Mumbai : In an effort to assist students with their study abroad plans, iSchoolConnect, a US and India-based EdTech company guided study abroad aspirants to secure scholarships, fellowships, and grants worth ₹ 3.2 Crores.
When it comes to higher education overseas, students often face the terrible dilemma of whether or not they should go ahead with their plans due to the high costs of tuition. Organizations and governments worldwide offer scholarships, grants, and even fellowships to help students lessen their financial burdens somewhat so that they don’t have to abandon their education plans. Ashish Fernando, the CEO of iSchoolConnect, believes that students’ chances to fulfill their dreams should not be hindered by money. As an MBA scholarship winner himself, Ashish had an incredible story to tell.
So far, the organization has helped over 10,000 students get into universities like the Pennsylvania State University, New York University, Duke University, Carnegie Mellon University, Boston University, University of Texas, and more. iSchoolConnect also assisted these aspirants to receive scholarships worth over ₹ 2.8 Crores from universities, various organizations, and governments. These funds helped students cover their tuition fees, costs of living, and other miscellaneous expenses that come with studying abroad.
In addition to the above, the iSchoolConnect Scholarship was an altruistic venture started by Ashish Fernando in September 2020, when he decided to give back all the support he had received for his education abroad. The scholarship offers financial assistance of close to $50,000, i.e. around ₹ 40 lakhs, in the form of university application guidance, university fees, and flight tickets to deserving students in need.
When asked why iSchoolConnect focuses on scholarship assistance as much as university application guidance, Ashish says, “There are several reasons behind our motivation that involve guiding students towards their dreams and helping them ease their financial burdens. But most importantly, we want to dispel the myth that scholarships were only for the top scorers and students in merit. I can tell you from personal experience that it is entirely untrue and we want to help students understand that.”
Ashish Kumar Swain, one of the iSchoolConnect students, plans on heading to the prestigious University of Limerick. He spoke about the realities of studying abroad on a budget and the ways in which iSchoolConnect helped. He states, “I’m grateful that I came across the iSchoolConnect team. It has been a smooth experience for me where my mentor tried her best to understand my requirements and helped me select the universities that I dreamt of getting into. I targeted multiple university and private scholarships and finally secured one to reduce my financial burden.”
“While the iSchoolConnect Scholarship will be an annual phenomenon where students worldwide can check their eligibility and apply for a chance to study abroad without breaking their banks, we will always help our students get the best financial aid possible and work toward making their dreams come true”, says Vaibhav Gupta, the Alliances and Marketing Head at iSchoolConnect.
