The quality of education is what sets an individual apart and makes him/her stand out from the rest. A proper education and a solid foundation are what gives you an edge over others and a command of the situation at hand. This gift of education, however, shouldn’t be inaccessible specifically due to financial reasons. This is where scholarships come in. Every deserving student should be provided with an equal opportunity to avail scholarships to help them kick-start their life through a quality education. Fortunately, Estonia provides an array of such opportunities for everyone, even before they arrive to start their studies. While some may only be open to the locals, there are a whole lot more that are open for every student registered in an Estonian university. Read on to find out more about scholarships in Estonia, where and how to find them, the application procedure and my own personal experience applying for one! - Anirudh
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A scholarship of every kind and for everyone!
Estonia offers an array of scholarship opportunities in order to support international students interested in studying in Estonia as well as those who are already registered as a student here. They are mainly offered by the universities themselves and some by the Estonian government. There are scholarships that are offered by corporates as well and may have their own set of procedures to apply and deadlines to meet.
For scholarships provided by the universities, it’s essential that you keep an eye out for updates and news in your university’s scholarship web page. I cannot stress this point more, but make yourself well aware of your university’s website!
Often, the reason why most students miss out on these opportunities and deadlines for the application is because they were either unaware of where such info would be posted in the website or how to navigate to such pages. The following links will direct you to the webpages of scholarships provided by some of the Estonian universities.
Here’s a useful tip:
Bookmark university scholarship pages and webpages similar to these so that you can quickly access them at the needed hour!
In some cases, the information provided might not always be sufficient, but don’t worry. A simple email to the university’s admission department that states clearly your query ought to do the trick.
Make sure to have a look at the online scholarship database administered by the Education and Youth Authority of Estonia that lists all the available scholarships in Estonia, including those provided by the government as well.
The Application Process
Estonia prides itself in the ease of achieving things and doing business. It truly is a haven for all things digital, as almost everything is done online. Scholarships are no different.
The entire process would probably take just a few minutes if you have all the necessary documents ready at hand. These are just basic documents that may have to be submitted as proof, depending on the scholarship that you are applying for. There may, however be a few special scholarships that require additional documents but these can easily be arranged, if you carefully read through the requirements, guidelines and keep an eye out for the deadlines.
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Some of the applications may require you to digitally sign the documents and for that, you would require an ID card reader. Check out this blog post where I talked about digitally signing documents. As a bonus, you may also find out how you can get yourself registered with a family doctor!
If you don’t have an ID card reader, don’t worry! You can always make use of the computers in the university’s library or the local library, as most of them will have a built-in ID card reader. The general procedure usually remains the same, irrespective of the type of scholarship. However, it’s always recommended to carefully read through the requirements and instructions before hitting the submit button at the bottom of the application form.
My personal experience
I wasn’t a scholarship holder when I first started my studies at TalTech. Now, in my last semester of my master’s degree, I receive a performance scholarship.
The time I was denied scholarships because I failed to meet the criteria set, never deterred me. Instead, it motivated me to perform better and work harder. I molded myself so as to fit the criteria that most scholarships require and so, I can now confidently say that the experience has been an enlightening and a life-changing one! I feel that I am a much better student now than I was when I started out and part of this change or achievement is because of the time I spent applying to the many scholarships and refining my cover letter. Trust me when I say this, cover letters are arguably your key to unlocking so many doors in life and even more so when it comes to study aids and scholarships.
So, start writing up or refining your cover letters, be more vigilant with regards to deadlines and keep yourself updated with the latest happenings so that you don’t miss out on the application window!
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Don’t worry if you feel like you might not make the cut when you just about meet the criteria. Apply anyway because you’ll never know unless you try. Also, if you are sadly rejected from one scholarship, don’t let that stop you from applying to more! Apply to as many scholarships as you can and are eligible to. Something might just click! Even if it doesn’t, just give yourself a pat on the back for the attempts made. Most people wouldn’t even have reached this far!
Good luck and stay safe!
Text by: Anirudh