A graduate (HND)

How to get a Scholarship with your HND

This article is a piece of good news for HND holders who want to apply for Masters with HND to Study Abroad. Most people are not aware that they can use their HND degree to apply for masters in the USA or any European country talk less of getting a scholarship with it.

Most People have this notion that HND holders cannot enrol for masters without having a B.Sc. or PGD (Postgraduate Diploma). But is it always the case?

I want you to know that you can enrol for your masters in foreign institutions with your HND certificate. To surprise you, HND holders sometimes impose advantages over the BSc. Holders and they are:

  • HND holders are not restricted to administrative duties like the BSc holders.
  • In the US, students with HND are preferred over their BSc counterparts as a result of their love for practical knowledge.
  • It is easy to get a job you can combine with work as an HND holder in the US or UK than the BSc holders.

 Can I do a Masters with an HND?

The majority of Masters programmes require a full honours degree. As an HND graduate, there may be opportunities for you, but you’ll need to check the course entry requirements as these offers are limited to the courses.

For example, you’re looking to enter the world of teaching, you must do a Postgraduate Certificate in Education (PGCE) before you can be admitted. See if your chosen course will accept HND graduates as you search for postgraduate courses. If you’re looking to pursue a new career path, you may be interested in conversion courses.

Can I get funding for further study?

Yes, you can. HNDs are eligible for government funding from Student Finance. However, funding is limited if you’re looking to top up your HND to a full Bachelor’s degree as this is widely considered a second qualification. Find out more about student loans and finance.

Additionally, your institution may be able to help with additional bursaries, scholarships and grants, which cater to a range of circumstances. Whether you’re from a disadvantaged background in need of financial aid, an exceptional athlete worthy of a scholarship, checking the conditions of your institution to see how they could help you is necessary. Click here for further details and guidance.

How Can I Get a Scholarship Abroad with HND?

Certain conditions must be in place to give you a hedge or hope in securing a scholarship. They are:

  1. If you have a distinction or upper credit,you have the chances of getting admission in the USA, this does not necessarily guarantee the admission until you meet up with all other requirements specified on the school website. This goes for the scholarship too.
  2. You have to evaluate your HND and ND Transcripts, and certificate either with WES or other evaluating bodies. You can do this by sending your Transcripts to WES through your school. Generally, there are three types of evaluations:

Document by Document

The document by document evaluation system lists and describes the educational institution(s) you attended and the education credential(s) you earned in your country as equivalent to US degrees (e.g. Bachelor, Master, Doctorate, etc.). This type of Evaluation is not advisable for master students. The cost estimate for this kind of evaluations is around $160 excluding sending the evaluation to your desired schools.

Course by Course

The kind of evaluation identify, describe and reports each diploma/certificate and provides an equivalency for each document. It gives a detailed description of periods of education, courses, credit hours, grades, and degrees, as well as overall academic performance in terms of the educational system in the United States (or your host country). The United States typically uses semester credits and a grade point average, or GPA, which is on a 4.0 scale. This is recommended for masters’ students.

This more expensive than the first one. This evaluation goes for $205 excluding sending the evaluation report to your desired schools.

Professional Work Experience Evaluation

The professional work experience evaluation is often used for immigration purposes most commonly for those applying for both work and study in the US. To read more, you can click on H-1B visas in the United States. This type of credential evaluation cannot be used for educational or licensing purposes.

To get more information on graduate schools with their different evaluations required, you can visit here.

Additional Information:

HND graduates can do corporate and professional jobs while studying in the UK, and it includes:

  • Higher education teaching professionals
  • IT user support technicians
  • Electrical engineers
  • Design and development engineers
  • Further education teaching professionals
  • Graphic designers

How can I improve my chances of getting a job in the UK with my HND?

Due to the vocational and practical nature of an HND, you may find work opportunities during your time in school. If you’re carrying out work experience alongside your studies, not only will you develop and hone the skills employers are looking for, but you’ll build contacts that will be useful in your job hunt after your studies.

As states earlier, HND graduates have the advantage of gaining a wealth of practical, specialized experience before securing their first graduate position. I will advise you to emphasize your assets in a skills-based CV while applying and cover letter to impress your potential employers. Click here to read more on it.

Conclusion

Possessing an HND result can be blessing in a disguise. It gives you access to more vocational jobs and you can easily combine them with your studies. The good thing is that possessing vocational and extra-curricular skills gives you a hedge in securing scholarships.

25 Comments

  • Nawab Akram
    April 23, 2022

    Asalam o alikum sir !
    I’m a student of HND currently in 4th semester and I want to know about M.phil / MS in HND foreign scholarship policy and criteria , I mean I want to do my M.phil in HND form USA or UK , can I have the details please,,, anxiously waiting for your response sir

    • webmaster
      June 14, 2022

      Hello Nawab, we are glad to see people move in their academic and career pursuit. We were just seeing your comment. We see you are clear about what you want. You can actually apply for any course of your choice in any foreign university with the right grades. Do let us know ways we can support you through the process. Please send us a mail at leavingnigeria@gmail.com.

  • Chinaza Nwaneri
    August 15, 2022

    Good morning sir,
    I’d like to thank you for the great information because I have been having same notion about my HND certificate.
    As I do not have any experience in this search and how to go about it, I’d like to know if I can apply for my transcript while I process my international passport, like can I start my WES evaluation even without having my international passport.

    Thank you for your generous response.

    Chinaza Nwaneri

    • webmaster
      August 15, 2022

      Hello Chinaza!

