IELTS scholarship award announced

KOCHI: The British Council has announced the International English Language Testing System (IELTS) Scholarship Award for this year. The award is open to Indian students planning to study at universities overseas. Eight students will be selected each of whom will receive an award of Rs 3,00,000 towards tuition fees.Eligibility criteria:• Be a resident and citizen of India• Begin full-time postgraduate study outside India in 2011• Attend a higher education institution that accepts IELTS as part of its admission requirements• Have a valid IELTS score, with a minimum band score average 6.5• Have taken their most recent IELTS test with the British Council• Should provide an acceptance letter from the attending institution by  August 13, 2011.Application deadline: Saturday 30, July 2011. For more information, visit www.ielts.britishcouncil.org.in/scholarships. Award winners will begin a full-time post-graduate programme at any overseas university which uses IELTS as a part of its admission requirements and as a reliable measure of English language proficiency. IELTS is accepted by over 6,000 institutions in 125 countries worldwide and hence the university choice is wide.  In the US alone, over 2,500 institutions and programmes accept IELTS. Along with the rise in the number of US institutions accepting IELTS, the number of IELTS test takers globally increased to over 1.5 million in 2009.IELTS is the world’s leading English language test designed to evaluate ability to communicate in English for education, immigration and professional accreditation worldwide. It is a comprehensive test of the complete range of English language skills: listening, reading, writing and speaking. British Council is UK’s international organisation for educational opportunities and cultural relations. The British Council is active in 109 countries and 227 towns and cities worldwide.