Tbilisi City Hall to finance studies for socially vulnerable students

Socially vulnerable students pursuing bachelor’s, master’s and doctoral degrees will now be able to apply for municipal scholarships at Tbilisi City Hall starting from March 1.

The scholarships will pay for 50-100 percent of tuition fees at authorised and accredited state and private higher education institutions for those already studying on a state grant. Scholarships will be awarded based on academic merit.

Socially vulnerable individuals and families are classified as those whose socioeconomic index is below the limit established by the Government of Georgia. This index is compiled by a rating of income, level of education, number of family members and other factors.

Applicants must submit the following documentation:

• Copy of ID;
• Extract from Unified Database of Socially Vulnerable Families;
• Notification and information from institute of higher education, including annual fee;
• Bank details and invoice from institute of higher education;
• Report (except for 1st semester students) card;
• 1st semester students must provide notification including received points on national exams and results;
• Recommendation from institute of higher education (except for 1st semester students);
• Motivation/cover letter.

Tbilisi City Hall has been supporting bachelor and master degree students from vulnerable families since 2015; however, this year they will also finance doctoral degree students.

Over 4,500 socially vulnerable students registered in Tbilisi were financed by the City Hall’s "Support for Socially Vulnerable Students” program in 2015-2016.

The scholarships are issued on a quarterly basis. Applications for 2016-2017 spring semesters will be accepted from March 1 till May 31, which means that those applying now will have to reapply in autumn.