Scholarship program aimed at supporting the studies of expatriate Estonians in Estonia

The purpose of the scholarship program is to support the studies of expatriate Estonians in higher education institutions and vocational education institutions in Estonia. There is a separate scholarship for expatriates who wish to study Estonian language.

The terms of the program are fixed with minister’s 23.05.2023 directive nr 1.1-2/23/132.

The applications are accepted in two categories:

  • The purpose of the scholarship for formal studies is to support the studies of young Estonian expatriates at the level of vocational or higher education in curriculum taught in Estonian. The information and deadline for the 2024 application round will be announced in April at the latest.

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  • The purpose of the language studies scholarship is to support Estonian language studies of young Estonian expatriates for one year. The information and deadline for the 2024 application round will be announced in April at the latest.

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The formal studies scholarship

With this scholarship we support the studies of expatriate Estonians in higher education institutions and vocational education institutions in Estonia in curriculum taught in Esonian language. Scholarship recipients are awarded a scholarship until the end of the nominal duration of the curriculum.

The formal studies scholarship can be applied for by persons of Estonian origin living abroad with secondary and higher education and corresponding education, who have not resided permanently in Estonia for at least the last ten years, unless they have settled in during the calendar year preceding the submission of the application. The scholarship can be applied only for full-time studies in curriculum taught in Estonian language.

The information and deadline for the 2024 application round will be announced in April at the latest.

Raamatud virnas

Additional info:

Marilyn Fridolin
Senior programme officer
Scholarships and grants office
+372 6999 397
m[email protected]

Applying for the formal studies scholarship

The applicant must submit to the Board by the deadline:

  • application form including motivation letter;
  • curriculum vitae (CV);
  • A document certifying admission to an Estonian educational institution
  • a copy of the document certifying the acquired education (diploma with a results report) or an extract from the study results of the upper secondary school and a copy of the certificate of the penultimate grade;
  • a copy of the personal datasheet of the passport or ID-card;
  • a copy of a document certifying Estonian origin (birth certificate, birth certificate of parents or grandparents, etc.);
  • a letter of recommendation (from a representative of Estonian society, community, etc., teacher or supervisor of the Estonian language or another subject).

The documents must be in Estonian, English, or Russian. Documents submitted in other languages must be accompanied by an official translation.

If you have any questions regarding the application procedure, please contact senior programme officer Marilyn Fridolin: +372 699 9397; [email protected]. NB! Please do not send the questions to the application e-mail.

The applications are evaluated by the Steering Committee that consists of representatives of the Ministry of Education and Research, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the Ministry of Culture, and the diaspora of Estonian expatriates.

When awarding a scholarship for a formal study, following parametres are taken into account with equal weight:

  • the applicant's previous academic success;
  • thoughtfulness and persuasiveness of the motivation letter;
  • social activity;
  • the relevance of the letter of recommendation.              

The Committee also takes into account the representation of different localities among the grantees and the distribution of fields of study when compiling the ranking.

The scholarship consists of the following components:

  • basic monthly scholarship during the study period
    • The basic scholarship is paid to the grantee during the nominal duration of the curriculum for 12 months of the academic year, except for the last academic year when the scholarship is paid for 10 months.
    • The basic scholarship is paid every year in three parts: for the first 5 months of study is paid as a lump sum in September, for the next 5 months in February  after the submission of the study results of the autumn semester and for 2 summer months after the submission of the study results of the spring semester, except for the last academic year.
    • The basic scholarship is also paid during the period of study abroad if the grantee fulfills other conditions for receiving the scholarship.
  • the travel grant that is paid for travel from home abroad to an Estonian educational institution and back two times a year. The travel grant is transferred to the grantee's bank account together with the first and second installments of the basic scholarship.
  • At the end of each academic year, the Board pays a one-off extra EUR 350 scholarship to a grantee with an average grade of 4.0 or higher in the previous year.
  • if necessary, the grantee will be reimbursed the state fee for the residence permit/visa (according to the rates of the state fee) and health insurance expenses (up to 300 euros per academic year) on the basis of the insurer's invoice to grantees who do not have insurance from the Estonian Health Insurance Fund.
  • Study costs in higher education
    • In the first academic year, no tuition fees are paid to the educational institution; henceforth, the grantee will be reimbursed for study costs according to the volume of his/her progress and the rates of tuition fees of the Estonian educational institution.
    • The Board reimburses the cost of up to 15 ECTS per academic year for the outstanding study volume.  The remaining study costs are covered by the grantee from their own resources. Tuition costs are reimbursed only for full-time studies.
  • Study costs in vocational education
    • Grantees studying in vocational training may study in a state-financed or non-state-financed study place. The Board does not pay tuition fees to educational institutions for grantees studying in the state-financed study place. Starting to study at a non-state financed study place must be indicated in the application. 
    • The Board reimburses the basic cost of the study place of a scholarship student studying at a non-state financed study place to the educational institution after the submission of the study results of the grantee.

To pay the scholarship, the host institution, the grantee, and the Board enter into a tripartite agreement.

The Board makes scholarship payments on the basis of extracts from study results and expense documents.

By 20 September and 15 February at the latest, the grantee is obliged to submit a statement of the study results of the previous period, on the basis of which the next part of the scholarship will be paid.

The grantee has the right

  • to apply for academic leave and extension of the nominal period of studies without extension of the scholarship. No scholarship is paid during academic leave and during the extended nominal period.

