There are various reasons why scholarship applications are rejected or may be rejected. Today, we present the reasons why your application may be rejected or was rejected. These reasons run through all scholarship applications.
Before we dive into the reasons, we must first of all, acknowledge the fact that, in every game, there are rules. Just as in football, Volleyball, Basketball, just name any of your favorite games, there are rules, so do we have rules that govern every application process. In this case, we are referring to the requirements of the scholarship you will be applying for.
If you fail to play by the rules, it is either you are going to lose or be banned, or be rejected. That is with scholarship applications too.
Applicants who respect and provide every requirement of the scholarship make the work of the selection committee easier and it also increases their possibilities of getting the scholarship.
Here are the reasons why the scholarship application was rejected
1. Applying too late for the scholarship
Every scholarship program we have come across has a reasonable number of days for applicants to submit their applications.
There is no need waiting for the last day to submit your application, It might be rejected. One thing you have to know is that every application received about 10× the needed number and so you make the work of the selection committee very easy if you fail to provide the least requirement you were supposed to add.
You may not notice certain mistakes that the hat you may have made since you would be under pressure to meet the deadline. The least mistake you make, the higher the chances of getting your application bounced.
Note that the selection committee may be dealing with tons of applications, and so it will be rare to be pardoned for these mistakes.
2. Submitting Incomplete Application.
A lot of applications are rejected because of incomplete applications.
Incomplete in this case may be referred to as the failure to provide all the needed information or failure to attach all the necessary documents.
More people get their application rejected because of this. 60% of people whose applications are rejected are due to this.
There is a legitimate reason why every scholarship committee request for every requirement. It most at times determines your eligibility, once you do not have it, that is all. Make sure you attach every document needed in the application process.
3. Writing unconvincing Motivational or Personal Statement
There is a reason why every scholarship selection committee request for your motivation letter or personal statement.
Most times, they want to ascertain why you are choosing that career path, your motivation for choosing that, and how it generally correlates with your ambitions.
If your course is about development, they want to know the progress you seem to achieve in society once you are sponsored to achieve that goal.
Overuse of phrases like I am poor, my parents are poor and what have will not influence the decision of the selection committee. After all, you all need help and that is why you have gone through all this hustle to apply.
Not that motivation letters are meant to define your reasons why you have chosen your program and its impact on your future career.
4. Applying for Scholarships you do not qualify for.
Just imaging submitting an application for a postgraduate scholarship, meanwhile, you are an undergraduate student. This automatically disqualifies you from the scholarships.
Some applications may be country-specific such that it makes other applicants from ineligible countries automatically disqualified.
The application notice may say, “Only citizens of Commonwealth countries can apply”. What it means is that if you don’t belong to any of these countries, you can not apply.
Some may even specify that the application is for students who are reading STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics) programs. This makes any other applicant automatically ineligible.
5. Not meeting the language requirements
Some applications require you, applicants, to know the language of instruction.
They, therefore, require applicants to submit results of the language proficiency test of the language it is not your first language.
A typical example is if the language of instruction is English, they may require you to be fluent in other to qualify.
Quick Wins
1. Make sure you have your number and e-mail address on your application letter. Don’t let the selection struggle to find it.
2. Make sure you have your up-to-date transcript before applying.
3. If you are required to attach current fees, make sure you attach that, if it is not ready, it will be best to get an estimate from the school’s account office for processing. The selection committee will be dealing with a lot of applicants and may not have time for your excuses.
Conclusion
To stand a high chance of winning scholarships, make sure you submit your application on time to avoid possible mistakes.
Make sure all important and relevant fields of the application have been attended to.
Write a killer personal statement that truly represents you and your career ambition.
Finally, make sure you meet all the requirements in the first place before you start with your application.