A scholarship is an award of financial aid for students to further their education

Scholarships are awarded based upon various criteria, which tell us about the reason why a donor is willing to give a scholarship. Sometimes it is in the memory of a loved one and it is given to persons who show the same talent as the one in whose memory the scholarship is being given. Scholarship money is not repaid it usually reflect the values and purposes of the donor or founder of the award.In order to qualify for a merit scholarship, you must demonstrate excellence in a specific academic area or interest.

Students may receive merit Scholarships from their grades, a special interest or a specific talent. Merit Scholarships are also offered for people of specific ethnic backgrounds or gender such as Scholarships for women. These need-based Scholarships are designed to provide assistance for studies when students or their guardians are not able to afford tuition and fees. There are many factors a university or a government organization considers when assessing your financial status. They may look at you and your family's income level, the number of members in your household, tax statements, citizenship, employment or your country of origin.

Athletic Scholarships are given to top-notch athletes by universities to recruit them for their athletic teams. Each scholarship has its own its own criteria and its own objective. Whether you excel academically, on the sports field, or are of a certain ethnic background, there’s bound to be a scholarship which recognizes your talent and fits your needs.

Some well known Scholarships awarded in India are

Lalit Kala Academy

Osmania University UGC-JRF Fellowship Programme

GIIS Junior College Scholarships at Singapore 2017

JC Bose National Fellowship

Narottam Seksaria Scholarship Programme.

Young India Fellowship Programme and many more

One should keep in touch with the announcements made from time to time about Scholarships etc and keep applying for those which may have an opening for oneself.

But one thing again to be kept in mind is that these days there are many bogus and misleading Scholarships being announced specially for studying abroad and these ensnare the candidate in such a way that it becomes very difficult to get out of their  clutches and the candidate incurs a heavy monetary loss. Therefore be vigilant when applying and specially be very cautious if they ask for original documents etc.

Don’t deposit your original certificates with any college. The Supreme Court and UGC have ordered that a photocopy of the original certificate is enough. At most, the original can be shown for verification and the photocopy left behind. Depositing original certificates closes your options.