Scholarship for students with special needs
NB! Important change: since 2020/21 autumn semester full-time students who are transferred to the extension year are also eligible for the Scholarship.
The purpose of the Scholarship for students with special needs is to support students with special needs in acquiring higher education. The Scholarship can be applied from the first semester of matriculation year by a student who meets the following conditions:
1) the student is an Estonian citizen or staying in Estonia on the basis of a long-term residence or temporary residence permit or a permanent or temporary right of residence or a visa or on a visa-free basis if visa waiver agreement has been concluded with a foreign country or the visa requirement has been waived for foreign nationals, and they have applied for a temporary residence permit for study purposes;
2) they are studying full-time or part-time (including those on academic leave who attend study);
3) they have special needs (their disability is determined by Social Insurance Board).
The Scholarship for students with special needs can also be applied for and received during academic leave (in case the student attends study) and in part-time studies. Since 2020/21 autumn semester the Scholarship can also be applied by full-time students who are transferred to the extension year. In such cases, the amount of the Scholarship is differentiated. A student in part-time studies receives the Scholarship for students with special needs during up for twice the nominal duration of the curriculum.
The amount of the Scholarship for students with special needs is:
1) 510 eur/month for a student with a hearing loss which corresponds to a profound or severe disability;
2) 148 eur/month for a student with a mobility or visual impairment which corresponds to a profound or severe disability;
3) 80 eur/month for a student with a profound or severe disability other than those mentioned in clauses 1) and 2);
4) 325 eur/month for a student with a hearing disability which corresponds to a moderate disability;
5) 68 eur/month for a student with a mobility or visual impairment which corresponds to a moderate disability;
6) 60 eur/month for a student with a moderate disability other than those mentioned in clauses 4) and 5).
The student can apply for the Scholarship once per academic year. If the student submits an application in the September application round, then the Scholarship can be applied for 10 monts. If the application is submitted in the February application round, the Scholarship will be awarded up to the end of the current academic year (up to 5 months). If the student submits an application in the September application round, they will no longer be able to apply in the February application round, even if the Scholarship submitted for in the September application round is paid for less than 10 months. The Scholarship is paid by the 10th day of the calendar month (Scholarships are not paid for July and August).
Since the 1st of August 2020 the processing of Scholarship applications moved to Education and Youth Authority. To apply for the Scholarship, the student must still submit the following documents to the electronic environment on the webpage of Archimedes Foundation Education Agency. Deadlines for applying for the Scholarship are 23rd of September (in 2020/21 autumn semester exceptionally 30th of September) and 20th of February.
The amount of the Scholarship for a student on academic leave or for a part-time student depends on the subject registrations made in the beginning of the semester and on the volume of subjects completed. 30 ECTSs in a semester is considered a full-time volume. So if the student completes 15 ECTSs in a semester, the amount of the Scholarship is 50% (=15/30) from the beforementioned rates.
If a full-time student is transferred to the extension year, then the amount of the Scholarship is differentiated with the volume of curriculum´s subjects which are still not completed. For example. Full-time student whose hearing loss corresponds to a profound or severe disability has the right for 2550 euros for the whole semester (5 months*510 euros). When dividing it to 30 ECTSs, the price for 1 ECTS is 85 euros. If the student will register to a 3 ECTS subject, the differentiated amount will be 255 euros for the full semester. Those 255 euros will be paid during the whole semester or year depending on the end date of studies (for example: when dividing it to 10 months, the monthly amount of the Scholarship would be 25,5 euros).