EU scholarships for Turkish Cypriots

The European Commission is offering 145 one-year scholarships for Turkish Cypriots for the academic year 2008/09. Recipients will receive a grant of EUR15.000 to cover their living expenses as well as up to EUR2.000 towards tuition fees. Scholarships will be available both for undergraduate and for postgraduate studies (e.g. Masters, PhD studies). Studying at any undergraduate or postgraduate programme in any university of another Member State (26 Countries) is possible within the framework of this programme.    

A website with detailed information on how to apply, where to study and how to get further information has been prepared exclusively for the scholarship programme. Application forms may also be downloaded from the website. The website can be accessed at www.benavrupadaokumakistiyorum.org.

A PR campaign to provide information and raise awareness on the programme is under way in the northern part of Cyprus. Information seminars will be organised by universities for their students and teachers/lecturers. Information on the dates of seminars at Universities may also be accessed via the website.

The EU scholarship programme is in its second year. Last year grants were awarded to 30 students and teachers. Most of these grantees have already started their courses in a   different Member State. Three of these students who are studying in Belgium met European Commissioner Olli Rehn who congratulated them and wished them success on their European way. He also underlined the benefits of the programme to the Turkish Cypriot community more generally as the selected students will benefit from international contacts and will return to Cyprus with enhanced knowledge and skills.

The EU Scholarship Programme gives Turkish Cypriot university students, graduates and teachers the opportunity of improving themselves in their specific technical fields as well as of providing them with the experience of living in a different country and culture within theEU. This experience will enrich the studies of the grantees while giving them new perspectives at the same time.

“This scholarship gives me the opportunity of living at the standards of any other European citizen, makes me feel financially secure and lets me concentrate fully on my studies. I feel that I am exploring new horizons, questioning, gaining new perspectives, making new friends. I am visiting new cities, forming new friendships, sharing my culture as well as learning about other cultures. In short it’s a new world. I feel really lucky of being awarded this scholarship. Thank you very much”

Seray Ekici,  Clermont-Ferrand, France  2007-2008 Grantee.

The grants are financed from the European Union Aid Programme for the Turkish Cypriot community. The EU Scholarship programme will run for three consecutive academic years, i.e. 2007/2008, 2008/2009 and 2009/2010 and its total value amounts to EUR5 million.