The grantee must:

  • confirm his/her wish to study in Estonia to the Board within ten days after the scholarship has been awarded.
  • start studies in Estonia at the beginning of the academic year following the application for the scholarship. If the grantee does not arrive in Estonia by the beginning of the academic year and does not provide good reasons for not arriving, the Committee has the right to revoke the awarding of the scholarship.
  • start studying at the chosen educational institution and complete it in nominal time.
  • submit a statement of study results at the end of each semester. If the grantee has not completed at least 75% of the study volume according to the curriculum, the Board may suspend the payment of the scholarship until the debts are liquidated.
  • The scholarship is paid for full-time studies, and in case of dropping to the part-time study, payment of the scholarship is suspended.
  • If the grantee interrupts his/her studies, the Board may recover from the grantee the scholarship paid during the years and the tuition fee paid to the educational institution, unless the completion of the studies was hindered by health or circumstances beyond his/her control.
  • The grantee undertakes to inform the Board about academic leave, interruption of studies, and other circumstances that prevent the completion of studies on a nominal basis.
  • If the grantee has received a scholarship for the time when he/she has not participated in the studies, he/she must repay it.

The language studies scholarship

With this scholarship we support participating in intensive Estonian language course for one year.


The language studies scholarship can be applied for by persons of Estonian origin residing abroad with secondary and higher education and corresponding education, who have not resided permanently in Estonia for at least the last ten years and who study in intensive Estonian language courses and complete at least the B1 level by the end of the scholarship period. The candidates who use the additional language learning opportunities (like e-courses Keeleklikk  and Keeletee, Integratsiooni Sihtasutus’ Estonian Language Houses) are preferred.

The applicants have to find and registrate to the courses themselves. Suitable options are higher education institutions (e.g courses in University of Tartu) or other licensed institutions. You can turn to Integration Foundation to find the most suitable course plan. Feel free to ask for more information from our specialist.

The information and deadline for the 2024 application round will be announced in April at the latest.

Õpilased loengut kuulamas õppematerjalid süles

Additional info:

Marilyn Fridolin
Senior programme officer
Scholarships and grants office
+372 6999 397
m[email protected]

Applying for the language studies scholarship

The applicant must submit to the Board by the deadline:

  • application form including motivation letter;
  • curriculum vitae (CV);
  • language course curriculum and a document certifying the cost
  • a copy of the document certifying the acquired education (diploma with a results report) or an extract from the study results of the upper secondary school and a copy of the certificate of the penultimate grade;
  • a copy of the personal datasheet of the passport or ID-card;
  • a copy of a document certifying Estonian origin (birth certificate, birth certificate of parents or grandparents, etc.);
  • a letter of recommendation (from a representative of Estonian society, community, etc., teacher or supervisor of the Estonian language or another subject).

The documents must be in Estonian, English, or Russian. Documents submitted in other languages must be accompanied by an official translation.

If you have any questions regarding the application procedure, please contact senior programme officer Marilyn Fridolin: +372 699 9397; [email protected]. NB! Please do not send the questions to the application e-mail.

The applications are evaluated by the Steering Committee that consists of representatives of the Ministry of Education and Research, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the Ministry of Culture, and the diaspora of Estonian expatriates.

When awarding a scholarship for a language year, following parametres are taken into account with equal weight:

  • the applicant's Estonian language skills;
  • the thoughtfulness and persuasiveness of the applicant's letter of motivation;
  • and the relevance of the letter of recommendation.

The Committee also takes into account the representation of different localities among the grantees.

The scholarship consists of the following components:

  • basic monthly scholarship during the study period – EUR 350 per month and is transferred to the grantee’s bank account in two parts;
  • the travel grant that is paid for travel from home abroad to an Estonian educational institution and back two times a year. The travel grant is transferred to the grantee's bank account together with the first and second installments of the basic scholarship;
  • if necessary, the grantee will be reimbursed the state fee for the residence permit/visa (according to the rates of the state fee) and health insurance expenses (up to 300 euros per academic year) on the basis of the insurer's invoice to grantees who do not have insurance from the Estonian Health Insurance Fund.
  • the study expenses for the language study scholarship on the basis of the price list established by the course provider. The application must be accompanied by a curriculum for the language course and information on the cost (maximum 2700 euros).

To pay the scholarship, the host institution, the grantee, and the Board enter into a tripartite agreement.

The Board makes scholarship payments on the basis of extracts from study results and expense documents.

By 15th of February at the latest, the grantee is obliged to submit a statement of the study results of the previous period, on the basis of which the next part of the scholarship will be paid.

The grantee must

  • confirm his/her wish to study in Estonia to the Board within ten days after the scholarship has been awarded;
  • start studies in Estonia at the beginning of the academic year following the application for the scholarship, otherwise the Committee has the right to revoke the awarding of the scholarship;
  • complete at least 75% of the study volume according to the curriculum and submit a statement of study results at the end of the semester, otherwise the Board may suspend or end the payment of the scholarship;
  • If the grantee interrupts his/her studies, the Board may recover from the grantee the already paid scholarship and the tuition fee to the educational institution, unless the completion of the studies was hindered by health or circumstances beyond his/her control.
  • The grantee undertakes to inform the Board about academic leave, interruption of studies, and other circumstances that prevent the completion of studies on a nominal basis.
  • If the grantee has received a scholarship for the time when he/she has not participated in the studies, he/she must repay it.

Last updated: 30.01.2024