SecureMyScholarship, a first of its kind Dubai-based edtech startup, is embarking on a monumental mission to simplify the path to higher education for 10 million aspiring Indian students by aiding them in securing scholarships for their overseas university education.
In a world where education is pivotal, access to it sadly still remains extremely elusive and available only to the privileged few. This is especially true in India, with its rich tapestry and humongous pool of talent, witnesses countless dreams of a better life through quality higher education dissipate due to fiscal constraints. In 2022, across all degree levels over 500,000 Indian students decided to pursue their higher education overseas. While that number is incredibly large, it is merely a drop in the bucket compared to the overall number of Indians who turn 18 every year - 13 million students. Statistics repeatedly show that the gross majority of these students wish to study at top ranked universities in the USA, UK and elsewhere, and the fact that only 4 percent of them are actually able to pursue this ambition is a sign that the system is simply not working.
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SecureMyScholarship aims to bridge this divide through its first of its kind scholarship finder search engine, which connects students with guaranteed scholarships and fee waivers at its network of partner universities. At the core of SecureMyScholarship lies a technologically-robust platform, meticulously designed to sew a seamless connection between students and scholarships at universities. By leveraging a sophisticated understanding of the target customer and optimizing algorithms that govern how its scholarship search finder engine works, the platform ensures accurate and exhaustive matchmaking between students and potential scholarships, unraveling a pathway that’s transparent, simplified, and within reach. Through its work, the fledgling edtech platform is literally changing lives every single day.
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The far-reaching arms of SecureMyScholarship extend beyond mere scholarship matchmaking. It's an ecosystem where universities and students coalesce into a universe of educational prosperity. Through strategic collaborations with universities and scholarship funds, the platform ensures that altruism reaches its true destination – aspiring and talented young individuals who are limited purely by their financial situations.
SecureMyScholarship was founded by father-son duo Craig and Ian Fernandes, both NRIs in Dubai, who wanted to build a platform that helped make higher education more accessible and affordable for all students across all social classes and income levels. Since being founded in November 2021, the young startup has scaled unimaginable heights and has grown its team to over 25 team members based around the world. Craig and Ian have so far raised over 500 thousand dollars from a network of reputed angel investors to help them demonstrate product market fit and scale SecureMyScholarship.
On its website, SecureMyScholarship lists over 80,000 course options and 300 university partners from the USA, the UK and Dubai, each of whom have multiple scholarships available for students on the platform. Some of its most notable partners worldwide include Arizona State University and Cleveland State University in the USA, the University of Sussex and Middlesex University in the UK, and the University of Birmingham in Dubai. In Dubai, which is the edtech startup’s home city, the platform counts among its partner base almost every single private university in the city.
All a student has to do is navigate to SecureMyScholarship.com and use the filters available, such as program, education level, budget, location and more, to find the university that best meets his criteria. All universities have their scholarships listed, so there is full transparency in the scholarship opportunities available. Once a student has decided where to apply, the student can then submit their university application to the university directly from SecureMyScholarship’s website, which also doubles as their scholarship application. Once your university application has been submitted, it will be received by the platform’s support team, who will parse through the information sent and verify if everything is in order. Assuming everything is in place, a student can expect to receive their scholarship offer letter within 1 to 3 weeks of submission.
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As of August 30 2023, SecureMyScholarship has disbursed over 6.5 million dollars in scholarships to aspiring students from working class and middle class families, and has helped change the lives of thousands of people along the way. One of those student’s is Rahul, a 24 year old boy from Lucknow, who epitomizes the impact SecureMyScholarship envisages.
Hailing from a lower middle class background, his dreams of pursuing an MBA from a reputed university abroad were mere mirages until SecureMyScholarship became the compass navigating him to a scholarship that transformed his future. Through the platform, Rahul was able to secure a combination of various scholarships that brought him a 25% reduction in his tuition fees and allowed him to pursue his MBA in the United States. The young boy from Uttar Pradesh who once only dreamed of studying abroad is now successfully enrolled for classes and literally living his dreams with his entire future ahead of him.
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The ripples created by SecureMyScholarship traverse beyond individual stories and national borders. It's a catalyst initiating a domino effect, where empowered students evolve into empowered citizens, uplifting communities, and, by extension, India itself. As SecureMyScholarship continues on its journey to illuminate the path for millions, the journey ahead is abundant with further bridges to build, ensuring that every student, irrespective of their caste, creed, ethnicity, and most importantly financial stature, is devoid of barriers in their educational journey.
