Student mobility
Montenegrin students are very motivated to use mobility schemes and scholarships to continue their studies abroad, especially in developed western countries. Academic mobility has been recognized as one of the strategic objectives of the Montenegrin higher education and research system.
The following exchange programs are available to Montenegrin students and academic staff:
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Erasmus+ Programme
Montenegrin higher education institutions participate in 4 key components of the international dimension of the Erasmus + program:
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Capacity Building in Higher Education (CBHE)
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International Credit Mobility (ICM)
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Erasmus Mundus Common Master Programs (EMJMDs)
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Jean Monet Action (JMA)
As part of the Capacity Building in Higher Education (CBHE) action, since the launch of the Erasmus + program in 2015, 27 projects have been approved, of which universities from Montenegro are coordinators in 6 projects, while the remaining 21 are involved as partners. Most of these projects are in the implementation phase. There is an evident increase in the number of projects and thus of cooperation with EU universities. The first call (2015) approved 4 projects, while the last call (for 2019) approved 9 projects. The total budget of these projects is EUR 22.3 million.
Within the International Credit Mobility (ICM) action, 356 bilateral mobility projects were approved for higher education institutions from Montenegro, within which cooperation was established with around 200 universities in Europe. The number of projects is constantly increasing, and as an illustration I can compare the first competition for 2015, when 49 projects were approved and the last competition for 2019, when as many as 117 mobility projects were approved. Some 3200 outgoing and incoming student, teaching and administrative staff are planned for these projects. The total budget of these projects is EUR 9.8 million.
Within the framework of the Erasmus Mundus action, joint master programs (EMJMDs) of higher education institutions from Montenegro participate in 2 projects of development of joint master programs. Within the framework of the Erasmus Mundus Action Joint Master Programs (EMJMDs) a student from Montenegro can apply for scholarships for these prestigious master programs. Students from Montenegro have so far received 62 scholarships for various joint master's programs.
Within Jean Monnet, the organizations are currently involved in two projects.
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CEEPUS - Central European Exchange Program for University Studies
Beneficiaries: Students of all levels of studies and teaching staff from CEEPUS program member countries.
Scholarship scheme: Scholarships are awarded for:
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minimum 3, maximum 10 months for students of bachelor and master studies; longer study period can be approved for students of doctoral studies,
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shorter study period from 1 to 3 months can be approved to students working on master’s or PhD thesis,
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students can apply for practical training at commercial enterprises, research centres, government institutions or other organizations in host country, provided that there is a clear and structured plan,
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teaching staff can apply for at least 5 working days, with work engagement of 6 hours a week,
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unused months for scholarships can be used for organizing coordination meetings,
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the program also supports organizing short-term courses taking minimum 10 working days and excursions taking minimum 3 working days.
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Mevlana Exchange Programme
Beneficiaries: Students of bachelor, master or doctoral studies and academic staff.
Scholarship scheme: Scholarships are awarded for shorter study periods of 1 or 2 semesters for students of bachelor, master or doctoral studies, and periods of 2 weeks to 3 months for teaching staff.
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Visegrad Scholarship Program
Beneficiaries: Students of postgraduate and doctoral studies from countries taking part in the program, including Montenegro.
Scholarship scheme: Students may apply for a study period of 1 semester (5 months) or 2 semesters (10 months). A scholarship may also be approved for full degree of master studies taking 4 semesters (20 months).
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“Go Styria” Program
Beneficiaries: Students of postgraduate, doctoral and postdoctoral studies from the countries of South-East Europe, including Montenegro.
Scholarship scheme: Scholarships are awarded for study periods of maximum 4 months. Scholarships may also be awarded for shorter research periods of 1 to 3 months.
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Scholarships of German Academic Exchange Service DAAD (Deutscher Akademischer Austauch Diens)
Beneficiaries: Students of bachelor, master, doctoral and postdoctoral studies and academic staff.
Scholarship scheme: Scholarships are awarded for master studies (up to two years), doctoral studies (up to three years), research period for faculty teachers and scientists (up to three months), summer courses for all students (up to one month) and two-month intensive courses.
