Applying and getting a bursary is not that hard, but actually finding the right bursary for you can be a little more difficult. Bursaries are offered if you are in financial need or if you are really good at athletics or some educational topic, so there is not much to do there than present the facts in a good light or pay special attention when you fill out the application.

The bursaries are however different. Not all of them offer the same amount of money and you should also pay attention to the length of the bursary. To understand where you can start looking for bursaries you must understand who is giving them out. Most of the time you`ll be able to find a bursary offered by your universities. If you are not yet at university is a good practice to see what independent or state universities offer bursaries for students that need the help. You may want to choose a certain university instead of another as it will be free for you to study there. Bursaries are also offered by institutions and they target different criteria. This is when you will need to choose them according to what you are good at.

The best way to find bursaries is to go ahead and ask about their availability at each big university in your town or the town where you want to go to study in. The university officials will be able to tell you if they have any available bursaries and what are the requirements. Phone or email local institutions to see if they are currently offering bursaries and if they are associated with any universities in the country. Go firstly to the institutions that treat subject in which you are interested.

Use the internet to your advantage, but be smart about it. Search for bursaries in your town or on a certain subject. A “biology bursary in Washington” will probably get you better results than a general search on “bursaries in the USA”.

Go on student forums and look for threads related to bursaries or ask others how they managed to get a bursary. You will get loads of useful information this way. Ask around and make everyone know that you are interested in getting a bursary. You never know who might know about one or who might be able to give you a hand.