How to get a training grant

Often, we give up our dreams only because we cannot financially overpower its realization. This statement is just right for studying at prestigious foreign universities. Many choose a more modest alternative, having learned about the cost of mastering knowledge there. And someone receives training grants and calmly achieves his lofty goal. Do not assume that these are geniuses, people with connections or just lucky ones. Each of us can receive a grant to study abroad, moreover, not necessarily a student. How so? We will tell you about this further.

About the grant

In 2014, a scholarship program called "Global Education" was launched in our country. In 2017, it was extended to 2025. The winner can receive a allowance of 2.76 million rubles annually. Moreover, the grant can be used not only to pay for tuition, but also to pay for your stay, meals, and the purchase of training materials.

The official operator of the program is Skolkovo, and the official state customer is the Ministry of Education and Science of the Russian Federation.

Almost every one of us can receive such a training grant - the conditions for participating in the competition are simple:

• Be a citizen of the Russian Federation.
• Do not have an outstanding criminal record.
• Pass entrance tests in the chosen foreign educational institution.

Do not forget about gratitude to the state - after graduation, the grant holder must work for three years in the chosen specialty in Russia. For violation of the conditions, concealment of information - a severe fine, three times the total grant.

Grant Algorithm

If you are planning to receive a grant to study abroad, then you need to act according to this simple algorithm:

1. Choose a suitable university and field of study.
2. Submit documents to this university and successfully pass the entrance tests.
3. Register on the official website of Global Education. Fill in the template application, attaching scans of the necessary documentation to it.
4. Get an education, return to the Russian Federation and "pay back" the state.

The first stage: the choice of specialty and university

So, for starters, you need to choose one of 32 specialties of 5 priority areas, which are represented in 288 universities in 32 countries of the world. Be careful: you can get a grant for studies only under the master's program, graduate school and residency! You can get acquainted with the full actual list of specialties and universities in the officially approved list on the website of the Global Education program.

We will analyze some difficulties that may lie in wait for you at this stage.

Now we proceed smoothly to the second stage.

Second stage: submission of documents and admission

We’ll clarify that grants for studying abroad for Russia are provided only if you successfully pass the entrance examinations to the selected university. First of all, you need to submit documents - their selection depends on a specific country, university and study program. The standard kit is as follows:

• Passport Please note that its validity period should not be running out - otherwise, update the document before submitting the documentation.
• Diploma . Usually, the selection committee draws attention only to the average score in subjects, which is why chances are for applicants with triples.
• Certificate of passing the language exam for the language in which the training program will be conducted. For example, IELTS tests are popular for English.
• Additionally: motivation letter, resume, recommendations, portfolio (the latter is a necessary element for creative professions).

Stage Three: Work with Risks

So you sent all the necessary package of documents, and here begins the most exciting in the pursuit of a training grant - the languid expectation of results. Let's look at the problems that may lie in wait for you at this stage.

• Did not pass the language exam for the desired score . Attentive to this test! Especially receiving a study grant in China. Failing a language exam can ruin all your plans for entering a foreign university, so start preparing for it in advance and thoroughly.
• The university takes a long time to answer your application . The problem is that there are no specific deadlines for the admissions committee of the university - your application can be approved in a week or in a few months. But the Global Education contest is urgent, so you need to download the enrollment data before it ends. However, we draw your attention to the fact that it consists of four competitive selections. Therefore, if you did not have time for the first, you can switch in your profile on the site to the second, third and last.

• Without making a deposit for training do not apply for a visa . Surnames of winners are announced a month after the last selection. And grants are transferred to them a month later. The issue of issuing a visa is resolved in 4-6 weeks. Therefore, there is a great chance that you will not have time to start training traditionally in September. There are two ways out - either to pay for training at your own expense, or to postpone its beginning. For some specialties, the set is not 1, but 2-4 times a year, so you can easily start learning when everything is ready.
• Communication with the university is difficult or interrupted . If you can’t “get through” to the chosen university, then contact the special agencies and educational centers that oversee the program. If they have a relationship specifically with your university (the easiest way is if you receive a grant for studying in Kazakhstan), through their channels they can quickly get all the data you need and significantly save valuable time.

Fourth stage: registration and application

Registration on the Global Education website is a simple process. Stick to this algorithm:

1. Be sure to upload your business photo.
2. Fill in your personal data: passport number, Russian and foreign, diploma of education. If the latter is not there, then enter an arbitrary combination of characters - enter the valid number upon receipt of the document. Upload your scientific papers, publications.
3. In the "Application" tab, select the selected training program.
4. There, add an estimate for training - first an approximate, and then accurate - upon receipt of approval from the university, where the account will be necessarily registered. The maximum amount is 2.76 million rubles per year. In this case, the amount of associated costs should not be more than 1.38 million rubles annually.
5. After filling in, register in the system and be sure to get a number in the electronic queue! When competing for a place, he gets the one who submitted the application earlier.
6. After registration, upload to the "Documents" tab all that is marked with an asterisk.

Fifth stage: you are the winner!

As soon as the competitive selection is completed, we must again languidly wait a whole month - before the publication of the list of names of winners. If you are among the lucky ones, then over the next 30 days you need to do the following: send the original scans that have been uploaded to the Documents, sign the contract and provide a bank account to which the grant amount will be transferred.

An important point: you only report on the costs of training. They will not ask you for an estimate of associated costs, so you can, without a shadow of a doubt, compensate for this part of the grant: visa fees, passing the language exam, air travel, and so on.

Sixth stage: return to Russia

Naturally, the Russian Federation did not approve the grants for charitable purposes; the country needs competent qualified specialists. Why, after graduation, you must within 30 days not only return to your homeland, but also get a job in one of the organizations collaborating with the Global Education program. Today, this list consists of 607 items, which you can familiarize yourself with in detail on the official website.

As you remember, the minimum term of your contract is 3 years. There are many universities, scientific associations, leading industrial enterprises on this list, so we can safely speak of great freedom of choice. We advise you to think about your place of work 4-6 months before graduation and discuss all aspects with your future employer in advance.

About the nuances

Get a grant to study in the USA - great news! But we hasten to sober you up a little with the following facts:

• A grant is only money, not curation. You will have to deal with a visa, seek housing on your own. However, in the framework of the program, you can always count on the free assistance of the agencies that cooperate with it, which will thoroughly advise you and help within the framework of your competence. Their list is also available on the Global Education website.
• Get ready to become a diligent student - you will pay a fine equal to three times the size of the grant for expulsion from the university. But such measures are rare for foreign universities. If you have failed the exam, you can always retake it. But for an additional fee.
• If training is more expensive than the equivalent of 2.76 million rubles, then you already pay the missing amount.
• To receive a grant for studies in Russia, unconditional admission from the university is required. To do this, you need to provide him with the original of your diploma and certificate of passing the language exam.

And finally - participation in the program is not limited to a certain age! Even if you graduated from the university "a hundred years ago", but want to develop further, you have every right to become the winner of the "Global Education".