Kristjan Jaak Scholarships

The Kristjan Jaak national scholarship programme awards mobility scholarships to master’s and PhD students as well as to young lecturers and scientists. The main objective of the programme is to strengthen the internationalisation of Estonian higher education institutions and to improve the employability of their graduates.

We accept applications in two categories:

  • Scholarship for degree studies abroad is available for citizens or permanent residents of Estonia. With this scholarship it is possible to start or continue master’s or PhD level studies at a recognised foreign university. The grantees are required to work in Estonia in a professional capacity for 3 years after graduation. The application deadline is once a year. The application deadline and conditions of  2024 will be announced at the beginning of the year.

    READ MORE ABOUT DEGREE STUDIES ABROAD
  • Scholarship for short study visits is meant for bachelor’s or professional higher education students, master’s and PhD students, resident physicians and young lecturers and scientists of Estonian higher education institutions. Application is open for people of all nationalities, but the applicants have to prove that their Estonian language knowledge is at least on a B1 level. With this scholarship it is possible to participate in conferences or intensive courses, visit libraries or labs, or take part in any other study, research or teaching related activity. A short study visit can last up to 30 days. The application deadlines and conditions of 2024 will be announced at the beginning of the year.

    READ MORE ABOUT SHORT STUDY VISITS

Kristjan Jaak scholarship for exchange studies was allocated for master’s and PhD students of Estonian higher education institutions until spring 2023. The exchange studies are still supported with Erasmus+ scholarships. To get more details about Erasmus+ scholarships and exchange studies please contact your university’s Erasmus+ coordinator. 

Application system

Applications for the Kristjan Jaak scholarships can be submitted through our application system. The calls for applications are opened one month before the application deadline.
 

APPLICATION SYSTEM 

Scholarship for degree studies abroad

With this scholarship it is possible to start or continue master’s or PhD level studies at a recognised foreign university. We support full-time as well as part-time studies. After graduation, the grantees are required to work in Estonia for 3 years in a position where a relevant master’s or PhD degree is required.

The application is open for citizens or permanent residents of Estonia. The scholarship for degree studies abroad is not meant for people who wish to study in Estonian universities.

The application deadline and conditions of 2024 will be announced at the beginning of the year.

Teadlased

Additional info:

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

Scholarship for short study visits

With this scholarship we support short-term study- and research-related trips of bachelor’s or professional higher education students, master’s and PhD students as well as young lecturers and scientists. The grantees can participate in conferences or summer schools, work in libraries or laboratories, collaborate and consult with an academic supervisor etc. The study visit can last up to 30 days and it may not start earlier than one month after the application deadline.

People of all nationalities are welcome to apply but the applicants must prove that their Estonian language knowledge is at least on B1 level. 

The application deadlines and conditions of 2024 will be announced at the beginning of the year.

The call for applications opens in Toetuste Menetlemise Infosüsteem (the application system) generally one month before the deadline.

toetuste menetlemise infosüsteEM

Osalejad konverentsil

Additional info:

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

Short study visits quidelines

Applying for the short study visits scholarship

The application is open for people of all nationalities who are:

  • Bachelor’s or professional higher education students of Estonian higher education institutions who have completed at least 120 ECTS of their curriculum by the time of submitting the application and whose research ability is highly evaluated on the national or international science popularisation contests or as a participant in the research and development projects. The awarded participations (places 1-3 and special prizes) in national or international contests during the higher educational level will be counted. As a participation in the research projects the scientific articles in pre-reviewed periodicals will be counted (including confirmed publications);
  • Master's or PhD students of Estonian higher education institutions.
  • Advanced students of integrated curricula at Estonian higher education institutions who have completed at least 180 ECTS of their curriculum by the time of submitting the application.
  • Doctor-residents working in Estonia.
  • Young scientists and lecturers of Estonian higher education institutions who are not older than 35 years or who have received their PhD degree less than 5 years ago. These limits can be extended proportionally for applicants who have been on parental leave.
  • Young scientists of Estonian R&D institution, who are teaching (incl. supervising) at higher education level and who are not older than 35 years or who have received their PhD degree less than 5 years ago. These limits can be extended proportionally for applicants who have been on parental leave.
  • Beneficiaries of the Kristjan Jaak scholarship for degree studies who are studying at a foreign university.

During academic leave the scholarship can be used only if the regulations of the home university allow to participate in coursework during academic leave.

