Difference Between Scholarship and Fellowship

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There are many schemes run by the government to further the education of the needy and meritorious students, based on specific criteria which should be fulfilled by the student, in order to avail it. Scholarship and fellowship are two such schemes which are quite commonly misconstrued in this regard. The scholarship is defined as a money granted by the government or any other organization to the students who fit the criteria set by the granting authority.

Conversely, the fellowship is the grant awarded to the scholars to support them in the pursuit of research.

For pursuing higher education, all the students must know the difference between scholarship and fellowship, as these two provide financial assistance to the candidates.

Comparison Chart

Basis for Comparison	Scholarship	Fellowship
Meaning	Scholarship refers to a type of grant provided to the students on their academic achievement, to encourage them for doing better.	Fellowship implies the financial aid awarded to the individuals willing to research further on a specific subject, after they qualify the prescribed exam.
Awarded to	Students	Research fellows
Based on	Need, merit and category	Merit
Funded by	Government, or any other organization.	Government, research organization, private companies etc.
Study	General studies	Undertaking research

Definition of Scholarship

The scholarship is used to mean the financial aid granted by the government, university or any other organization in order to support the education of the students. The amount of scholarship can be used to pay for tuition fees, books, and other expenses incurred. Unlike an education loan, neither it accrues interest, nor it requires repayment.

The grantor, i.e. government department or the organization lays down the criteria for availing scholarship, which may be academic achievement, category, needs, etc. The criteria for the selection of recipientexpresses the objective of the government. Further, the procedure for applying for the scholarship is also defined by the grantor.

Definition of Fellowship

Fellowship can be described as the grant provided to scholars from different disciplines such as science, agriculture, literature, management, arts etc., to recognize their excellence. It is an amount paid to research fellows for working on a particular subject under the supervision of an expert faculty, professor, head of the department etc.

The fellowship is a merit-based financial aid, provided to an individual to support him/her in the pursuit of the high level degree. It includes tution fees and stipend for living expense. It is awarded for a fixed term on the receipt of relevant details. The validity offer of Junior Research Fellow is two years which cannot be extended.

Key Differences Between Scholarship and Fellowship

The points given below are relevant so far as the difference between scholarship and fellowship is concerned:

The scholarship is nothing but a form of grant conferred to the students of undergraduate courses, on the basis of their academic qualification, to support them in their further studies and also encouraging them for doing better. On the contrary, fellowship connotes the financial assistance provided to the individuals who are willing to research further on a specific discipline, after they fulfil the prescribed criteria.
While scholarship is provided to the students, the fellowship is only for research fellows.
There are different types of scholarship, i.e. merit-based (awarded to meritorious students), need-based (awarded to poor and needy students) and category-based (awarded to the candidates belonging to a specific category). On the contrary, the fellowship is only merit-based, i.e. those candidates who are selected as research fellows can avail fellowship.
Scholarships are funded by the government, schools/colleges/university or any other organization. As against, fellowships are granted by Government, research organization, private companies, universities, etc.
The scholarship is awarded to support students in their basic studies. Unlike, the fellowship is given to scholars for conducting research on a specific subject.

Conclusion

While scholarship is provided to the students to assist them in pre-graduation studies, the fellowship is the financial aid provided to help the research scholars to conduct research in a particular field, after they complete their graduation or post graduation.

Some scholarships are renewable in nature, in the sense that students can reapply for them. On the other hand, the fellowship is for a fixed term only, which cannot be extended.