Scholarship Tip # 2: Don’t Apply to Every Scholarship

It might make sense to apply to every scholarship that comes your way but consider our advice to apply only to a few scholarships. This will not only save you time and effort but also help you improve your chances in getting a scholarship.

This advice follows the Pareto Principle or the 80/20 Rule. Applying this principle in scholarship application, it is wise to apply only to 20% of available scholarships that would give you 80% chance of success.

Let’s try to put this into example.

You are an African, particularly, a Nigerian looking for a scholarship in Masters in Development Studies in Germany. After your search, you were able to find 10 scholarships that are available for Africans for study in Germany.

Following the advice above, you will try to focus on applying to 2-3 scholarships that gives you higher chances of success. The question now is, how do you pick the scholarships you should apply to?

This question can be answered by considering the following criteria:

1. Which among the 10 scholarships you found are specifically targeted to Nigerians?

2. Which among the 10 scholarships are aligned to your qualifications?

3. Which among the 10 scholarships prioritize the study programme you are applying for?

The ideal scholarship you are looking for is a scholarship program that is targeted specifically to Nigerians, whose eligibility requirements matches your qualifications, and if possible, whose priority programs include Masters in Development Studies or related programs.

Applying to a scholarship that is matched to your citizenship, qualifications, and interests generally gives you better chances. As well, applying only to a few scholarships gives you more time to make a great scholarship application letter, complete all your application requirements, and submit your application on time.

This advice is not meant to be a rule; you are always free to apply to more scholarships as you wish if you would think it would increase your chances. The general advice is to make sure you are applying for scholarships that are matched to you and not just any scholarship that presents itself.

Browse through our categories to find scholarships that are best matched to you!