Can I Get a Scholarship with Low CGPA?

‘Can I get a scholarship with low CGPA?’ is one of the most common questions scholarship seekers ask. The straightforward answer to this question is ‘Yes’. It is possible to get a scholarship with low CGPA. Perhaps a simple ‘Yes’ is not enough to give you the clear picture. Let’s have a broader view and understand how exactly it is possible to get a scholarship with low CGPA.

The CGPA is one of the criteria the scholarship selection committee takes into consideration. I like to emphasize here again. It is one of the criteria. That means there are other factors as well. From my experience as a scholars selection committee member, I personally do not emphasize on any particular criteria (e.g., CGPA) but consider every factor as equally important. So, what are the criteria? They are –

Language Test Score,
CV,
Letter of Motivation,
Letter of Recommendation,
Work Experience and
Research Profile.

If your have poor CGPA, put your effort to better the other factors. Make sure that your application stands out from the other competitors. In this article, I am going to show you how to do it.

Get Some Relevant Work Experience

If you are aiming for research scholarship, make sure you get some relevant experience. Most of the research-oriented universities prefer candidates who have relevant experience. Remember, the committee will recommend but the professor will make the final call. And definitely he will prefer someone already experienced even if his CGPA is low.

Research Publications and Citations

Publication in good journals with good number of citations will make anyone overlook your CGPA. I am going to say – trust me on this. Suppose your CGPA is 2.0 but you have a publication in Q1 journal with more than 10 citations. Your poor CGPA will be an advantage here rather being a barrier. You will be considered as an extra-ordinary. And guess what will happen. Yes, you are going to get the confirmation that based on your research profile you are going to receive a prestigious scholarship and other funds.

Motivation Letter

If you think you can write a motivation letter in an hour, then you are missing the whole point. Perhaps you have not been paying attention. Motivation letter matters. It carries on an average 20% of the weight in overall evaluation. Remember, you are not present in front of the selection committee. The motivation letter speaks for you. If you can convince the committee through it, no matter what your CGPA is, you will be the winner.

English Language Proficiency Test

It is for non-native English speaker. Nearly around 93.4% of the scholarship seekers are non-native English speakers. As a result, the IELTS/TOEFL score becomes an important selection criterion. On an average it weights up to 15%. So, make sure you cut a good figure from your English Language Proficiency Test to compensate your low CGPA.

Online Courses

Perhaps it won’t help in your professional career but to get a scholarship the certification from online courses plays a vital role. Do you know why? It reflects your agility to learn. It demonstrates that you utilize every chance you get in your life. And it builds a faith in you that you are not going to waste the scholarship money. Remember, the online courses certificate merely reflects how much you know about the subject but signifies how passionate you are about the topic. I think you have understood my point. So, put some work in it. Complete few relevant online courses and increase the chances of getting a scholarship with low CGPA.

Make Your CV Stand Out

It is true that the first impression is the last impression. And a perfect CV is the only way for you to draw the first impression when you are not physically present. Keep in mind that you have to highlight the relevant things on our CV. It should be clear and concise. Do not just a common CV to everywhere. Do a little of research before preparing the CV. Make it suitable for the post you are applying.

Remember, failure is the part of success. If your application gets rejected, don’t lose hope. This is the last puzzle piece of getting a scholarship with low CGPA. Do not stop until you get an acceptance. Keep developing yourself. Keep getting more experiences. CGPA is something that you cannot change. However, you can change yourself. You can better yourself. If your application is rejected, publish 2 more papers. Every time you get a rejection, put twice the effort you had put earlier. If you do not give up, getting a scholarship is simply a matter of time.