The program’s target group is represented by Georgian citizens in possession of a neutral ID and/or travel document who have enrolled in an institute of higher education abroad recognized by the corresponding country’s legislation in order to study in a defined, prioritized Masters education program course within the framework of this stipend program. In particular, this is an individual:
1. Having a Bachelors and/or subsequent academic degree;
2. Is in the final year of a Bachelors program;
3. Studying in a Masters program with a prioritized, declared course of study/discipline/profession in a foreign university and is requesting financing for the following academic year.
For the 2018-2019 academic year, the following courses of study/disciplines/professions have received priority within the framework of the stipend program:
The program’s outcome is represented by the submission of a document confirming the corresponding academic degree after the conclusion of studies by the grant recipient. They will also be employed in the corresponding sphere in Georgia over the course of three years after graduation.
Competition Deadline
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Applications for the competition are accepted from April 25, 2018 to May 25, 2018 (until 7:00 pm Tbilisi time). Entrants will be informed of the final results of the competition by July 25, 2018.
Program Implementation
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Implementation of the stipend program is only possible through an announcement of a competition.
A. The competition announcement process implies:
- Adoption of the stipend program and the announcement of the competition by legal entity International Education Center via the website IEC.GOV.GE;
- Informing the public and the guarantee of accessibility to the program by the Center;
- The filling out of an electronic application by interested individuals and the uploading of the appropriate documentation (including those compiled in English) onto the integrated electronic registration system on the Center’s official website https://app.iec.gov.ge/ before the competition deadline;
- Announcement of winner according to the rules established by the Center and the competition commission within the competencies after the passing of the competition deadline;
- Write up of a contract and financial guarantee with winning entrants;
- Monitoring of fulfilled obligations by the grant recipients through the Center.
Competition Commission. Competition Evaluation Process
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A decision is made regarding various issues related to the announcement of a winner and the course of the competition by the competition commission. The make up and authority of the commission is confirmed by the Center’s acting director. Evaluation criteria and evaluation forms for the entrants will be written up and confirmed by the competition commission.
The evaluation of an electronic application and the accompanying documentation is carried out by the competition commission through an electronic system. The maximum score is 100 points (with an added bonus). Therefore:
A maximum of 50 points when evaluating the e-application;
A maximum of 50 points when scoring the interview;
A maximum of 4 bonus points (for entrants having the status of a socially unprotected, handicapped, or forcefully displaced person, as well as entrants who have suffered in villages located at the borders of Georgia’s occupied territories), one point per status.
The competition takes place in three stages:
Stage 1 - Administrative (formal) approval of electronic application and corresponding documentation. Incomplete applications will not be considered. The Center is authorized to request that an applicant clarify their submitted documentation. Administrative (formal) approval of electronic application and corresponding documentation is carried out by the Center’s Office of Academic Programs and International Projects.
Stage 2 - An in-depth evaluation of electronic application. In the case of earning an appropriate score on the basis of an in-depth evaluation of the e-application and accompanying documentation, the entrant goes on to stage 3 if it has thus been established. An entrant can earn a maximum of 50 points during stage 2.
Stage 3 - Interview. An entrant can earn a maximum of 50 points at this stage.
In the case of a entrant being abroad, the interview will take place via a video call.
Competition Rules, Documentation to be Submitted
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Competition Rules:
1. Is a Georgian citizen in possession of a neutral ID and/or travel document;
2. Is not older than 35;
3. Has registered at a foreign institute of higher education in a Masters program with a prioritized course of study/discipline/profession, has an official document confirming unconditional enrollment (apart from any financial and administrative conditions; in the case of a student finishing their last year of Bachelors studies, apart from any financial and administrative conditions and/or a condition of submitting a document confirming the granting of a Bachelors degree and/or an evaluation document);
4. Has earned a Bachelors and/or a subsequent academic degree. Final grades: a minimum of a 3.0 GPA, a minimum of very good (81-90) in case of a 100 point system, a minimum of a B or corresponding grade in the case of a different system;
5. Or is studying in the final year of a Bachelors program. Final grade average for the past academic years and semester: with a minimum of a 3.0 GPA, a minimum of very good (81-90) in case of a 100 point system, a minimum of a B or corresponding grade in the case of a different system;
6. Or studies at a foreign university in a Masters program with a prioritized course of study/discipline/profession and is requesting financing for the following academic year (with a minimum of a 3.0 GPA, a minimum of very good (81-90) in case of a 100 point system, a minimum of a B or corresponding grade in the case of a different system for the past academic year and/or semester);
7. Is a recipient of co-financing from an institute of higher education. This condition does not involve those entrants who are enrolled in a free academic program and only have to pay the price of administrative registration;
8. Has professional business experience (this article does not affect those desiring financing for study in a Masters program for an art course, restoration, and/or conservation disciplines/professions).
