Cypriot students lost in scholarship minefield

Students embarking on further education but worried about their financial situation are essentially in the dark when it comes to available scholarships and subsidies they are eligible for.

Research by the Financial Mirror discovered the Education Ministry was in no position to give advice on general scholarships. And the service responsible for state scholarships will make an announcement on September 15 – after most universities start.

So, for those relying on a scholarship or cash discounts to enable them to study there is no central service that can help.

Consequently, students and parents must rummage around asking for advice, laboriously search online or seek professional guidance (which doesn’t come free).

Nevertheless, there is a wide range of full or partial scholarships on offer from various institutions, if you know where to look.

Education consultant Charalambos Papayiannis, CEO of EuroStudies CY, a private company providing consultancy, said that students have a difficult time finding a scholarship that would help them.

Apart from relatively few consultants active in the private sector, there is no service which has the necessary database to guide them.

“It is well-known that post-crisis, almost all students are in need of some financial support to complete their studies, whether they are just entering the world of academia, or would like to continue their studies at a postgraduate and doctoral level,” said Papayiannis.

“Unemployment has greatly affected students and their families, and many could not cope with the continuing economic needs of their studies without scheme,” he told the Financial Mirror.

The consultant said the Ministry of Education should have a service set up with details of what it cost to study at university and what financial aid would be available to them in each case.

“Students and parents who are in financial difficulty get depressed when the time comes to send their children to study. They think because they are poor they do not have choices. That is not the case.”

Papayiannis said a student could study medicine at a top 300 university for just EUR 450 a year.

He said EUR 450 is the tuition to study medicine at Naples University and that a student could comfortably live there on EUR 800 a month.

“Students opting for this university could benefit from the state grant of EUR 3,000, while Italy also offers various imbursements to students from the EU.”

Papayiannis said there are universities in countries like Denmark and England which together with some municipalities give students from the EU extra imbursements for meals and transportation.

Some universities have special “solidarity funds” which they use to subsidise students’ studies on top of any other scholarship they obtain.

He explained that many students feel they have to work while studying which he said was “criminal”.

“A child from an underprivileged family, with the various scholarships and imbursements which are out there, could be assisted with up to EUR 15,000 a year”.

Some universities abroad even give students the opportunity to work few hours in return for further imbursements.

Papayiannis argued it is not that hard for the ministry to set up a service to provide this information to students.

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He said that student consultants active in the private sector have put together a complete booklet with all the information regarding scholarships, sponsorships and tuition fees of universities both on the island and abroad.

There are scores of institutions, state organisations, private foundations or community groups such as the Rotary clubs that provide scholarships and other financial aid to students for the opportunity to study without burdening their families or getting into debt.

In the case of studying in Scotland, Cypriots students, as EU nationals, apply for a full award from the Student Award Agency Scotland (SAAS) that results in free tuition, a privilege not afforded to students from England and Wales.

Cyprus State Scholarship Foundation

The Cyprus State Scholarship Foundation (IKYK), in cooperation with the competent services of the Republic of Cyprus, grants scholarships to Cypriot citizens, but also to foreigners, for studies in Cyprus and abroad.

Every year IKYK gives scholarships to students who wish to study in one of the many disciplines covered by the Institute.

Sources close to procedures surrounding the approval of state scholarship applications submitted by students said that those approved get an average of EUR 3,000 per year.

Unfortunately, despite efforts to obtain further information on how many students have benefitted or applied for scholarships, officials were not in a position to release data regarding this year’s budget or scholarships given last year.

A number of private foundations also provide scholarships and sponsorships to students whether studying in Cyprus or