“The Stipendium Peregrinum scholarship provides outstanding students who would otherwise not have the opportunity to do so a chance to study at the highest quality foreign universities”, the Ministry of Human Capacities’ State Secretary for Family and Youth Affairs Katalin Novák said in a statement to Hungarian news agency MTI on Saturday in Balatonszárszó.
At the scholarship program’s selection camp, the State Secretary pointed out that this is the first time that a state scholarship will be covering the full cost of foreign studies. “The Stipendium Peregrinum scholarship is giving twenty outstanding Hungarian students, who would otherwise not be able to get to London or to the MIT, the chance to study at the best foreign universities”, she added.
“The students who win the support of the jury of experts not only have outstanding academic results, but have performed well in addition to this, playing sports, musical instruments, or performing voluntary work. We are talking about the best of the best, and we would like them to have the opportunity to extend their knowledge at foreign universities”, she stated.
“One of our declared intentions is to help people whose long-term goal is to later work to reinforce the Hungarian community”, she declared.
The students have varying fields of interest within both natural and human sciences; many of them are preparing for a career in information technology or mathematics, but they also include astrophysicists and people who have chosen a career in the arts.
Managing Director of National Talent Centre Non-Profit Ltd. Krisztina Lantos told reporters: “144 students have applied for the scholarship program, which is being run for the first time with a budget of 225 million forints (EUR 625 thousand), of whom 49 are taking part in this weekend’s camp, where the twenty winners will be selected by an expert committee”.
The are sixty-six foreign universities listed in the Program information, but more may be involved based on individual requirements. During evaluation, the designated universities will be given an advantage, however.
At the launch of the Program, the Managing Director said: “Students who apply to attend European higher education institutions will receive 13.5 million forints (EUR 38,000) in funding. Students preparing to attend universities in the Asian and Pacific Ocean regions, or in European countries that are not members of the European Union, may receive up to 16.5 million forints (EUR 46.500) in funding. The maximum funding for students wishing to study in the United States is 27 million forints (EUR 76,300).