Guidelines
The REF/Scholarship Program runs an open, merit-based academic competition for eligible Romani students at the university level. In order to assist the potential applicants in learning about the selection process and criteria in the Scholarships schemes, below is the detailed information of the Program on selection procedures and requirements that may assist applicants in filing the relevant documents and succeeding in the academic competition.
REF can support under each Scholarship scheme the same applicant throughout his/her studies:
- for one Bachelor degree, for maximum 4/5 years (if integrated study model), with one transfer to another university/faculty/field of studies being allowed only once;
- for one Master degree, for maximum two years;
- for one PhD degree, for maximum three years.
3. Communication of selection decisions
1. Decision making mechanisms
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REF/SP Staff and the Program Country Coordinators are not directly involved in the process of Scholars’ selection. The Program staff has an observing role in the selection process. Please see the role of the Staff and Country Coordinators in the Operational Manual.
Selection of scholars from the pool of applicants is carried out by a National Selection Board (NSB). The NSB members for the Law and Humanities Scholarships Program (LHP) and Roma Memorial University Scholarship Program (RMUSP) are selected for their positions through an open competition and serve in the boards from 3 to 5 years. The Program strives to select representatives of academia and Roma communities for the NSBs in all program countries. NSB Members in Roma Health Scholarships Program (RHSP) are appointed by the relevant ministries in the Program countries.
The International Selection and Advisory Board (ISB) of REF carries out selection for the Roma Supplementary Scholarship Grant Programme (RSSGP) and Professional Development Fund (PDF). The ISB also deliberates and takes decisions on the undecided cases provided by the NSBs and on certain cases of appeal (see below details on the latter).The ISB Members represent International NGOs, academic programs, experts with experience in managing Scholarship schemes, etc. The Board Members serve on ISB from 3 to 5 years.
2. Selection process
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The selection process consists of several steps and levels, with slight variations according to the specific program. Key steps are explained below.
Step One (relevant for all programs): Verifying whether the requirements of the Eligibility criteria of the Program/s are met. The step consists of a technical verification of the application materials which is done by the Scholarships Program administration staff.
Step Two (relevant for all programs): Evaluating the application content. The evaluation is carried out by the REF/SP National Selection Board (NSB) members in respective Program countries. The NSB members review the Application Materials and discuss each application in a Selection Board Meeting.
Step Three (relevant only for LHP applicants and for freshmen-to-be RMUSP applicants from Bulgaria, Hungary, and Macedonia): Conducting personal interviews with the applicants. The shortlisted applicants are interviewed by the NSB members in each above-mentioned country (see below details on interviews).
Step Four (relevant for all Programs): Forwarding to ISB. This step may be needed if the decisions on the particular applications are not reached by NSBs. The debated Applications are forwarded to the International Selection and Advisory Board for further consideration.
3. Communication of selection decisions
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The Program communicates the outcomes of the selection process to the respective applicants after the second, the third and the fourth steps of selection via e-mail by sending either an official Rejection Letter (with specified reasons for rejection), or a Notification Letter (with the confirmation that the candidate was shortlisted for the scholarship), and a Grant letter (with details on the stipend to be received).
The applicant may appeal against the National Board decision within set deadlines. The appeals should be sent to REF/SP. The REF/SP team categorizes the appeals and sends them to the Scholarship Program Ombudsman, who reviews individual appeal cases based on the materials provided by the applicants, the Program and the NSBs. While analyzing the appeals, the Ombudsman may choose to turn to the professional advice of the International Selection Board Members.
4. Eligibility Criteria
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Eligibility criteria of the REF/Scholarships Program set standards, according to which applicants’ qualifications are assessed. The Program Applications are screened for appropriate academic standards, completeness of submitted documents and deadlines met. The applicants who do not meet the eligibility criteria of the Program/s are not further considered in the academic competition of the Programs.
