Open Society Foundations Scholarships in European Studies

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Open Society Foundations Scholarships in European Studies

The Open Society Foundations, Maastricht University (The Netherlands), and Aarhus University (Denmark) invite applications for scholarships in European Studies. Applications are open for the following master's courses:

• Maastricht University: MA in European Studies, MA in European Public Affairs, or MA in European studies on Society, Science and Technology
• Aarhus University: MA in European Studies

Scholarships at Maastricht University provide up to a maximum of 18 months’ tuition fees, a stipend to cover living costs (for one person only), a return air travel fare from the scholar’s home country to the Netherlands, student visa costs and medical insurance. The scholarship students will study full time for the master's degree at Maastricht University. On the completion of their master's course, the students will carry out six months of internship, which is a mandatory component of the scholarship.

Scholarships at Aarhus University provide up to a maximum of 24 months’ tuition fees, a stipend to cover living costs (for one person only), a return air travel fare from the scholar’s home country to Denmark, student visa costs and medical insurance. The Master Programme in European Studies at Aarhus University is a two-year full-time program. Students will be able to undertake a two-to-three-month internship during their summer break in 2013. The internship is not mandatory, but will be encouraged.

The master's courses in European Studies offered by Maastricht and Aarhus universities are very different in focus and approach, and applicants are encouraged to read carefully all available information on the courses offered by the two universities in order to choose the course that is most relevant to their background and future plans. Applicants may apply to one or maximum two of the four offered courses, with the first choice of course clearly stated.

Deadline

The deadline for applications is February 6, 2012. 

Eligibility

The scholarships are open to applicants from Belarus, Georgia, Moldova, and Ukraine.

Applicants must:

• be citizens of, and normally resident in one of the selected countries during the academic year in which they apply for the award; applicants who are temporarily out of the country (for a total period of less than three consecutive months) may be treated as being resident;
• display intellectual ability and leadership potential;
• have an excellent knowledge of English;
• already hold the first university degree from an accredited university in their home country;
• meet the universities' respective programs application requirements;
• return to their home country at the end of their scholarship period to continue their studies or work there.
• All other circumstances being equal, preference will be given to applicants who have not previously studied outside of their home country.

Ineligibility

• Individuals who are currently receiving financial benefit from Open Society Foundations (formerly know as the Open Society Institute or OSI), Maastricht University or Aarhus University are not eligible to apply.
• Applicants who have received financial support from the Open Society Foundations towards a master's degree in the past will be considered on a case-by-case basis. 
• Employees, employee's relatives (or former employees who have left employment less than two years ago) of Open Society Scholarship Programs, the Educational Advising Centers, Maastricht or Aarhus universities are also not eligible to apply.

To Apply

Please note that there are different application procedures for Maastricht University and Aarhus University and you must read these Guidelines carefully to ensure you submit the correct application set for your course of choice.

Maastricht University
Applicants for courses based at Maastricht University should complete the relevant Scholarship Application form provided at the local Educational Advising Centre. Please note that there are three different application forms for each of the three courses based at Maastricht University. Maastricht University applicants must also apply to Maastricht University directly by filling out the online application form at www.studielink.nl before February 6, 2012. They wil receive a login code for their UM portal on which they will have to fully fill out the Adobe form and upload all the required documents.

Aarhus University
Applicants for the course based at Aarhus University should complete the Aarhus University Graduate Application Form, along with the OSF-Aarhus University Scholarship Application Form. Both forms may be obtained from your local Educational Advising Centre. There is no online application procedure for the Aarhus University applicants.

Please ensure that you enclose with your application officially certified copies of your diplomas and transcripts; for Maastricht University applicants: these documents should be uploaded on the applicants' My UM portal as well. Certified copies require original stamps and signatures as proof of their authenticity (e.g. certified by the applicant's university, an embassy or a certified notary). If your diploma and transcript are not in English, please provide official translations into English performed by a certified translator.

Applicants are encouraged to sit an English test before the application, if possible, as this will help speed up the selection process. Please enclose a copy of your IELTS or TOEFL test with your application if you sat one within the past year. For Maastricht University applicants: the test results should be also uploaded on the applicants' My UM portal.

