The Roma Education Fund's RARE scholarship program awards scholarships to young Roma to continue their education in high school and college. Young people who are eligible for a scholarship are also given the opportunity to improve academically and personally with the help of mentoring services and various support courses.
The project to improve educational opportunities for Roma youth in the Western Balkans and Turkey aims to reduce the financial difficulties Roma youth face in accessing education, problems adjusting to school life, the risk of failing classes and problems transitioning to employment.
Each Roma student enrolled in higher education and eligible for a scholarship will receive a scholarship worth 800 euros during the academic year. The scholarship is paid out in three installments.
60 Roma students enrolled at a secondary school will receive a scholarship worth 500 euros for the entire academic year. The scholarship is paid in three installments.
Application requirements and details
Requirements for high school students to apply for the scholarship program:
- Being a Roma student,
- Studying in one of the provinces of Edirne, Istanbul, Izmir or Hatay,
- Studying in a public school,
- Being enrolled in a high school program (between 14 and 20 years old),
- Not receiving a scholarship from another institution/organization,
- Students who have completed at least 1 semester of high school will be evaluated based on their grade point average.
- The applicant's letter of motivation will play an important role in the evaluation.
Requirements for university students to apply for this scholarship program:
- Being a Roma student,
- Being an undergraduate in the academic year 2023/2024,
- Studying in a public school,
- Being between 18 and 22 years old,
- Not receiving a scholarship from an institution/organization,
- Holding a high academic success,
- The college entrance exam score for freshmen will be evaluated based on the grade point average for students who have completed at least 1 semester of college.
- The applicant's motivation to contribute to social change and success in extracurricular activities will be evaluated (according to the letter of motivation submitted by the applicant).
- Students are not required to live or study in a specific province. Applications are accepted from all over Turkey.
- Success level, socio-economic status and motivation regarding the scholarship are also important criteria in the selection of those who will benefit from the scholarship program.
How are the applications evaluated?
Scholarship applications are evaluated on the basis of academic achievement and motivation by an independent selection committee composed of 5 people, including academics, teachers and staff from civil society organizations. A total of 60 students (30 female, 30 male) will receive scholarships at the high school level, with equal consideration given to academic achievement and motivation. At college level, 30 students (15 female, 15 male) will receive scholarships, with academic success being considered 60% and motivation 40%.
Full details of the scholarship applications can be found at www.sifirayrimcilik.org.