The scholarship can only cover the costs of one person; group applications are not accepted. If more than two applications are submitted from the same institution and from the same study programme and study level to participate in the same event, only the first two applications will be sent for evaluation (based on the submission date of the correct applications).

One person can receive a maximum of two short study visit scholarships in the calls for applications of one academic year. An applicant may submit one application for one call for applications. The applicant has a right for the scholarship maximum 2 times during bachelor’s or master’s studies and 4 times during PhD studies (scholarships awarded from 2022 will be considered).

The applicant must submit the following documents through our application system before the application deadline:

  • Application form (including the motivation letter).
  • Signed recommendation letter from the supervisor (for students) or from the direct manager (for lecturers/scientists).
  • Confirmation letter about studying/working at an Estonian higher education institution issued current study term by that institution or a confirmation of employment at an Estonian R&D institution with a confirmation of teaching (or supervising) at higher education level. Students of integrated curricula must also submit a document that proves that they have completed at least 180 ECTS of their curriculum.
  • Document proving Estonian citizenship (a copy of passport or ID-card) or a document proving that the applicant’s Estonian language knowledge is at least on a B1 level (a certificate of a language proficiency exam, a certificate of completion of a language course at a licenced institution or a transcript of records from the university).
  • Invitation or registration confirmation of the event; a confirmation letter from the library or an extract from the homepage of the institution on opening hours; a signed invitation of the research institution.
    • Organizers' confirmation on the acceptance of the presentation (if the aim of the study visit is presenting at a conference).
    • The work plan for the study visit with supervisor’s signature (if the aim of the study visit is working in the library, archive or other independent work).
  • Document showing the amount of the participation fee (if the applicant wishes to apply for the reimbursement of the participation fee). If the participation fee has already been paid then a proof of payment (bank account statement, order for payment) must also be added to the application.
  • Bachelor’s and professional higher education students must provide the proof of awarded participation in the national or international science popularisation competitions (diploma, reference for the competition in the application form) or reference to the scientific publication in Estonian Research Information System (ETIS).

The document describing the event should clearly indicate the time, place, and nature of the event. If necessary, the applicant can upload several documents (e.g., registration form, program, confirmation of acceptance of the presentation).

The application form and the additional documents can be in Estonian or in English.

All documents must be uploaded to the application system. Documents that are signed on paper should be submitted in scanned form.  It is not necessary to send us the original signed documents, but we have the right to check if the uploaded documents correspond to the originals

NB! If all necessary documents are not sent with the application or if they are not in the correct form (e.g. recommendation letter is not signed) then the application will not be sent to evaluation!

toetuste menetlemise infosüsteem

The applications that meet the technical criteria are assessed by experts with a PhD degree. Each application is assessed by at least two experts. The maximal possible score awarded by one expert for various aspects of the application is 30 points. A ranking list of applicants is compiled based on the aggregate score awarded by the experts. This list is the basis for the decision made by the Kristjan Jaak Programme Board.

If the summarized score given by two experts differs by 10 points or more, a third expert will assess the application. In this case, the two scores that are closest to each other will be taken into account when compiling the ranking list. If the score given by the third expert falls in the middle of the two previous experts' scores, then the ranking list will be compiled based on double the average of the scores.

The experts evaluate the following aspects:

  • Does the short study visit have a clear objective?
  • Is the event/destination suitable for the objective?
  • Does the applicant have an active role in the event / study period?
  • Is the applicant motivated and prepared for the short study visit?
  • To what extent is the short study visit related to the applicant's current activities?
  • Is the recommendation letter relevant and convincing?

The Kristjan Jaak Programme Board allocates the scholarships based on the aggregate scores given by the experts. It is within the Board's discretion to decide which applications should be supported. If there are several applications with an equal score, but the budget does not allow to support all of them, the Board may prefer applications from fields and higher education institutions that are less represented. The decision to allocate the scholarships is fixed in the minutes of the Board meeting and confirmed with the decision of the Director for Internationalization of the Board.

The assessment procedure takes up to 45 days from the application deadline.

The scholarship consists of an accommodation and travel allowance, daily subsistence allowance and participation fee (if necessary).

