Tuition coverage is only one line
A tuition waiver can be extremely valuable while still leaving substantial living and mandatory costs. Do not equate tuition-free with full financial support.
Stipend needs local context
A monthly or annual stipend should be compared with realistic local living costs and whether it is paid throughout the full year.
Mandatory fees can survive a waiver
Student fees, insurance or other charges may remain. Check whether the award explicitly covers them.
Duration matters as much as amount
A generous one-year award does not fully fund a two-year master’s. A doctoral package should be compared with expected program duration and continuation rules.
Renewal can be conditional
Academic performance, teaching/research duties, satisfactory progress or funding availability can affect continuation. Record the conditions.
Use coverage labels instead of marketing labels
Scholar’s preferred model is to store components—tuition, stipend, fees, travel, duration—then derive a practical description. This is safer than trusting a broad “full scholarship” headline.
Turn this into a repeatable research workflow
Apply the same checks to every option in the shortlist. Save the source that supports each important fact, record the review date, and keep unresolved items visible. This is where a structured Scholar workspace becomes more valuable than separate browser tabs and spreadsheets.
Final verification rule
Before a high-stakes action—paying a fee, submitting an application, relying on an award or accepting an offer—recheck the current official source appropriate to that claim. This guide is a research framework, not an admission, funding or immigration guarantee.