Baza natječaja

U.S. Mobility Micro-Grants 2019 Competition for Croatian Students

Call for Applications

 
ABOUT THE PROGRAM
The Institute for the Development of Education (IDE) and the United States Embassy in Zagreb are pleased to announce the competition for U.S. Mobility Micro-Grants open for Croatian high school and university students wishing to continue their studies in the U.S.
The program is intended to alleviate the financial burdens related to the application process for accredited U.S. higher education institutions, such as various administrative costs related to applications to U.S. higher education institutions and/or visa applications.

ELIGIBILITY CRITERIA

• Candidates must have Croatian citizenship and permanent residency in Croatia.
• Candidates must be 
  • Students in their junior or senior year of high school in Croatia or 
  • Students who are already enrolled in or have recently completed a bachelor study program in Croatia.
• Candidates must have a strong academic record.
• Preference will be given to candidates from low-income families and from areas of special state concern (područja posebne državne skrbi; for more information please see: http://bit.ly/2WpZn5I), and to applicants who have not previously studied or lived abroad for an extended period of time.

 
INELIGIBILITY

• Candidates already living in the United States or individuals with dual U.S. citizenship or U.S. permanent residence status are not eligible to apply for micro-grants.
• Current employees of IDE and the U.S. Embassy in Zagreb, as well as their relatives, are not eligible to apply for micro-grants.

 
FINANCIAL TERMS

As part of this program, six $500 micro-grants will be awarded in the form of two monthly installments. U.S. Mobility Micro-Grants may be used to cover the following:

• Standardized test fees
• Translations, certifications and credential evaluations of the student’s official documents and records
• SEVIS fee
• Application fee to accredited U.S. higher education institutions
• Visa issuance fee
• Travel expenses to/from the testing center
• Travel expenses to/from the U.S. Embassy where the visa interview will be held, and/or
• Overnight accommodation in case the testing site/Embassy is located far from the student’s home.

The micro-grants may be used to cover the aforementioned expenses incurred from the date of receiving the micro-grant.

APPLICATION PROCEDURE

All information for applicants and the application form are published on the IDE website: www.iro.hr and the U.S. Embassy in Croatia website: hr.usembassy.gov/. The deadline for submitting the application is February 14, 2020.

Applications, containing the application form and all other required documents (see section Required Documents below), must be sent by registered mail to IDE.

Applications will be pre-screened for formal requirements. Only complete applications will be assessed and given over to the IDE Committee for evaluation.

REQUIRED DOCUMENTS

Applicants have to provide the following documents:

• Completed and signed U.S. Mobility Micro-Grants Application Form, which also includes an essay (for more information see section Essay Guidance below). To download the Application Form please use this link.
• Proof of citizenship (passport/ID copy with photo)
• Certificate of state graduation exam (svjedodžba o državnoj maturi, requirement for applicants who are university students)
• Official transcript of study results (high school students must submit a transcript for all completed years in high school and university students must submit a university transcript which shows all program subjects and grades achieved)
• Parents’/guardians’ income statements for the previous three months.

Optional:

Proof of any academic and non-academic awards (e.g. subject-specific exams, awards from athletic events or extracurricular activities) or volunteering activities
Please note: All documents may be submitted in Croatian, except for the Application Form, which must be completed in English. Submitted application materials will not be returned.

ESSAY GUIDANCE

Applicants should give careful consideration to the preparation of the essay which is part of the application form (see document U.S. Mobility Micro-Grants Application Form).

In the essay, they should present themselves and set out in their own words the reasons for wishing to study in the U.S., their motivation, colleges and study programs they intend to apply to, their plans for the future, and why they think the micro-grant should be awarded to them.

The essay should be 350-650 words long.

APPLICATION DEADLINE

The competition is open from November 04, 2019 to February 14, 2020. The complete application package must be posted by registered mail to:

Institut za razvoj obrazovanja (For U.S. Mobility Micro-Grants)
Trg Nikole Zrinskog 9/1
10000 Zagreb, Croatia

Contact: Ana Uglešić, auglesic@iro.hr, tel. +385 1 4817195
The application package must reach IDE by February 14, 2020 (EoB).
Upon receipt of the documentation, a confirmation of receipt will be sent to the email address stated in the application.

SELECTION PROCEDURE

The selection procedure includes two stages:

Review of complete applications by IDE Committee Interview of the best-ranked preselected students (in person or over Skype).
Note: Applicants will receive additional points if they attend U.S. study-related advising sessions organized by IDE either in person or online. Grantees will also be required to attend any advising sessions organized for them after the award of the micro-grants.

ACCEPTANCE

Approved applicants will receive written communication of the decision of the Committee by March 31.

The notification of acceptance will contain a deadline by which all grantees should send a report about how the money was/is being spent, as well all required documentation as proof that the micro-grant was used for the purposes stated above (see section Financial Terms).

In case the student cannot prove that the micro-grant was used for the said purposes, the amount awarded will have to be reimbursed.

TIMELINE

Competition open: November 04, 2019 – February 14, 2020
Pre-selection round results and interviews: Late February / Early March, 2020
Publication of results: Mid / Late March, 2020

DATA COLLECTION

Applicants provide personal information to IDE when they enter the competition. IDE collects this information and uses it to administer this competition. IDE may use an applicant’s personal information for the purposes of reporting or publicizing the applicant as a winner of this competition, including in any publicly available or reported winners list. Learn more in our Privacy Policy available at http://en.iro.hr/privacy-policy/.