  • Accommodation allowance is calculated based on the official duration of the event. In justified cases, one day before and one day after the event can be added to the scholarship period. The accommodation allowance is paid based on the number of nights (e.g., for a 6-day visit, the number of nights is 5). The fixed rates for the accommodation allowance are as follows:

    3-6 day visit (2-5 nights), 80 euros per night
    7-14 day visit (6-13 nights), 60 euros per night
    15-30 day visit (14-29 nights), 35 euros per night

  • Travel allowance is meant to help cover the expenses of a round trip. As a rule, the start point of the study visit is the city where the home university is located, but in justified cases it can also be a city abroad. The destination of the study visit is the city where the event takes place. It is not possible to receive a travel grant for a one-way trip.

    The travel allowance is meant to help cover all travel-related costs, including transportation to the airport and from the airport to the destination. Visa costs are not reimbursed separately. The amount of the travel grant depends on the distance between the point of departure and destination. The distance is calculated with the European Commission's web-based calculator.

    If the distance between the point of departure and the destination is up to 99,99 km (inclusive), the travel expenses are reimbursed in the amount of up to 180 euros based on expense receipts.

    If the distance between the point of departure and the destination is 100 km or more, the travel expenses are reimbursed based on fixed unit prices as shown in this document.
  • Daily subsistence allowance is 32 euros per day. The number of days is determined by the official programme of the event or by the schedule described in the work plan. In justified cases, one day before and one day after the event can be added to the scholarship period.
  • Participation fee can be covered in the amount of up to 400 euros based on expense receipts. The participation in excursions, gala dinners and other social events is not reimbursed. If the participation fee includes the accommodation costs related to the event, the accommodation allowance can be pursued to cover the accommodation costs of the night before and after the event which the participation fee does not include.

Additional information

No other source of financing (except for personal savings) can be used for the expenses covered by the Kristjan Jaak scholarship. The final scholarship amount is confimed by the Programme Board. This amount cannot be increased and it may only be used to finance the study visit indicated in the application.

As a rule, the scholarship contract is concluded one month before the start of the study visit. The contract sets out the scholarship amount and conditions.

Before the contract can be concluded, the grantee must submit a registration confirmation of the event along with the document certifying the acceptance of their presentation (unless these have already been submitted with the application or if giving a presentation was not the purpose of the short study visit).

The scholarship is transferred to the grantee’s bank account no later than 14 days before the start of the study visit but not before the contract has been signed. Advance payments of the scholarship are not made to individuals who have outstanding contractual obligations to the Education and Youth Board.

In documents and presentations related to the study visit, the grantee must acknowledge the support of the Ministry of Education and Research and the Education and Youth Board.
 

The grantee must submit the following documents within one month after the end of the study visit:

The report consists of:

  • Completed report form.
  • Official certificate of attendance issued by the host institution or the organizer of the event. The certificate should include the dates of the event. If the purpose of the visit was to attend the conference with a presentation then there must be a reference to it on the certificate.
  • The invoice and payment confirmation of the participation fee (if the applicant applied for the reimbursement of the participation fee).

The report form and the additional documents must be submitted through Toetuste Menetlemise Infosüsteem (the application system).

If the report is not submitted on time or if the scholarship was not used for its intended purpose, the grantee is obliged to repay the scholarship. If the actual length of the study visit is shorter than set out in the contract, a part of the scholarship must be repaid.

Scholarship for exchange studies

Kristjan Jaak scholarship for exchange studies was allocated for master’s and PhD students of Estonian higher education institutions until spring 2023. The exchange studies are still supported with Erasmus+ scholarships. To get more details about Erasmus+ scholarships and exchange studies please contact your university’s Erasmus+ coordinator.

Tudengid õpivad õues

Additional info:

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

Exchange studies guidelines

Kristjan Jaak Programme Board

The Kristjan Jaak scholarship programme was initiated in 2003 by the Ministry of Education and Research and the Archimedes Foundation. On 1 August 2020 the programme was transferred to the Education and Youth Board.

The Kristjan Jaak scholarship programme is managed by the Programme Board. The Programme Board has six members:

  • Jakob Kübarsepp – Chair (Tallinn University of Technology, professor)
  • Helen Eenmaa-Dimitrieva (University of Tartu, Representative of Kristjan Jaak alumni)
  • Arvi Hamburg (EIL, president)
  • Kadri Simm (University of Tartu, associate professor)
  • Priit Reiska (Tallinn University, Vice-Rector for Academic Affairs)
  • Sigrid Vaher (Ministry of Education and Research, Deputy Head of Higher Education Department)
Naine koosolekul

Last updated: 03.01.2024