Studying medicine can be a costly affair and it can cause severe financial strain. Taking heed of this fact, many colleges, universities and financial institutes offer various kinds of scholarships to pursue a career in medicine and surgery. Furthermore, many country governments, in order to encourage the influx of more international students, offer specialized medicine and surgery scholarships. If you are looking for such a scholarship to continue your medical education and to study medicine and surgery abroad, below is a comprehensive list.

Physicians of Tomorrow- American Medical Association: Since medical education is extremely costly, the AMA Foundation has established the Physicians of Tomorrow Scholarship to help fund medical students who have a high medical debt on their heads. These scholarships are awarded to third year medical students and the amount usually awarded is $10,000. Nearly 8 to 10 students are awarded this scholarship. Factors such as excellence in academics and financial need are taken into consideration.

How to Apply
If you are interested in this scholarship, you will have to contact your medical school who will not only provide you with the application form but also inform you about other requirements such as transcript/scores, letter of recommendation etc.

International Undergraduate Merit Scholarships-Newcastle University This is a part-scholarship for international students studying at Newcastle University. The degree is awarded to deserving students who have a good academic history and are in need of financial assistance. A value of £1,500 is awarded to deserving students. Furthermore, the university also offers Newcastle University India Scholarships to 2 deserving students every year. The amount awarded is £3000 each to 2students who are nationals of India and have achieved more than 85% in their 12^th standard.

How to Apply
In order to apply for the Newcastle University India Scholarships, students will have to apply by filling out an application form online attached with a personal statement which does not exceed 500 words. The completed forms can be e-mailed to india-at-ncl.ac.uk

Chevening Scholarships: Chevening Scholarships are offered by the UK government for global students funded by the Foreign and Commonwealth Office. The scholarships are awarded to outstanding students who present leadership qualities from across the world. Country specific scholarships are awarded in a number of fields including healthcare. The scholarships offer a monthly stipend, travel costs, thesis/ dissertation grant and tuition fee.

How to Apply
Before making an application for a Chevening Scholarship, you must first determine whether you are eligible or not. After that select the Chevening Award from the application page and answer the pre-screen questions to determine if you are eligible. Later, make an account and then complete the application process step by step online. No paper applications are entertained.

Chinese American Physicians Society (CAPS): CAPS offers scholarship of value $2000 to $5000 annually to students studying in medical schools in USA. The scholarships are not restricted to any race or religion, but are instead open for all deserving students who require financial aid. Applicants are awarded the scholarships based on a number of factors such as financial need, academics, essays and community service records. Application submission usually ends by the end of March every year.

International Scholarships for Surgical Education-American College of Surgeons: The American College of Surgeons, Division of Education offers 2 international scholarships in the field of surgical education. Each scholarship is of the value $10,000 and it provides a chance to deserving international students to further learn and research in surgical education. The scholarship is awarded to students of medicine only and they should fulfill a number of criteria as mentioned on the official website.

How to Apply
Students must fill an application form and send it along with supporting documents such as 3 publications and letters of recommendations from colleagues, an essay regarding their work setting which should be no more than page long etc.

Edith SeVille Coale Scholarship-Zonta Club of Washington D.C: This scholarship is awarded to female medical students entering second or third year of medical school. Candidates should have excellent academic record along with valid need for financial aid. Furthermore, candidates must be enrolled in either of the following medical colleges to be eligible: Georgetown University School of Medicine, John Hopkins University School of Medicine, Howard University College of Medicine and The George Washington University Medical School of Medicine and Health Sciences. The award amount varies between $5,000 to $8,000.

How to Apply
In order to apply for this scholarship, students must submit their application form via their school’s Financial Aid office.

University of Auckland, School of Medicine- International Student Scholarships: Whether a student resides overseas and plans to pursue a medical degree in New Zealand or is an international student already studying at University of Auckland, there are a number of scholarships being offered by the university for such international students. Furthermore, there are also some country-specific scholarships which can be explored by students. You can check the eligibility and application procedure of every scholarship by visiting their respective web pages.

University of Dundee: For Post Graduate studies, University of Dundee has a number of scholarship programs directed towards deserving students. Some of the Scholarships offered by the University include;

-Minimal Access Surgery: Offered to students for a value of up to £5,000. There are two kinds of Scholarships under this program, Financial Hardship Scholarship and Academic Merits Scholarship.
-MRes Cancer Biology Scholarship: Scholarships amount range from £500 to £3,000 and this Scholarship is awarded as tuition fee for international students entering into the MRes Cancer Biology Program.
-COTACTyL Scholarship: Especially for Mexican students entering MRes Cancer Biology.

The University also offers the Dow Memorial Trust Scholarship for Undergraduate International Students who have been accepted to the medicine or dentistry program at the University.

How to Apply
To apply to the available programs, you can contact the Admissions and Student Recruitment office who will guide you accordingly.

Career Opportunities

Upon successful completion of medical studies, students have the chance to pursue a range of specializations. Being a vocational degree, students have the opportunity to develop practical and clinical capabilities. There are a range of fields which can be accessed after completing your degree. Apart from becoming a medical practitioner in a hospital or clinical setting, students can also look for opportunities in other fields such as the armed forces, overseas aid agencies, research institutes and teaching jobs.

Since it is a lucrative field, an increasing number of students from across the globe are looking to pursue this field. However, the cost of pursuing this field is very high and therefore students seek scholarships and grants for the same. The above mentioned scholarships are especially targeted towards such deserving but needy students.