Achievement stipend
The aim of the achievement stipend is to offer recognition and support to students who have excellent study results when studying with a 100% workload. The achievement stipend can be applied for by all the students (except doctoral students) starting from the second semester. The amount of the achievement stipend is 100 euros per month.
Conditions for applying
The achievement stipend can be applied for by students who
- study in the first or second level of higher education (bachelor’s, integrated studies or master’s);
- are citizens of Estonia or reside in Estonia on the basis of a long-term or temporary residence permit or a permanent or temporary right of residence, or who reside in Estonia with a long-stay visa or without a visa if there is an agreement with the foreign country for visa-free movement, or who are the citizens of the foreign country are exempt from visa requirements and have applied for a temporary residence permit for studies;
- study full-time;
- are not on academic leave;
- have not exceeded the nominal study period of their curriculum;
- have completed the curriculum cumulatively at least 30 credit points per semester (without taking into account credit points obtained by the recognition of prior learning and work experience, except for compulsory courses in master’s studies which have been recognised on the basis of courses previously passed at the University of Tartu).
An exception for the Faculty of Medicine
In integrated studies at the Faculty of Medicine, it is necessary when applying for the stipend in the spring semester to complete 100% of the volume of compulsory studies in the autumn semester. To apply for the stipend in the autumn semester, it is necessary to complete the full volume in the spring semester, i.e. the necessary volume of elective and optional courses as well (60 ECTS credits by the end of the first year, 120 ECTS credits by the end of the second year, etc).
How is completion of the curriculum evaluated?
Students need to keep in mind that completion of the curriculum means completing the courses of a particular study programme, not just any courses. Optional courses are included, but not exceeding the volume foreseen in the study programme. The extent of completion of the curriculum is accounted for as of the date preceding the start of the semester of application. The date of the exam is taken into account, as are the study results on the basis of a study plan in the semester the study results are submitted.
Application procedure
The application must be submitted in SIS for the autumn semester by October 1, and for the spring semester by March 1. A new application must be submitted each semester. First-year students cannot apply for the stipend in the autumn semester.
Guidelines for submitting the application in SIS
Granting the stipend
The amount of the achievement stipend is 100 euros per month. The stipends are allocated twice a year: the autumn semester (September to January) and spring semester (February to June).
The stipend committee allocates the stipends for the autumn semester by 20 October at the latest and the spring semester by 20 March at the latest. The stipend payments will be made by the 25th day of the month of study for the current month (except for the September stipend will be paid by 25 October and the February stipend will be paid by 25 March). The announcement about not granting the stipend will be sent to the applicant in the spring semester at 25 March and on the autumn semester at 25 October.
If a student receiving the achievement stipend goes on academic leave, the payment of the achievement stipend is stopped starting from the month following the last day of study.
How is the ranking list formed?
The achievement stipend is given to the best students in the ranking list using weighted average grade. There are two ranking lists per faculty, one for the first level of studies (bachelor’s and integrated studies) and one for the second level of studies (master’s). The ranking lists are compiled on the basis of the weighted average grade for the previous semester, taking all study results into account. If a student does not have differentiated study results for the previous studied semester, the ranking list is drawn up based on the weighted average grade of all the study results throughout the entire period of study.
When weighted average grades for the previous semester produce equal results, the order of preference is as follows:
- students who have higher weighted average grade over the whole study period, taking all differentiated study results into account;
- students who have completed their curriculum to a larger extent;
- students who have received fewer negative study results ("F", "fail") over the whole study period;
- students who have showed outstanding results in their field of study, been successful in competitions of the field of study or been active in extra-curricular activities (provided the student has entered this information in the Study Information System).
Additional information
Information about the application conditions for the achievement stipend and the ranking lists can be found at the dean's office at your faculty:
- Faculty of Arts and Humanities: hv.dekanaat@ut.ee
- Faculty of Social Sciences: sotsiaalteadused@ut.ee
- Faculty of Medicine: med@ut.ee
- Faculty of Science and Technology: ltt@ut.ee
The payment and granting of the achievement stipend is regulated at the University of Tartu by the Regulations for stipends and study allowances.
