The Ministry of Education, Science and Sport of the Republic of Lithuania is opening a Call for applications for 50 Lithuanian state grants for full-time Master’s degree at Lithuanian higher education institutions for the 2019/2020 academic year. Funding under the Call shall be provided to the nationals of the Republic of Armenia, the Republic of Azerbaijan, the Republic of Belarus, the People’s Republic of China, Georgia, the State of Israel, Japan, the Republic of Korea, foreigners of Lithuanian origin, the Republic of Moldova and the Republic of Ukraine.

All approved candidates will receive a monthly scholarship of 380 euros for the duration of the studies. Only nationals of the Republic of Armenia, the Republic of Azerbaijan, the Republic of Belarus, the People’s Republic of China, the Republic of Georgia, the State of Israel, Japan, the Republic of Korea, foreigners of Lithuanian origin, the Republic of Moldova and the Republic of Ukraine in their Full-time Master’s degree studies will be covered for the cost of the studies, up to a limit not exceeding the national standard study cost.
 
Full-time Master’s degree studies:
•    A monthly scholarship and a grant covering the standard study cost is offered to nationals of the Republic of Armenia, theRepublic of Belarus, Georgia, foreign citizens of Lithuanian origin, the Republic of Moldova, and the Republic of Ukraine (45 grants altogether, 30 of them – to nationals of Ukraine);
•    A monthly scholarship is offered for nationals of the Republic of Azerbaijan, the People’s Republic of China, the State of Israel, Japan, the Republic of Korea (5 grants altogether).
 

1. Candidate must be a national of one of the following countries: the Republic of Armenia, the Republic of Azerbaijan, the Republic of Belarus, the People’s Republic of China, Georgia, the State of Israel, Japan, the Republic of Korea, foreigners of Lithuanian origin, the Republic of Moldova and the Republic of Ukraine. A foreigner of Lithuanian origin cannot hold citizenship from any EU or EEA country.

2. Candidate must hold a bachelor’s degree.

3. Candidate must have an official letter of acceptance or pre-acceptance for full-time Master’s degree studies from a Lithuanian higher education institution.  

4. Candidate must have a good knowledge of Lithuanian, English, or other language in which the study programme is being conducted (a minimum of a B2 level of command of the language of instruction according to the Common European Framework of Reference for Languages).

5. A scholarship can be granted only once. A candidate who has already received funding under this instrument will not be eligible.

6. A scholarship cannot be granted to a candidate who is studying or planning to study in an international joint degree programme with a portion of the studies (as a mandatory mobility period) being in the candidate’s home country.

First stage: A candidate for the Lithuanian State Scholarship for full-time Master’s degree should apply through the online application system and enclose listed scanned documents.

Second stage: A candidate for the Lithuanian State Scholarship for full-time Master’s degree (ONLY for those who successfully passed the first selection round) should submit a document certifying the completion of education at a higher education institution or adequate education (diploma and enclosure thereto) to the Lithuanian higher education institution. The Higher education institution will provide assessment results of the candidate’s academic achievements (with all additional required information) to the Education Exchanges Support Foundation. 

For the first selection round (deadline: 3rd of MAY, 2019):
1.       Personal and contact information (data should be filled in via the online application system).
2.       A document certifying the level of command of the language of instruction: a document issued by a competent institution (e. g. home institution, host institution, language centre or school, etc.) certifying a minimum of a B2 level of command of the language of instruction according to the Common European Framework of Reference for Languages).
3.       Letter of motivation (must be filled in via the online application system).
          Please prepare a letter of motivation that includes the following information:
1. Describe your experience and achievements which are related to the chosen study programme in Lithuania.
2. Please explain why you chose a particular study programme and higher education institution in Lithuania.
3. Please describe how, in your opinion, you will benefit from studies in Lithuania in terms of your future career and personal development.
4. Please describe why you are a suitable candidate for the Lithuanian State scholarship.
4. One recommendation in Lithuanian or English (must be provided through the online application system or added to the application form as an attachment using this format).
5. For full-time Master’s degree studies: a copy of the acceptance or pre-acceptance letter issued by a Lithuanian higher education institution certifying that the candidate was admitted to or is studying in a full-time Master’s degree study programme, including the candidate’s name, surname, the study programme in which the candidate studies and its state code, and the candidate's study period;
6. For foreigners of Lithuanian origin: applicants must submit a certificate or other document proving his/her Lithuanian origin, issued by the Lithuanian community of a respective country or other competent authority (such as an embassy or similar).

