Difference Between Scholarships & Grants

Grants and Scholarships are both forms of higher education funding

One dollar is equivalent to 300rs, and so you, as the average Pakistani student and study – abroad aspirant probably need financial aid, in some form of the other. This then has likely pushed you down internet rabbit holes leading to articles like these where we show you the difference between two primary types of funding: scholarships, and grants.  

Application and Eligibility: Scholarships and Grants

Scholarships are in most cases awarded by the university you’re hoping to attend, in some cases they may come from private organisations or the government of your home country. Most universities have scholarships listed on their website that you can easily check out, but they may also often give you a small entrance scholarship on a case by case basis. Private organisations that give scholarships are often those that expect you to work for them after you graduate, often for a set period of time – so keep that commitment in mind! 

Grants, on the other hand, are funds given by governments, institutions, and organisations too – for specific purposes. With a scholarship, the goal is to simply cover your education. With a grant, the goal is to cover your education so that you can later make a specific contribution to your field – in the form of research, development or anything that leaves your field stronger than it was before you. 

Scholarship applications and grant applications are both more or less the same – both require essays, transcripts, letters of recommendation. The specifics, of course, vary across institutions. Scholarships are often more common than grants, for grants, you must submit an application that’s focused on a smaller area in your field – and with a more personalised application process, comes an even more competitive one. Be prepared! 

Once you get the scholarship – maintaining it requires keeping up your GPA, or meeting certain extracurricular goals. Grants may not have such a fixed approach – but within grants, you are expected to have a greater contribution by the end. As in – you must produce meaningful research that matches with your initial proposal. The initial process of applying for a grant involves that you make a proposal with an expected budget, that also clearly demonstrates your research goals – and it is these goals that you are required to meet. 

Types of Scholarships:

(1) need based scholarships: these tend to be the most helpful, because they are given after an assessment of your income and assets, and tend to cover your needs regardless of qualification (2) merit – based scholarships (3) athletic scholarships (4) minority scholarships – these are meant to uplift of students from underrepresented backgrounds – so as to give them a push up the social mobility ladder (5) career or major specific scholarships. 

Types of Grants:

(1) competitive research grants: awarded through processes wherein researchers submit proposals, and the most promising ones receive funding (2) mobility grants: these allow researchers to attend conferences, do workshops, and participate in practical field work on an often international level (3) research innovation grants: these focus on boosting new ideas in the field, and are reserved for the most cutting edge, and unique researchers (4) need – based grants: these are grants where your financial status is a consideration, but these are still rare and mostly based on the same merit – based criteria. 

Characteristically, scholarships exist at the undergraduate and postgraduate level. Grants for research exist mostly at the postgraduate level, when a student is able to show potential in their field. So you’ll have to get working on a proposal asap! 

At the undergraduate level – any grant is based almost entirely on need, and therefore they aren’t as many as scholarships, given that the distinction between the two at that point isn’t very important then. 

So, which is better? The answer is both! As a student looking to study abroad in this economy, you should be applying for every single means of available funding. But, of course – your time is precious! So focus on seeking out opportunities that align most with the profile you’ve established, and the work you’ve put in.