A gap year, also known as a sabbatical year, is usually when students take a break from their academic studies to explore other areas in life such as their passion or gain work experience. The primary reason for taking a gap year is to promote self-growth, independence, and self-exploration. As many organizations across the globe have recognized the true potential of a gap year and also adopted that mindset, they usually provide funding in the form of scholarships to all those aspiring students who always had a dream to study abroad, explore new countries, and cultures but never got an opportunity for themselves.
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To get more detailed insight about gap year and its benefits, you can head over to the must-read blog below after reading about the amazing scholarships and grants you can get if you consider taking a gap year.
Must Read– What is a Gap Year?
Scholarship Type | Gap Year |
Provided By | Different Non-Profit Organizations |
Open to | All Nationalities (few have residential requirements) |
Scholarship Value | Varies depending on the scholarship grants |
Scholarship Type | Need-Based or Merit Based |
Few Gap Year Scholarships
As we discussed earlier, gap year scholarships are organized by various non-profit organizations to provide financial aid to students who want to explore different career opportunities or students who need this funding for their further studies abroad or traveling.
Here are a few gap year scholarships you need to have a look at if you are currently planning or if already taken a gap year from your academics.
Vetro Opportunity Grant and Vetro Scholars Award
This scholarship is provided by Vetro Education as an opportunity where you can reduce your tuition fee depending on the grant you get. The scholarship value varies from USD 5,000 to USD 14,000 ie. (INR 4.1 Lakh to INR 11 Lakh) as it’s a merit-based scholarship and you will be granted the amount which depends on your merit and how you perform in the personal interview round.
Eligibility–
- Funding will be awarded based on Expected Family Contribution (determined by the FAFSA)
- Candidates must maintain a GPA of 3.0 and higher
- Candidate’s high school GPA will also be evaluated and is expected to have it on a higher side
- Candidate can be of any nationality
If all the above conditions are met then the student can apply for the grant by visiting Verto Education’s official website.
United Planet Service Scholarship
This gap year scholarship is provided by a non-profit organization named United Planet. This merit-based grant where the scholarship value varies from USD 250 to USD 5000 ie. (INR 20,000 to INR 4.1 Lakh)
Eligibility–
- Applicants need to volunteer for a short or long-term abroad
- Applicant should be participating for the first time
- The applicant’s age should be 16 years at the time of joining
- This scholarship cannot be combined with any other scholarships offered by United Planet
- Applicant can be of any nationality
If you find yourself eligible as per the eligibility criteria mentioned above you can apply for this scholarship just by visiting United Planet’s official website.
Omprakash Ethical Global Engagement Grants
This scholarship is also provided by a non-profit organization named Omprakash it’s primary objective is to provide students with financial aid for the students who need it, which makes it a need-based scholarship grant and there are various benefits of this scholarship. So we will list down the benefits and eligibility below, kindly have a look:
Benefits-
- This scholarship offers partial or full tuition fee reduction
- Travel Grant is offered which can range between USD 500 to USD 1,500 ie. (INR 40,000 to INR 1.2 Lakh)
- Crowdfund Matching Grant will be provided up to USD 1,500 ie. (INR 1.2 Lakh)
Eligibility-
- Candidate can be of any nationality
- No age is specified for the candidate
- Applicants must be a part of the Widening Circles EdGE learning community
- Applicants must enroll themselves on the EdGE learning platform
- Applicants must be committed to volunteering for at least 3 months
- Applicants must use the Omprakash Crownfund platform
If you find yourself eligible as per the eligibility criteria mentioned above you can apply for this scholarship just by visiting United Omprakash’s official website.
HI USA Explore the World Scholarship
This gap year scholarship is provided by Hostelling International. Its main objective is to provide Financial Aid for needy students who are planning to travel and learn but doesn’t have the relevant experience or financial condition, which makes it a need-based scholarship. The scholarship value is USD 2,000 ie. (INR 1.6 Lakh) but this also has a residency requirement.
Eligibility-
- The candidate’s age should be within 18-30 years
- Applicant must be a U.S citizen or permanent resident
- The applicant should be planning an upcoming international trip for educational or volunteering purposes
- Applicant must attend a school where HI USA has a community presence
If you find yourself eligible as per the eligibility criteria mentioned above you can apply for this scholarship just by visiting Hostelling International’s official website.
Also Read– Is Study Gap Acceptable in Canada?
Other Gap Year Scholarships (Residential Requirement)
Here are some other gap year scholarships which have residential requirements, kindly have a look:
- Carpe Diem Education Scholarship
- MASA Isreal Journey Scholarship
- USA Gap Year Scholarship
- Freeman Awards – Asia
- Eva Gunther Fellowship
Other Gap Year Scholarships (Without Residential Requirement)
Here are some other gap year scholarships without residential requirements, kindly have a look:
- Alzar Gap Merit-Based Scholarship (Deadline- 1st May 2023)
- Cow House Studios Gap and Summer Scholarship
- The Pollination Project Scholarship
- Global Citizen Year Scholarship
- EF Gap Year Awards
Also Read– Best Gap Year Programs
FAQs
Ans: It is not about whether you should or shouldn’t take a gap year. It’s an individual’s decision to follow his/her aspiration to explore the world and find the purpose of his life or find different work opportunities abroad and gain multiple skills and work experience.
Ans: It can vary between 2 weeks to 12 months depending on an individual’s choice.
Ans: Absolutely not, If you do anything productive within that time period it would rather create a positive and good impression for you and may also increase your chances of getting an admission.
This was everything related to Gap Year Scholarships. As we all know how hectic and overwhelming the whole process of studying abroad can be so if you are searching for a top university and planning for studying abroad, you can reach us at 1800 57 2000 and contact our Leverage Edu experts. Additionally, you can also connect with us through our socials like Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, and LinkedIn.