Documents to be Submitted:
1. A copy of personal ID/passport/neutral ID and/or neutral travel document;
2. CV/Resume;
3. A portfolio (this article does not apply to those desiring financing for study in a Masters program for the discipline/profession of art management and administration);
4. Cover letter;
5. An acceptance letter in a Masters program for a prioritized course of study/discipline/profession at a foreign institute of higher education
6. A diploma for a Bachelors and/or subsequent degree or an acknowledgement of the bestowment of the degree and an appendix to the diploma/grade sheet indicating the final grade average;
7. A student finishing their final year of Bachelors studies must submit a notice regarding their student status and a grade sheet for the past academic years/semesters indicating the GPA;
8. In the case of a request for financing of a second or subsequent year in a Masters program at a foreign university, there must be a notice regarding the student’s status and an evaluation sheet for the past academic year and/or semester indicating the total grade average;
9. If there is no appendix to the diploma/grade sheet indicating a grade average, there must be a notice from the institute regarding the diploma’s final grade average; entrants having an honors or corresponding status on their diploma are exempt from submitting these documents;
10. One recommendation (the recommendation takes place through the reference indicated by the entrant on the application on the Center’s electronic registration system with a questionnaire that is automatically sent to the email address of the reference);
11. A document indicating the cost of study;
12. In the case of a request for compensation for living expenses - the amount of funds requested;
13. A document confirming professional work (this article does not apply to those seeking financing in a Masters program for art, or the restoration-conservation discipline/profession);
14. An official document regarding co-financing received from an institute of higher education;
15. A document confirming the existence of or an inquiry into alternative financing (if it exists);
16. A document confirming status as a socially vulnerable, handicapped, and/or forcefully displaced person, or status of a victim in villages located on the border with Georgian occupied territories (if it exists).
When filling out an application on the electronic registration system, information must be submitted in Georgian. Uploaded documents can also be submitted in English. Documents compiled in any other foreign language will be examined in Georgian with a translation certified by a notary service. The Center and the competition commission have the authority to double check the accurateness of the information submitted by an entrant on the application at any time and in the case of incorrectly submitted information and/or the discovery of plagiarism, the application will be withdrawn from the competition.
Party Obligations, Contractual Relationships
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A contract written up between the Center and the person being financed regarding a grant is the grounds for the disbursement of the grant allotted within the framework of this stipend program. The rights and obligations of the parties, method of payment, etc. will be defined by this contract.
A contract regarding a grant for winning students finishing the final year of a Bachelors program will be written up after the submission of an official document regarding the bestowment of a Bachelors degree and a document confirming the appropriate academic achievement. A failure to fulfill this stipulation is grounds for the Center’s refusal to write up a contract.
An individual enrolled at a foreign university who requests financing for the next academic year and was unable to submit a final evaluation of the past academic year by the contest deadline, will have a contract written up regarding a grant when a GPA ( a minimum of a 3.0 GPA, a minimum of very good (81-90) in case of a 100 point system, a minimum of a B or corresponding grade in the case of a different system) of the past completed academic year is presented. A failure to fulfill this stipulation is grounds for the Center’s refusal to write up a contract.
A basis for the Center’s refusal to write up a contract is also present if there exists a legally enforced guilty verdict issued by a court for a winner of the competition and/or if there is such a circumstance that is incompatible with the stipend program.
The Center takes up the obligation to carry out the monetary provision of the winning individuals in the appropriate amount and with the payment method established by this program according to the decision of the commission.
A grant recipient is obligated to:
Submit a document confirming the bestowment of the appropriate academic degree after the conclusion of studies;
Be employed for three years in the appropriate field in Georgia after the conclusion of studies.
In the case of acquiring financing for a Masters program for longer than one year within the official length of the program, high academic achievement is the basis for a review of financing for the following academic year by the commission - a minimum of a 3.0 GPA, a minimum of very good (81-90) in case of a 100 point system, a minimum of a B or corresponding grade in the case of a different system. Additional conditions may be established per the decree of the Center’s acting director.
No more than one year after the conclusion of studies, a grant recipient can be given the right to remain abroad in order to gain work experience in the corresponding field/discipline. A decision to bestow this right is made at the discretion of the competition commission. With this objective, a grant recipient must submit a valid application and official document regarding employment. This will reviewed be as a carry-over of obligations to be fulfilled regarding employment and a calculation of the deadline to fulfill the obligations will begin at the very conclusion of the corresponding period.
A grant recipient does not have the right to request financial help with the aim of financing studies in a Masters program abroad within the framework of this same stipend program or another one offered by the Center.
A grant recipient’s failure to fulfill the established obligations of this program gives rise to financial accountability. In the case of a contractual condition not being kept, the grant recipient is obligated to fully return the grant money according to the rule regarding the grant foreseen by the contract. Any other rights and obligations are regulated by a contract written up between the parties regarding the grant.
Forms of Financing. Payment Method. Program Budget
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A full or partial compensation of the cost of study and/or the costs associated with study and/or living in a corresponding country during the study period is implied by financing.
The funds allotted in the form of a grant through the commission’s decision are transferred to the grant recipient according to the purposes:
The cost of study at a foreign educational institute of higher learning, apart from a case if a different rule from the rule of international wire transfer in force at the Georgian Treasury is established at the institute.
The funds allotted for the compensation of costs associated with living in a foreign country during the study period are deposited in the grant recipient’s personal bank account. The fulfillment of the financial obligations foreseen by the program will be assured with allocations diverted to the Center under the Georgian law “Regarding the State Budget of Georgia in 2018”.
Additional Information
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The filling out of an electronic application and the uploading of the corresponding documentation by individuals interested in the competition takes place on the Center’s official website via an integrated electronic registration system https://app.iec.gov.ge/
The application and corresponding documentation (including the recommendation) must be uploaded onto the electronic registration system by 7:00 pm, May 25. This system closes at the end of the competition deadline and entrants will no longer be able to edit their application.
An electronic registration form provides an entrant the means to fill out the application in stages and/or change it before the competition deadline. After being edited, the application must be sent again before the competition deadline.
The timely and full submission of the application and corresponding documentation is the entrant’s responsibility. An incompletely submitted application will not be considered.
It is mandatory to upload every document, including those when taking into account the specifics established by the program, apart from those cases when it is indicated - if they exist.
In the case of some technical problem arising when filling out the application, please address the technical support group - http://iec.gov.ge/4166. Entrants will be informed of the results of every stage of the competition via the electronic application submitted by them.
In order to communicate with entrants, the Center uses the email address indicated on the application.