The BrightSparks Scholarship & Education Survey has long been instrumental in offering unprecedented insight into the minds, concerns, and sources of guidance in a student’s life. Last year was no exception. The data extracted here from students provide comprehensive information on how GCE-A Level, International Baccalaureate (IB) students, and polytechnic students and alumnus perceive their educational and employment prospects.

Read on for answers to the most frequently asked questions regarding the survey.

1)      What is the BrightSparks Scholarship and Education Survey?

For over a decade, the BrightSparks Scholarship & Education Survey has provided an in-depth examination of student mindsets, priorities and sources of information and guidance. This year, too, the results of the survey provide a wellspring of insights as to how GCE-A Level and International Baccalaureate students, as well as polytechnic students and graduates, think and feel about the educational and employment landscape.

The survey seeks to understand how students are currently learning about the scholarship options, how much they know about them, what type of channels they prefer learning about them and what kind of format of this scholarship information they prefer. This comprehensive set of questions is used to measure awareness, or lack thereof regarding scholarships, higher education and more. With the survey findings as a basis, scholarship providers can better formulate marketing, communication and outreach efforts that connect deeply with their target audience while schools and educators can have a better idea of why and what scholarship information is missing to help them further their higher education.

2) What is the duration of the survey?

Every year, the survey starts from the 1^st of April until the 31^st of August. For this year’s survey, it has already begun and students are able to proceed to take it now.

3) Who should be filling out the survey?

While any secondary school and above students are able to participate in the survey, we mainly target to poll GCE ‘A’ Level and International Baccalaureate (IB) students and graduates, polytechnic students, and university undergraduates for the most relevant and accurate results.

4) What are some examples of useful data procured via the survey?

Here are some findings from the BSP Scholarship and Education Survey 2022:

Intention To Pursue Further Studies

Students who intend to pursue further studies are shown to have a clear preference for studying locally over overseas studies. In fact, 83.4% of students have plans to exclusively study in Singapore versus 40.2% of students who only plan to pursue an overseas education.

Intention to Apply for Scholarships

Most students who responded to the survey are planning on applying for a scholarship in order to pursue further education. 60.9% of respondents have already or are in the midst of applying for a scholarship, 36.7% of them have not applied yet but intend to, and only 2.4% of respondents will not be applying for a scholarship at all.

Methods to Finance Further Education Locally

An overwhelming majority of students (74.6%) are aiming to pay for their further studies via scholarships. 50.9% of them will enlist their parental and family support, and 34.4% will be using their personal savings to do so. Other modes of payment include working part-time (24.9%), MOE-funded bank tuition loans (19.5%), CPF Education Loan Scheme (15.4%), and other commercial bank tuition loans (5.3%).

Reasons For Not Applying for a Scholarship

Among the ranks of those who are not applying for a scholarship, half of them choose not to because they do not want to be bonded. The rest of them are either simply unaware of the opportunities provided via scholarships, worried about not being able to attain the required grades, discouraged by how long the bond period is, aren’t interested in the career offered by the organisation, or have a family who can finance their education.

Why You Should Participate in the Survey

Participating in the BrightSparks survey offers students a valuable opportunity to contribute their insights and shape the landscape of scholarship opportunities. As can be seen in the data provided, scholarship providers receive ample results to make inferences. They can use this survey to determine whether they should make changes to the requirements or benefits of the scholarship to make it more appealing to students. By sharing their experiences and perspectives, students help scholarship providers better understand their needs and expectations, ultimately leading to tailored offerings. Additionally, by imparting their feedback, students contribute to the improvement of scholarship programmes, making them more accessible and student-centred. Do note that the survey results won’t necessarily reflect your exact preferences.

If you find that the survey results don’t reflect your interests, use this opportunity to participate in the survey and shape future scholarship opportunities today.

Conclusion

The BrightSparks survey is an invaluable resource to both students and scholarship providers alike. As such, it is of great importance that the data obtained is relevant and up to date. With that in mind, BrightSparks is offering everyone who takes this survey the chance to win a myriad of attractive prizes. Fill in the survey for the opportunity to participate in a lucky draw where the prizes include a Play Station 5 worth $799, Airpods (3^rd Gen) worth $299, and Google Nest Minis worth $79!

Click here to take the survey!