Eligibility Criteria (relevant for all Scholarships Schemes)
Applicants should:
 | be openly Roma, willing to appear publicly as Roma |
| have been or will be accepted at a state accredited university in their home country or country of residence as full-time students in the upcoming academic year. Persons planning to get enrolled in a university in the upcoming year, but not enrolled in one at the moment of application, are also eligible. Please note that the home country and country of residence has to be one of the Program countries as listed under the additional eligibility criteria (see the list of eligible countries for each scholarship scheme below) |
| Apply by the set deadlines |
| pursue their studies for obtaining a Bachelor, Master, or PhD degree (or also medical vocational studies for RHSP) |
| submit a completed Application Form |
| submit a motivation letter that expresses their academic goals and/or accomplishments and shows their commitment and motivation to study |
| submit an essay that considers the most outstanding issues that Roma face in the applicant’s country, how those issues affect the local community and what are the possible means to address them |
| provide an official transcript of the university grades from all completed academic years as well as the latest completed semester of September – December 2010. If the applicant has not been enrolled in school/university recently, should provide certified copies of the latest received grade transcripts and /or diplomas |
| submit at least one detailed and informative recommendation letter, describing the academic performance and/or extra-curricular activities of the applicant |
| Sign electronically the Contractual Obligations section of the online application form |
Specific Eligibility Criteria for RMUSP applicants
Applicants should:
| study in one of the following fields: law, public administration, journalism, political science, sociology, psychology, pedagogy, philosophy, economics, finance and banking, business administration, history, international relations and European studies, communications and public relations, medicine, engineering, ecology or environmental studies, biology, mathematics, physics and arts |
| be a resident or citizen of one of the following countries: Albania, Bulgaria, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Croatia, Czech Republic, Hungary, Kosovo, Montenegro, Macedonia, Romania, Slovakia, Serbia and Turkey |
| provide evidence of acceptance in full-time university studies within a recognized university in the applicants’ own country or country of residence by presentation of an original university enrollment certificate for the academic year for which they are applying for scholarship support |
Note 1: Part-time students are eligible to apply for RMUSP only if they are studying for a Master or Ph.D. (in any Program country) or are studying in Czech Republic (for any degree).
Note 2: Freshmen-to-be shortlisted applicants for RMUSP Program coming from Macedonia, Bulgaria, and Hungary will be invited to personal interviews (see below details on interviews).
Specific Eligibility Criteria for LHP applicants
The applicants should:
| provide evidence of acceptance in full-time university studies within a recognized university in the applicants’ own country or country of residence by presentation of an original university enrollment certificate for the academic year for which s/he is applying for scholarship support |
| study in the field of law and Humanities |
| be a resident or citizen of one of the following countries: Belorussia, Moldova, Russia or Ukraine |
Note: shortlisted applicants for LHP Program will be invited to personal interviews (see below details on interviews).
Specific Eligibility Criteria for RHSP applicants
The applicants should:
| provide evidence of acceptance in full-time university studies within a recognized university or post-secondary vocational school in the applicants’ own country or country of residence by presentation of an original university enrollment certificate for the academic year for which s/he is applying for scholarship support. |
| study in the Medical fields |
| be a resident or citizen of one of the following countries: Bulgaria, Macedonia and Serbia |
Note: The program considers applicants for both tertiary and post-secondary vocational school levels.
Specific Eligibility Criteria for RISP applicants
The applicants should:
| provide evidence of acceptance in full-time university studies within a recognized university in a country other than the country where they reside or have a citizenship of |
| present an original university enrollment certificate for the academic year for which s/he is applying for scholarship support |
| be a resident and a citizen of one of the following countries: Albania, Bulgaria, Bosnia-Herzegovina, Croatia, Czech Republic, Kosovo, Hungary, Montenegro, Macedonia, Moldova, Romania, Russia, Slovakia, Serbia, Ukraine and Turkey |
5. Selection Criteria
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Selection criteria for REF Scholarship programs take into account the quality of the documents submitted. The applicants must strive to comply with the selection criteria and present competitive application materials. The selection criteria for all Program countries and programs are as follows:
| competitive GPA (see charts below). In case of higher-than-anticipated demand for scholarship support in Program countries, the GPA criterion may be made more demanding |
| motivation letter that expresses the academic goals and/or accomplishments clearly and shows the commitment and motivation to study |
| essay that considers the most outstanding issues that Roma face in the applicant’s country, how those issues affect the local community and what are the possible means to address them |
| participation in academic seminars, conferences, workshops, summer schools, and/or competitions will be an advantage |
| performance at the interview |
6. Further considerations
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Major considerations of the selection process of the Scholarship Programs include the following:
- The Program classifies the applicants in two groups for further selection: renewal applicants and new applicants. The two groups do not compete against each other, but are each assigned a quota. This approach allows the Program to run a competition while providing a fair chance to scholars within relevant academic levels.
