In Estonia, several scholarship programmes have been launched to support both Estonian students pursuing their studies abroad and foreign students coming to study in Estonia. Students have an opportunity to participate in the Erasmus+ mobilities and the Nordic and Baltic programme Nordplus. The European Union programmes and funds are of huge relevance in supporting mobility and internationalisation.
Several national scholarship schemes have been developed, supporting the studies and research of foreign students, researchers and teaching staff in Estonia. Students are offered scholarships for pursuing formal education, partial studies or participating in summer schools; scholarships for researchers and teaching staff cover the costs of short or long visits and post-doctoral studies. Some of the measures are targeted specifically at the ones interested in Estonian language and culture, expatriate Estonians or kindred peoples.
Student mobility
Scholarships for Estonian students for studying abroad:
Erasmus+ programme
The programme supports learning mobility of Bachelor's, Master's and Doctoral students, and allows students to go on an exchange or internship in Europe or around the world. Students of all ages and levels of higher education can participate for up to 12 months, which may include several study visits of different lengths. Every Estonian student has the opportunity to participate in study mobility. The duration of mobility is 2-12 months. Doctoral students also have the opportunity for short-term study mobility lasting 5-30 days. The duration of the internship is 2-12 months, including for alumni. Hybrid learning mobility can last 5-30 days. Additional information: Erasmus+ and the Solidarity Corps Agency
Nordplus higher education programme
The programme offers opportunities for mobility and networking in the higher education sector, on bachelor and master levels, for the Nordic and Baltic countries. Individuals cannot apply for grants directly from the Nordplus administration but they can participate in the activities via their home institutions. Additional information: Erasmus+ and the Solidarity Corps Agency
Kristjan Jaak scholarship programme
A national scholarship programme initiated in cooperation between the Ministry of Education and Research and the Education and Youth Authority with a view to supporting the studies abroad of Master’s and Doctoral students enrolled in Estonian institutions of higher education and academic and research related secondments abroad of the Master’s and Doctoral students (and teaching staff). Additional information: Education and Youth Authority
Young scholar grant programme
A scholarship programme founded in cooperation between private companies, the Ministry of Education and Research and the Education and Youth Authority, aimed at supporting talented upper secondary school graduates towards acquiring a Bachelor’s degree in acknowledged foreign universities. Additional information: Education and Youth Authority.
European University Institute scholarships
In 2005, Estonia joined the Convention Setting up a European University Institute. The institute is an academic institution located in Florence, Italy and oriented toward Doctoral and post-Doctoral studies, focusing on European studies in law, economics, political and social sciences and history. Estonia has been allocated up to 4 doctorate student places. Additional information: Education and Youth Authority.
Scholarships for supporting the studies of expatriate Estonians and foreigners in Estonia
Scholarship program to support the studies of expatriate Estonians in Estonia
The aim is to support the studies of expatriate Estonians in Estonian higher education institutions and vocational education institutions. Estonian language learning for expatriate Estonians receives special support.
Additional information: Education and Youth Authority
Support to kindred peoples´ languages and cultures 2021-27. Kindred peoples programme V
The program supports the development of the languages and cultures of the kindred peoples (Finno-Ugric and Samoyed) through scientific, cultural and educational activities, and promotes contacts and co-operation between the kindred peoples. Inter alia, the program provides opportunities to involve foreign students in teaching and research.
National Scholarship Programme for International Students, Researchers and Teaching Staff
A scholarship schema, which is partially based on the foreign agreements of the Ministry of Education and Research and offers students scholarships for formal education, exchange programmes and participation in summer schools.
Scholarships for the academic study of the Estonian language and culture by foreign students
The programme awards the scholarship Estophilus, under which funding is provided for Estonia-related studies and research carried out in Estonia by the last year Bachelor´s students, Master’s and Doctoral students or researchers holding a Doctoral degree who are enrolled in foreign institutions of higher education. In addition, the participation in intermediate and advanced summer or winter courses of the Estonian language and culture is supported.
Ministry of Foreign Affairs scholarships
The Ministry of Foreign Affairs offers Master’s and Doctoral scholarships under the instruments of development cooperation to the citizens of the development cooperation states of relevance for Estonia. Scholarship applications must be submitted by universities on a project basis, i.e., students cannot apply for the scholarship directly.
Academic staff mobility
Scholarships for Estonian teaching staff and researchers:
Erasmus+ programme
The programme supports the mobility of teachers and university staff (learning, internship, work-shadowing, teaching or participating in training). Study mobility projects enable teachers and other university staff to acquire new professional knowledge and skills in an international environment and to pass on their knowledge. The duration of a study mobility project is from 2 days to 2 months.
