In addition to academic performance, many institutions look for students who can demonstrate leadership skills, extra-circular activities and community involvement. Provide any additional documents or information that supports the claims made about these activities.

Submit a complete application by the deadline

Most scholarship applications consume time and effort to complete and require a number of supporting application (e.g. birth certificates, study transcripts, reference letters, etc.). Do not wait to last minutes, be organised and prepare ahead.  Take note or reminder in your phone, computer or diary to remember the deadline.

Proof-read your application

When you finish your application, be sure to double check it:

• Have you completed all required sections?
• Have you included all required documents?
• Do you still have any spelling and grammatical errors in your applications?

Get someone else to proof-read your application.

Investigate other funding opportunities

Scholarships are generally highly competitive, not all applicants will be successful. So do not be upset if you cannot get it, there will be MANY other applicants are on the same board with you. Explore other opportunities and keep applying.

Good luck with your scholarship hunting!