The completed forms and other documents must be received by your local Educational Advising Centre (EAC) by February 6, 2012, at the latest (see below addresses and contact details). Please note that each applicant is required to submit one original application set and two photocopies of the entire application set. Applicants are requested not to use any staples on their applications and documents. Applicants who wish to apply to two courses will need to submit full separate applications for each course. Please keep a copy of all documents for your own reference. For Maastricht University applicants: the online application must be made by February 6, 2012.

Application Process

All completed applications received by your local Educational Advising Center by the deadline will be forwarded to Maastricht University and Aarhus University respectively. Academic staff at the two universities will compile a short-list.

Short-listed applicants will be invited for an interview in their home country or in a neighbouring country between mid March and mid April 2012. You should keep yourself free during this period. You will be informed by the Educational Advising Center in March 2012 whether you have been shortlisted or not. Interviews will be carried out by representatives of Maastricht and Aarhus universities and the Open Society Foundations. Potential candidates will be invited to sit for an English language test, which will be organised by your local scholarship coordinator.

The final awards will be decided jointly by the universities and OSF. Candidates will be informed by the end of May whether they are offered a scholarship award to study at Maastricht or Aarhus universities. A reserve list of candidates will be compiled; reserve candidates will be offered a place on the scholarship program should any of the successful candidates withdraw from the program.

Candidates will have to let the universities know within two weeks after the receipt of an offer if they intend to accept the award. All unsuccessful candidates will receive commisseration letters.

When all acceptances are confirmed (and reserve candidates offered awards, as appropriate) the universities will send out Student Information e-mail messages to successful applicants and details of funding. The universities will produce formal letters of acceptance (sent by e-mail) for successful applicants.

Apart from the University award/contract, successful candidates will receive an Open Society Foundations award letter, which they will have to sign and return to the scholarship coordinator at the Educational Advising Centre.

In July, scholarship coordinators will start making travel arrangements for the successful candidates.

The scholarship period begins in September 2012 and successful candidates will be expected to arrive in Maastricht or Aarhus in late August 2012.

Please note that the staff at your local Educational Advising Center are not involved at all in the decision-making process. They will tell you as soon as they can whether or not you have been successful. Please understand they will not be able to inform you until they have been told by the universities and the Open Society Foundations. Nor will they be in a position to comment on the reasons in case you were not selected.

NB: Candidates may apply to several Open Society Foundations scholarship programs for the same academic year. However, once a candidate receives and formally accepts an Open Society Foundations scholarship offer from one scholarship program by signing the Open Society Foundations Award Letter and a contract with their respective host university, the Open Society Foundations reserves the right to stop considering the candidate in question for any other Open Society Foundations scholarship competitions in which they are participating for the same academic year. Open Society Foundations scholarships may not be deferred.

All successful applicants will be expected to attend a one-month preparatory summer school in July or Augsut 2012. The Open Society Scholarship Programs Pre-Academic Summer Program is designed to prepare Open Society Scholarship Programs grantees for a successful academic experience abroad. Successful applicants will be provided with the opportunity to refine their research and writing skills through intensive courses in European Studies and academic writing. The exact date and location of the summer school will be available at a later stage in the selection process.

Contact Information

Please make use of all of the written documentation available to you. We strongly encourage you to visit the websites of Maastricht and Aarhus universities before making your application in order to find out more about the contents and structure of the courses and the study process at the two universities:

• University of Maastricht, Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences
• University of Aarhus, MA in European Studies Program

For queries about these guidance notes, or if you have academic questions about the courses on offer, please contact either:

• your local Educational Advising Center or
• Margareta Mamaliga
  Network Scholarship Programs
  Fax or email only:
  Fax: +44-20-7031-0228
  Email: margareta.mamaliga@osf-eu.org

You can obtain application forms from your local Educational Advising Centre (in Belarus, Georgia, Moldova, Ukraine). Completed application forms, together with all other necessary documents, must be submitted by February 6, 2012. Maastricht University applicants must also submit an online application with all supporting documents via the www.studielink.nl by February 6, 2012.