      Thank you for reaching out. You can begin your WES Evaluation without your international passport. But note that in the process of application you may be required to have gotten your international passport ready. It’s always good to have all your documentations ready.

      Cheers to your success!!!

  • Ajah Emmanuel Raymond
    August 30, 2022

    Good evening, my name is Ajah Emmanuel Raymond I am a graduate with HND in chemical engineering, I want to know if I can get free scholarship to study any course of choice in Canada, USA or UK.
    Thank you in anticipation.

    • webmaster
      September 21, 2022

      Dear Emmanuel,

      Hope you are keeping well. Was just coming across your comment. You can actually get a full or partial scholarship in any of these countries. Note that most of this scholarships may be geared towards developing your home country so that implies that you will come back after your programme.

  • Tolulope
    September 20, 2022

    Hello,
    Thanks for the information.I currently do have my international passport,and HND Certificate ready and i am about applying for my transcript this month, but i am finding it hard seeing a course within the built environemtn for my Msc pursuit.I am lookig at studing Housing, Facility Mgt, Ppty Devt, PPty Mgt or related fields as i have an HND in Estate Mgt and currently work as a Facility Manager here in Lagos with valuable years of experience.
    Kindly notify me of schools you know that offer such courses so i can check them out and apply immediately.

  • Chinaza
    September 21, 2022

    Thanks for the response. Can I request for my transcript even before I get a school or get my passport?

    • webmaster
      September 21, 2022

      Dear Chinaza,

      It is always advisable to get your transcript as soon as you are done with your course. Once your school makes it available, you have to apply for it because sometimes last minute rush when you are applying or have applied for a school may lead to losing opportunities. Please do apply for it right away.

  • IKUOMOLA AGBOOLA OLORUNSOGA
    October 13, 2022

    Good day, my name is IKUOMOLA AGBOOLA O from Nigeria, please how can I apply for my MSc. programme. Thanks

    • webmaster
      October 13, 2022

      What course do you want to study and what country?

  • Ajayi Folusho
    October 21, 2022

    Hello Sir,

    Thank you for the above information. Please sir I’m an HND holder in Accounting with lower Credit, do I have chance of gaining scholarship outside Nigeria?
    Secondly, most scholarship site requests for application fee minimum of $100 CAD (Non-refundable), is such a legit scholarship sir?

    • webmaster
      October 30, 2022

      Hello Ajayi,

      We will suggest that you enrol for a Post Graduate Diploma course to strengthen your application. The chances might be slim if your current grades is all you are putting forward on your scholarship application. Also, note that these scholarships are mostly based on how strong your applications are.

      To your second question, it is very good you are trying to clarify if this is legit. It is important to check further, what schools are involved in such scholarships. You can check the school’s website if they have such scholarships on their financial assistance webpage. We hope this helps, you can shoot us a mail at leavingnigeria234@gmail.com

      Thank you!

  • Ayodele F . F
    October 22, 2022

    Thank you for the educative information

    • webmaster
      October 30, 2022

      You are very much welcome. We are glad it was helpful.

  • Opara Tessy Amaka
    October 22, 2022

    Good day sir.
    Please I don’t know if I can get a scholarship to further my education abroad?
    And if yes, please which country is giving out scholarship for HND holders?
    I studied microbiology.
    And what are the requirements sir?
    Thank you very much sir, waiting for your response sir.
    I am a Nigerian.

    • webmaster
      October 30, 2022

      Hello Amaka,

      Currently, there are a couple of scholarships for different countries. Though some might require a Post Graduate Diploma and some might not. It is important to note that having a strong application will play a huge role in getting a scholarship. The first place to start is to have countries of your choice and that makes it easier to sought out scholarships in these countries. You can send us an email at leavingnigeria234@gmail.com so we continue this conversation and see ways we can assist you.

      Thank you!

  • Taiwo Oluwabunmi Dorcas
    October 30, 2022

    Good evening, my name is Taiwo Dorcas, I am a HND holder but I really want to apply for my masters but I dont know how to go about it. I studied science laboratory technology for ND and HND in Microbiology. How do I reach out!

    • webmaster
      October 30, 2022

      Hello Dorcas, you can reach out to using this email: leavingnigeria234@gmail.com

      We await your mail.

      • Adeyemi Tunde
        May 12, 2023

        Good evening sir, i have applied to an institution in usa with hnd certificate, but I was told my hnd certificate is evaluated as associate degree in america, what can I do to convince them or can wes really help

  • Olawuni Simeon Oladayo
    December 31, 2023

    I wish to apply for a program in United Kingdom, America or Canada. What are mine chances of getting an offer, because I made Lower Credit. I studied Civil Engineering, and I also have my PMI certification in Project management and have working experience of almost 15years in construction industry here in Nigeria. is it actually possible to work within the construction industry in United Kingdom? I asked this question because a number of friends based in United Kingdom told me it is not easy getting jobs there Hmmmmm

  • Olawuni Simeon Oladayo
    December 31, 2023

    I wish to apply for a program in United Kingdom, America or Canada. What are mine chances of getting an offer, because I made Lower Credit. I studied Civil Engineering, and I also have my PMI certification in Project management and have working experience of almost 15years in construction industry here in Nigeria. is it actually possible to work within the construction industry in United Kingdom? I asked this question because a number of friends based in United Kingdom told me it is not easy getting jobs there.

  • Tosin onayiga
    March 5, 2024

    Good day sir, I’d really want to know more about applying for scholarships. Since I’m an HND holder, do I go for pgd first? Or international passport or transcript?

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