Kristjan Jaak scholarship programme
The programme supports study-related secondments abroad of teaching staff and researchers of up to 35 years of age (for 3 to 30 days).
State scholarship programme for the students, researchers and teaching staff of foreign universities
A scholarship schema under foreign agreements, which offers researchers and teaching staff scholarships for education and research in Estonia.
Nordplus higher education programme
The programme supports teacher mobility for the purpose of teaching, instructing students and developing teaching materials, or promoting cooperation with traineeship organisations and the labour market. The duration of a secondment shall be at least 8 hours. Additional information: Erasmus+ and the Solidarity Corps Agency
Mobilitas Plus
The programme provides a returning researcher grant to the researchers who have completed their post-Doctoral studies (or comparable research) abroad for the conduct of a research project in Estonia. Funding is provided also to the researchers employed in Estonian research and development institutions for the participation in professional trainings and continuing education abroad. Additional information: Estonian Research Council
Further measures
Additionally, teaching staff has the opportunity to participate in the study mobility under Erasmus+ and Nordplus higher education programme. In addition, through the programme of academic studies of Estonian language and culture abroad, the Ministry of Education and Research supports the studies of the Estonian language and culture in foreign universities and general education schools by sending there lecturers and teachers of the Estonian language and culture. Lecturers of the Estonian language and culture are also sent to foreign universities as visiting lecturers. Additional information: Education and Youth Authority.
Scholarships for international teaching staff and researchers:
Mobilitas Plus
The programme offers a returning researcher grant to the researchers who have completed their post-Doctoral studies (or comparable research) abroad for the conduct of a research project in Estonia. Support is granted also for the post-doctoral studies of the researchers coming to Estonia from abroad, and a separate grant has been developed for the implementation of a research project by a renowned researcher coming to Estonia from abroad. Additional information: Erasmus+ and the Solidarity Corps Agency
National Scholarship Programme for International Students, Researchers and Teaching Staff
A scholarship schema, which partially relies on the foreign agreements of the Ministry of Education and Research and offers scientists and teaching staff scholarships for the participation in formal education, exchange programmes and summer schools.
Additional information: Education and Youth Authority
Recognition
Estonia has joined the Lisbon Convention (the ratification act entered into force on 27 February 1998) and it organises higher education based on the principles of the Bologna Process. The Professions Act adopted in 2008 establishes the eight-level qualification framework, which is in line the European Qualification framework and consists of general, professional, higher education and professional qualifications or professions. The framework brings together the competence-based professional qualifications and formal education qualifications in an integral system.
On 25 May 2021, Estonia also joined the UNESCO Global Agreement on the Recognition of Qualifications concerning Secondary and Higher Education. The agreement ensures easier recognition of Estonian secondary and higher education qualifications in more countries than before, especially outside Europe.
Academic recognition falls in the responsibility of the Estonian ENIC/NARIC Centre that belongs to the Council of Europe and UNESCO cooperation network ENIC (European Network of National Information Centres on Academic Recognition and Mobility) and to the NARIC cooperation network (National Academic Recognition Information Centre). The main activities of the Estonian ENIC/NARIC Centre include assessment of foreign education certificates for the purposes of recognition and offering of information related to higher education.
In addition to academic recognition, it is also important to recognise a person’s professional qualifications and skills in a broader sense, in order to ensure free movement of labour. Recognition of professional qualifications is regulated in Estonia by the Recognition of Foreign Professional Qualifications Act and coordinated by the Ministry of Education and Research. The latter is responsible for offering information on regulated positions and vocations as well as on institutions operating in the field of recognition of professional qualifications. Information related to the recognition of professional qualifications is also accumulated and distributed by the ENIC/NARIC Centre.
Estonia has also signed several international agreements on mutual recognition of educational certificates and diplomas, which also facilitates and supports bilateral exchange:
- an agreement between the Baltic and Benelux countries on the mutual recognition of higher education qualifications (a six-party agreement was signed on 27 September 2021).
- an agreement between the governments of the Republic of Estonia, the Republic of Latvia and the Republic of Lithuania on mutual academic recognition of educational certificates in the common Baltic educational space (8 June 2018, the ministers of education of all Baltic States signed an agreement on automatic recognition of higher education qualifications (the Agreement on automatic recognition of academic qualifications concerning higher education entered into by the Governments of the Republic of Estonia, the Republic of Latvia and the Republic of Lithuania);
- an agreement between the governments of the Republic of Estonia and of Ukraine on mutual recognition of educational certificates and academic degrees.