If you think you are the only one in the race for bursaries and scholarships you are gravely mistaken. It is actually a very harsh battle for them and most people do not know the facts about this field. The reality is much harsher than you can imagine and here are some of the facts.

Full-ride scholarships are rare. Less than 0.3 percent of the students who apply get one. So do not bet on getting one and certainly do not put all your trust into covering your college expenses with a scholarship. You can get partial grants, scholarships and bursaries, but there is a great chance that they will not cover all your costs. One way to get out of this is to get a combination of scholarships, especially private ones and cash so you can truly cover all the costs.

Statistics say that white, Caucasian students are more likely to get private scholarships. You might think that minorities receive the most scholarships, but the numbers show a very different situation. It may be based on the fact that there are more Caucasian students who apply, but the thing you must get out of this is that you should never be discouraged by rumors and that you should always apply for a grant or a scholarship.

Income is sometimes irrelevant. Statistics show that many students whose parents earn between $50.000 and $100.000 per year actually get scholarships (but not bursaries). The reason for this is that scholarships are offered on merit while bursaries are offered based on the income of the family. It is only fair this way. Everybody should have a chance to get his or hers merits recognized no matter from what family he or she comes from. Your family income will not prevent you from getting a scholarship. It will probably won`t even be taken into consideration.

The situation is very different when it comes to bursaries as they are offered on the base that you cannot afford to sustain the studies. No matter what your case is, go ahead and apply for all the scholarships and bursaries you can find out about. You are just one step away from success.

There are legit bursaries and there are fake ones. When you are looking for a bursary you need to know that you are dealing with legit institutions and companies. You should get a bursary with a minimum investment of money even if you will need to put some time into filling the application and preparing the documentation. Here are some of the traps that you need to look out for:

High processing fee. Not all bursaries have processing fees, but some do and you will quickly get used to it. Pay attention at the amount of the fee because you will not get that back. If it seems too big or if an institution is too eager to collect it investigate a little more. Ask them for what are you paying the fee and if you cannot postpone it a little longer.

Credit card data. Only give your credit card data when know why you are giving it away. It is advisable to only give your credit card data if you are purchasing something at that very moment and if the page where you insert it is SSL secured and safe. Do not put the credit card data on any of the application forms, institutions do not ask for it.

The bursary amount. Don`t just apply to bursaries before you know how much you are going to get if you get accepted. The reason is simple, sometimes, if you get accepted to a certain bursary that blocks your way to getting accepted for other bursaries so you will only have one source of revenue and that will not be so consistent. Ask the educational consultant or whoever represents the institution what are the minimum and maximum amounts that are offered and what influences those sums.

Choose intermediaries well. There are companies that facilitate getting a bursary either by giving information faster or doing the search for you or by taking care of some part of the application process. Make sure you have a conversation with one of the representative before collaborating with a company like this and make sure they have a money back guarantee.

When looking for bursaries and applying for them you need to pay attention not only to the documentation, but also to the people you are working with.