For the second selection round (deadline: 12th of JULY, 2019) – ONLY for those who successfully passed the first selection round:
          1. A document certifying the completion of education at a higher education institution or adequate education (diploma and enclosure thereto) and its translation into Lithuanian or English. If the candidate has completed first-cycle studies but has not received a certificate (diploma and enclosure thereto), he/she can submit the certificate of a higher education institution based in a foreign country, specifying the study programme completed, courses or modules passed, their credits and assessments, and the assessment of the final examination or theme of the final project and its assessment. Its translation into Lithuanian or English should be attached.
          2. In case a candidate has already finished one Master’s degree study programme in Lithuania or another country: a document certifying the completed education at a higher education institution or adequate education (diploma and enclosure thereto) and its translation into Lithuanian or English should be submitted.
          3. A candidate may be asked to provide additional documentation.
Note:  In case a candidate has already started his/her full-time Master degree studies in Lithuania, the Higher Education Institution is going to provide candidate’s (in addition to BA achievement) full-time Master degree study programme, courses or modules passed, and their credits and assessments during the first year of studies to the Education Exchanges Support Foundation.

Selection of the candidates:
All eligible and complete applications are assessed by experts. The final decision on granting support to candidates will be based on:
1.    Applicant’s motivation (30 %);
2.    The level of command of the language of instruction (20 %);
3.    Academic achievements (50 %):
•    Candidates for full-time Master’s degree studies in Lithuania: 1st cycle academic achievements;
•    Students of full-time Master’s degree studies in Lithuania: 1st cycle academic achievements and academic results of passed courses and modules during the 1st year of the full-time Master’s degree study programme;
•    Holders of a Master’s degree obtained in Lithuania or another country: when making a decision, the submitted academic achievements of any graduated Master’s degree study programmes are also taken into consideration;
4. Recommendation.

Priorities:
•    Priority will be given to candidates who are planning to or have already started their full-time Master degree in the Lithuanian language.
•    Priority will be given to candidates who are planning to study or are already studying:
        Mathematics;
        Informatics;
        Physical sciences;
        Life sciences;
        Engineering;
        Technological Sciences;
        Health sciences;
        Veterinary sciences;
        Agriculture;
        Education sciences;
        Art;
        Sport.
 
After the first selection round candidates about the selection results will be informed by e-mail no later than the 1st of July 2019.
After the second selection round candidates about the selection results will be informed by e-mail no later than the 4th of August 2019.

More information about financial conditions.
 
Notes:
•    Please note that the application for a grant is a separate procedure, not having any influence on admission to full-time Master’s degree programmes at Lithuanian higher education institutions: we highly recommend you to apply for full-time Master’s degree, then afterwards – for the Lithuanian State scholarship.
•    Applications with the enclosed documents must be submitted online in any of the following formats: JPEG, GIF, PNG, PDF.
•    All application documents must be submitted by the set deadline. Please note that after the deadline, no changes are possible. Incomplete applications or applications submitted after the deadline will not be considered.
•    Kindly note that no other documents except for the listed enclosures will be considered.
•    All application documents must be submitted in English or Lithuanian. No certified copies of the documents are required.
•    Documents must be submitted only through the online application system. There is no requirement to send them by post, fax, or e-mail.
 
Important dates for applicants for the 2019/2020 academic year:
15th of February – 3rd of May, 2019: first selection round;
1st of July 2019: notification of conditionally selected applicants (first selection round);
12th of July 2019: 2nd selection round (ONLY for conditionally selected applicants);
4th of August 2019: notification of successful selected applicants (second selection round).
 
Important links:
Online system for applications: https://apply.scholarships.lt
The list of Lithuanian higher education institutions: https://studyin.lt/

Contact information:
Education Exchanges Support Foundation
Higher Education Programmes Unit
Rožių al. 2 Vilnius, LT-03106
Lithuania
Phone: (+370~5) 261 0592
E-mail: crypt:bWFzdGVyLnNjaG9sYXJzaGlwc0BzbXBmLmx0:xx