| Renewal applicants - Students/scholars who received the RMUSP Scholarship for the previous academic cycle and are applying to renew their scholarship | |
| New applicants– Students/scholars who did not receive the RMUSP Scholarship in the previous academic year, regardless of whether they received it in earlier years |
- The Program has established a quota per country based on a combination of factors. Among these are Roma population ratio per country, availability of affirmative measures in tertiary education, and accessibility of EU student/loan funds of the potential applicant pool. In the RMUSP Program 1000 scholarships will be granted; in the LHP and RHSP programs the aim is to grant per 160 scholarships.
RHSP aims to distribute 160 Scholarships in the Program countries. The total number of Scholarships given may be a subject of increase based on the quantity and quality of applications received.
RISP offers 35 Scholarships annually and does not use a country quota.
The Program has established Grade Point Average (GPA) as one of the criteria for selection. The minimum GPA that applicants should have to be selected for the scholarship depends on the pool of applicants and severity of competition of each year.
In the 2010-2011 academic year the threshold of GPA for the students accepted for the scholarships was the following:
| COUNTRY | GPA | |
| 1 | Albania | 5.8 |
| 2 | Bosnia and Herzegovina | 2.4 (from school) 6.3 (from university) |
| 3 | Bulgaria | 3.6 |
| 4 | Croatia | 3.0 |
| 5 | Czech Republic | 3.7 (or below) |
| 6 | Kosovo | 4.2 |
| 7 | Macedonia | 3.5 (from school) 7.0 (from university) |
| 8 | Hungary | 3.0 |
| 9 | Romania | 6.3 |
| 10 | Serbia | 3.9 (from school) 6.5 (from university) |
| 11 | Montenegro | 6.5 |
| 12 | Slovakia | 3.0 (or below) |
| 13 | Turkey | 1.3 (when 5 is the maximum) 46.1 (when 100 is the maximum) |
| 14 | Moldova | 6.2 |
| 15 | Russia | 3.0 |
| 16 | Ukraine | 3.0 |
7. Evaluation Process
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When evaluating the applications, the National Selection Board members review applicants’ responses to asset-based questions and transcripts carefully. In the applications, the National Selection Board members make qualitative assessments on:
| Style and the fluency of applicants’ writing |
| Comprehensiveness of information provided |
| Ability to express the academic goals and/or accomplishments clearly |
| Commitment and motivation to study |
| Understanding and awareness of issues particularly affecting Roma |
| Academic standing (GPA) – see the chart above for GPA requirements by country |
| Academic progress from previous year/s (for renewal applicants) |
| Originality of application: applicants who submit identical or similar application materials may be disqualified from further consideration for Program support |
The National Selection Board Members may disqualify applications based on the following reasons:
| a. | Application materials submitted are identical to those submitted by at least one other applicant |
| b. | An application was completed by someone other than the applicant (the NSB may consider random checks and use the application submitted as a basis for questions during the individual interviews) |
| c. | An application includes false information or forged documents |
Note:
Freshmen-to-be applicants from any country shortlisted for LHP or for RMUSP from Bulgaria, Hungary, and Macedonia will be required to participate in a personal interview. The notification for personal interviews will be forwarded to the shortlisted applicants via e-mail by the Program Country Coordinators. Interviews will be held in Program Coordination Offices (see the address in guidelines) and will be conducted by the National Selection Board Members. Shortlisted applicants who will fail to attend the interviews will not be considered for the further selection process. The transportation costs to attend the interview site will be covered by REF.
