How does it work?

Scholarships and funding for either for your higher education and research is the hardest part as everything comes down to how you apply for it. Lets first look in to scholarships for higher education. There are some scholarships such that JN Tata Endowment , Reliance scholarship and KC Mahindra and others which can aid students willing to pursue higher education get some scholarships. However, the hard thing about these is that, there are so many applicants each year and the numbers are ever increasing. Every scholarships is just 3 steps away, the first is the resume and educational screening which consists of the application where you write a SOP , LOR and resume as to why you are applying for this scholarship and your desire for it. Followed by that, would be an aptitude test screening which a simple test of verbal and mathematical skills. Those shortlisted from that will be then screened for a virtual interview where you would be questioned on your previous internship experiences or project works along with the basics of your subject. The cumulative performance of yours on these three rounds will decide how much scholarship amount will be granted to you or not. Such kind of scholarships are also present overseas and expect same level of determination from you. 

As against this, Funding your education through Research and Teaching Assistantships is also quite challenging. In personal understanding and experience, each professor has a style of hiring RA/TA positions which depends on the opening in their research group, your interests in their research and your long time commitment toa thesis work or plans for pursuing a PhD. Some other professor may also recruit also for a small semester while waiving your tuition fees, but it comes with a price such as you might have to take up independent courses under them before which can cost you additional fees and time. Thus such kind of funding is very subjective and changes every year and each professor preference. The way to apply for such fundings, it to reach out the professors via formal emails and explain your interests in their work and future commitments and be straightforward with it. 

While these are the general procedures, it is important to note that some scholarships are endowments meaning that they need to be repaid without any interest in the allotted time frame. However for the most part, these scholarships and fundings can cover your expenses for the tuition and research means and methods.