“What are the scholarship requirements to get a scholarship in Jamaica?” or “what are the requirements to win one of your scholarship awards?” Are just two of the most frequently asked questions posed on scholarshipjamaica.com or asked of me in person, via telephone calls or on my social media pages.
Scholarship requirements in Jamaica, similarly to other Caribbean islands, the USA, Canada, UK and further in Europe are the same. In that, they all vary according to the donor, recipient, value and type of awards. It’s safe to say that nothing is set in stone as it relates to scholarship requirements in Jamaica.
Most common scholarship requirements in Jamaica
The most common scholarship requirements in Jamaica that a scholarship applicant will face are listed below, but are not set requirements or set in stone (as mention previously). These are scholarship requirements that you will see on 85 – 95% of all scholarship offers.
With over a combine ten (10) years of scholarship application and administration/management experience and an extensive research on scholarship programs in Jamaica and overseas; and most of all through my personal scholarship programs; I have identified these scholarship requirements that you need to know and satisfy as a Jamaican scholarship applicant.
The following are the basic scholarship requirements for Jamaican students:
- Be enrolled in a specific or general school and/or is accepted to study at a specified or general education institution.
- Be a Jamaican. Most if not all local scholarship requires that the applicant be a Jamaican and or domicile (live) in Jamaica for the past five (5) years.
- Obtained and maintain a specific grade point average (GPA) for the duration of the scholarship award. Most required GPAs are at or above 3.0 (average GPA requirement is 2.85 or a B+).
- Scholarship Essay. Most if not all scholarship requirements ask for a completed essay of at least 300 words on a specific or general topic of your school or course of study. Don’t be intimidated, writing a winning scholarship essay is a worthwhile investment in the end and this essay can be duplicated to apply to other scholarships. I will be writing a post on winning strategies for scholarship essay writing in the coming month to help you on this journey. Look out for it!
Additional Requirements
The ability to show financial need. What does this mean? You can present your case to the scholarship donor that you are unable to cover the cost of tuition or whatever educational expense that you seek funding for. This can be in the form of a certified letter (signed by a Pastor, principal, lecturer, or Justice of the Peace) stating the facts; or bank account statements, proof of income or lack thereof or a letter from the school outlining your debt.
This point varies according to your situation and the donor. If unsure, drop the donor an email, telephone call or drop by their office for clarification. This move could also help you in other ways, such as, getting to know the donor and they also get to know you and put a face to your application. There goes an advantage to you!
Be a member of. Another scholarship requirement is for you, the applicant, to be a member of an organization, school group, club or a faculty. For example: applicants must be a member of the Police Youth Club in their community. This is very important, because if you are not a member of the specific group, your application will most likely reach in file 13 aka “di rubbish pan”. Therefore always make sure you read the scholarship requirements before taking time out of your busy schedule to apply for an award that you’re not qualified for.
Gender. Unfortunately or fortunately, some scholarship targets a specific gender or both, depending on the donor and type or field of award. Apply for this scholarship opportunity ONLY if you are of the targeted gender. Unless you are in the process of a gender change, don’t waste your time to apply. Simple!
Completed application form. This is the simplest and most important scholarship requirement worldwide. Make sure all your forms are completed, reviewed and signed before you submit to the donor.
Application deadline. This is one of the most important type of scholarship requirements. ALWAYS make note of the scholarship deadline, failure to do so will leave you out in the cold as a scholarship non-winner. A good strategy that I use is to make note of all of my shortlisted scholarships in a calendar on my cellphone (you can use yours or any other type of calendar) and use this as a reminder to complete the application before the deadline.
What will you do?
Scholarship donors are turned off by late applications – don’t be a scholarship procrastinator! The best way to win a scholarship is to be one of the first to apply. This gives the scholarship donor/selection committee enough time to know you, research your needs and status, and contact you if additional information is needed. Unlike submitting an application on the deadline, you will not have time to make modification or to send additional information.
It’s simple, get an advantage by starting your scholarship research early, shortlist the ones you are qualified for, make a note of the deadline and ALL the scholarship requirements, fully complete the application form and attached required documents, review and submit – voila!
