EU SCHOLARSHIP FOR PERSPECTIVE STUDENTS (ESPS) PROJECT
EU SCHOLARSHIP FOR PERSPECTIVE STUDENTS (ESPS) PROJECT
Funded by the European Union, the ESPS project is coordinated by Ankara Hacı Bayram Veli University and implemented by Çukurova University, Gaziantep University, Harran University, Hatay Mustafa Kemal University, İskenderun Technical University, Kahramanmaraş Sütçü İmam University, Kilis 7 December University, Mardin Artuklu University and Mersin University. The ESPS project aims to enhance access to higher education for Turkish students, students under international protection and students under temporary protection. The project purposes to provide them with the necessary skills to attain self-sufficient and, consequently, contribute to Türkiye's economic growth and development.
Looking at the background of the project, the European Commission published the call for grants "European Union Scholarships (BEUrs)" with the reference code "Europeaid/173891/dd/act/en" on April 20, 2022. The concept note, prepared by the consortium of 10 state universities, of which Ankara Hacı Bayram Veli University is the lead applicant, was submitted to the Commission for approval. As a result of the preliminary evaluation, the four most successful proposals proceeded to complete their full applications. Subsequently, the proposal of the consortium led by Ankara Hacı Bayram Veli University was awarded a grant of 10.000.000 Euros. After the project agreement was signed on December 28, 2022, the project started to be implemented as of January 1, 2023. At the outset of the implementation, the project management responsibility were assigned by the coordinating university, and each consortium partner university assigned a regional coordinator.
With the establishment of the technical and administrative infrastructure of the project, steps were taken to serve the general purpose. From this perspective, it is planned to grant scholarships to 4800 students with relevant qualifications. The European Commission’s call guide specifies the prerequisites necessary qualifications of the students who can receive scholarships were determined for scholarship eligibility. Within the scope of the call, scholarships will be distributed across 23 provinces, including Adana, Ankara, Bursa, Diyarbakır, Elazığ, Erzurum, Eskişehir, Gaziantep, Hatay, İstanbul, İzmir, Kahramanmaraş, Karabük, Kayseri, Kilis, Konya, Malatya, Mardin, Mersin, Samsun, Şanlıurfa, Trabzon, Van. Applicants studying at undergraduate and graduate level at the Faculties of Engineering, Economics and Administrative Sciences, Business Administration, Design and Architecture, Science, Literature, Education, Law, Languages, Pharmacy, Dentistry, Medicine and Communication and related fields can apply for scholarships. The primary application criterion is a GPA of 2.50 or higher. In addition, criteria regarding socio-economic status will be used to rank the applicants. Detailed information is available in the scholarship application guide.
Within the scope of the project, various activities are planned to be realized together with the scholarship. Notably, a language course will be offered to 1000 scholarship recipients with the highest academic achievements and upon request. Social cohesion events will be organized to strengthen socio-cultural bonds among students and career day events will facilitate the transition into the professional world. In addition, academic mentors will be appointed to enhance the adaptation of students to university life and provide academic guidance.
