In many countries around the world, the state not only supports universities and allocates funds for student education, but also finances large scholarship programs for a small number of students.

  Especially in European countries, scholarships are awarded in large quantities, but simply being a student is not enough to get a scholarship - it is also necessary to confirm that the family's income is insufficient for education.

Government scholarship in France

   Although most French universities are state-owned, there are no scholarships designed for all students in France, even though their study is free or equivalent to a nominal amount. At the same time, the French government determines scholarships based on social criteria - with the Ministry of Education responsible for their distribution. The main criterion is family income. Depending on the parent's income, the student receives up to €5,500 per year, as well as additional incentives for individual academic achievements.

    In addition, additional money is allocated by the local authorities - depending on the region or place of residence, students can receive small social scholarships. In 2014, the French government spent nearly €2 billion on scholarship programs and 562,000 students received scholarships.

Government scholarships in Germany

  The German system is very similar to the French system - scholarships are determined based on the income of the family and the student: the maximum amount is 670 euros per month. However, half of this amount is non-refundable, half of which the student receives as a interest-free loan and pays back within 20 years after graduation.

  The German government will spend the same amount as the French scholarships - about 1.9 billion euros. It provides scholarships to about 600,000 students.

State Scholarship in Denmark

   Denmark is one of the most caring countries not only in Europe but also in the world for the scholarship system. Approximately 1.4 billion euros are spent annually on these purposes, which is a very large amount considering the country's population.

  Each student is eligible to receive a stipend of €70 per month, regardless of family income. Those who continue to live with their parents receive less money than those who live separately. In the first case, the maximum stipend is 380 euros, for individual residence - 770 euros. Although these fees are lower than the cost of living in Denmark, the government allocates money to its students very generously.

  What about us? How much scholarship is currently being paid to students in other Central Asian countries and Uzbekistan?

State scholarship in Uzbekistan

   Students studying full-time on the basis of a state grant, as well as a scholarship fee-contract, will receive a basic scholarship. 20 percent will be added to the scholarship of students who completed the semester only "excellently" (above 86 percent).

   However, students with a "satisfactory" score (below 71 percent) of 30 percent or more of their academic performance indicators at the end of the academic semester will not be paid scholarships during the next semester.

  According to the Ministry of Higher Education, Science and Innovation, the basic stipend currently paid to students is 517,880 soums. The stipend for students with only "excellent" performance in all subjects (rating score 86 points and above) is 621,456 soums. In addition, prestigious scholarships were established for gifted students.

•  Presidential scholarship - 2,191,541 soums;
• State scholarships named after Beruni, Ibn Sina, Navoi, Ulugbek, Imam al-Bukhari, Babur, Pahlavon Mahmud, Tulepbergen Qaipbergenov, Ibrayim Yusupov, Islam Karimov and Kamoliddin Behzod - 1,461,028 soums.

  As the list shows, the most expensive scholarship is the presidential scholarship.

State Scholarship in Kazakhstan

(2023, as of the new academic year):

• for students of pedagogy and healthcare - 67,200 tenge (1 million 777 thousand soums);
• for students of higher educational institutions (except for healthcare and pedagogy) - 41,898 tenge (1 million 108 thousand soums);
• for students studying in technical and vocational education programs - 32,681 tenge (864 thousand soums);
• for master's students, a stipend of 94,024 tenge (2 million 486 thousand soums) has been established.

State scholarships in Kyrgyzstan

  In Kyrgyzstan (2022 data), we were able to find information about how much scholarship students receive only for students of pedagogical universities. According to him, as of the 2022 academic year, 1,000 som (137 thousand soums) for first-year students of pedagogical universities, 2,000 som (274 thousand soums) for second-year students, 3,000 som (411 thousand soums) for third-year students, 4,000 som (548 thousand soums) for fourth-year students.

   In addition, Kyrgyzstan also provides presidential scholarships for active students. This scholarship will be paid to active students in a one-time amount of 50,000 soums (the amount in 2021 - 6.8 million soums).

    Government scholarships in Tajikistan

According to 2022 data, the average high amount of scholarship received by students in Tajikistan is 368 somoni (405 thousand soums). It turned out that one student spends an average of 1,500 somoni per month. The scholarship may cover only one week of his monthly expenses.

   Although the data on Tajikistan and Kyrgyzstan mainly dates back to 2022, it can be concluded that Kazakh students receive the highest scholarship based on open data.

  How much do you think the scholarships given to students will cover the student's expenses? Write down your thoughts in the comments.

Collector Ma'mura Turaeva