Affordable higher education in the UK? Possible

The UK houses some of the most renowned higher education and research institutions in the world. Three UK Universities rank among the top ten universities in the world, according to Times Higher Education Ranking. The World Economic Forum Global Competitiveness Report 2014-15 ranks UK second in the world for the quality of its scientific and research institutions. As much as 8% of global scientific publications in the world stem from the UK, while as many as 107 Nobel Prize winners have been produced by universities and research institutes based in the UK. It is natural that students and young professionals all over the world aspire to gain a higher education or professional training experience from the UK. Along with quality education, the multi-cultural environment in the UK provides young students and professionals a unique opportunity to grow as an individual and as a competent global citizen with not only a broad perspective about the world, but also a deeper understanding of themselves. However, the aspirations are often obstructed by the financial demands that accompany the prospects of a UK higher education. A higher education or professional training in UK is expensive. Many Bangladeshis, despite having the necessary talent and the intellectual resources, fail to realize their dreams of a UK higher education simply because they cannot meet the financial demands. To allow more Bangladeshis access to the world class higher education and professional training in the UK, the British Council Bangladesh links prospective students to international scholarships for Bangladeshi students seeking financial support for their UK education. Eligible candidates can use the awards to finance higher education or professional development programmes. Since 1960, over 1600 Bangladeshi citizens have been awarded Commonwealth Scholarships by the Commonwealth Scholarship Commission (CSC) in the UK to pursue post graduate study and professional development with UK institutions. These award holders have gone on to become academics, engineers, health experts and influencers in a variety of key sectors in Bangladesh and beyond. The British Council in and University of Grant Commission in Bangladeshi have been supporting this feature in coordination with the Association of Commonwealth Universities (ACU) under the Commonwealth Scholarship Commission (CSC) who administers the fellowship program. The schemes offers Bangladeshi nationals on  PhD, Masters, Split-Site Doctoral, Shared Master's and Distance Learning Masters Study. The A.S.Hornby Educational Trust scholarships are awarded every year to English language teachers from outside the UK to study for Masters in ELT at the University of Warwick. The Trust was set up by A S Hornby in 1961 to support English language teaching worldwide. A S Hornby had a distinguished career in English language teaching and developed the Oxford Advanced Learners’ Dictionary, which is still published in its 8th edition by Oxford University Press. The Trust is a registered charity in the UK. The scholarships fund study on the one-year Masters in ELT at the University of Warwick.The Hornby Scholarships are intended to support experienced English language teachers who have the potential to make a significant future contribution to English language teaching and teachers in their countries . The British Council IELTS Scholarships are awarded to assist more people to access international education experience. Five applicants planning to attend an undergraduate or postgraduate program with an IELTS recognised organisation overseas receives a scholarship worth BDT 300,000 each.  Students applying to higher education institutions in Australia, USA, UK and other countries may apply for this scheme. Scholarship payments are made directly to the attending higher educational institution in order to assist students with their tuition fees.Equity and Merit Scholarships – The University of ManchesterThis scholarship scheme aims to support Bangladeshi students, specifically from disadvantaged background, who have no means of studying in the UK without this financial support. The scholarships are jointly funded by the University of Manchester and its alumni. The University waives the tuition fee in full and the generosity of alumni covers students’ living costs and flights to the UK. S M Labib, an Urban Planner working in the field of development management as well as GIS and Remote-Sensing for the last couple of years, recently earned the Equity and Merit Scholarship with support from the British Council to pursue post graduate education in the University of Manchester. He says that his future plan is “to serve my country, when I return, and work on my professional expertise.” In April this year, the British Council awarded four eligible candidates Taka three lakh each to earn a higher education in the UK through the IELTS Scholarship program to finance undergraduate and postgraduate higher education. Deb Dipa Dipika, a recipient of the scholarship to pursue a higher education on Environmental, Resource, and Development Economics at the University of Winnipeg, said, “When you have the right blend of hard work and passion you are on the right track. IELTS unlocked the door to higher study abroad for me and British Council just made it easier!” In addition, the Charles Wallace Professional Visits Programme aids mid-career professionals to undertake three week to three month visits in the UK to broaden their professional knowledge, skills, and contacts. Likewise, many students every year are enjoying various scholarships with the support from the British Council to pursue higher education. Often, eligible candidates do not know where to look for scholarship offerings. Sometimes, eligible candidates give up their plans of a higher education abroad due to expenses involved, while looking at the right place could allow them the opportunity of their dreams with a scholarship. The British Council welcomes students looking for a postgraduate or professional development training scholarship in the UK to consult them, and to find out if they are eligible.