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The Global Undergraduate Exchange Program - Global UGRAD
Beneficiaries: Students of undergraduate studies
Scholarship scheme: Scholarships are awarded for a period of one semester for studying at American universities, combined with community service, professional development and getting familiar with cultural content.
Scholarships of foreign governments are also available (Japan, China, Turkey, Greece, Romania, Slovakia, Hungary, Great Britain), allowing students to acquire a full degree. The Ministry of Education, Science and Innovation is the contact point. The Ministry also supports academic mobility through the implementation of bilateral and multilateral agreements in the field of education. Montenegro has signed several bilateral agreements, mostly with partners from the Region: Bosnia and Herzegovina, Croatia, Serbia, Slovenia, Macedonia, Albania. Bilateral programmes provide exchange of students and researchers, in accordance with the selection criteria and priority fields.
Programmes of foreign governments, organisations and foundations
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Korean Government Scholarships
Beneficiaries: Candidates who wish to enrol in master or doctoral studies and conduct research stays.
Scholarship scheme: Scholarships are awarded for master and doctoral studies, as well as for research programmes taking 6 months.
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Hungarian Government Scholarships
Beneficiaries: Students of bachelor, master and doctoral studies
Scholarship scheme: Scholarships are awarded for full bachelor, master and doctoral studies. For academic year 2019/2020 28 scholarships were awarded.
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Slovenian Government Scholarships
Beneficiaries: Students of bachelor, master and doctoral studies
Scholarship scheme: Scholarships are awarded for study periods of 3 to 10 months.
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Croatian Government Scholarships
Beneficiaries: Students of bachelor, master and doctoral studies
Scholarship scheme: Scholarships are awarded for study periods of 3 to 10 months for bachelor studies and 1 to 2 months for master and doctoral studies.
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Slovak Government Scholarships
Beneficiaries: Students of the final year of bachelor, master, doctoral studies, university professors, researchers and artists.
Scholarship scheme: Scholarships are awarded for study periods of 1 to 2 semesters (i.e. 4-5 or 9-10 months) for students of bachelor and master studies, or of 1 to 10 months for PhD students, university professors, researchers and artists.
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Italian Government Scholarships
Beneficiaries: Students of all study cycles
Scholarship scheme: Scholarships are awarded for periods of 3, 6 and 9 months.
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Russian Federation Scholarships
Moscow State Institute for International Relations of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Russian Federation awarded 1 scholarship to a candidate from Montenegro to enroll in basic studies at this prestigious Institute, for the academic year 2018/2019.
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Best of South-East Program
Beneficiaries: Students of final years and graduate students of economics and law who wish to acquire international work experience.
Scholarship scheme: Scholarships are awarded for one-year internship at Steiermärkische Sparkasse Bank or another Styrian company, as well as for attending the selected courses at University of Graz with a view to completing the final year of studies.
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British Scholarship Trust
Beneficiaries: Students of postgraduate studies
Scholarship scheme: Scholarships are awarded for study periods in Great Britain of 1 to 3 months.
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Scholarships of German foundation “Konrad Adenauer Stiftung”
Beneficiaries: Final-year students, students of postgraduate and doctoral studies
Scholarship scheme: Scholarships are awarded for complete study cycle at German higher education institutions, as well as for research periods of at least 6 months. In addition, this foundation awards monthly financial aid.
The procedure for the recognition of foreign educational qualifications and qualification equivalence is regulated by the Law on Recognition of Foreign Educational Credentials and the Qualification Equivalence which is in line with the Lisbon Convention.
The Ministry of Education, Science and Innovation carries out the recognition of credentials on acquired higher education for the purpose of employment through the National Information Centre - ENIC Centre, a special organizational unit of the Ministry. The recognition of credentials on acquired or initiated higher education, or part of it, for the purpose of continuing education is carried out by an adequate higher education institution where education is to be continued. The procedure for qualification equivalence is performed by an institution that carries out a comparable study programme in accordance with the relevant act of the institution.
The rules on mobility of higher education students regulate the basic principles of student mobility, type and duration of mobility, application procedure, required documents, students’ rights and obligations and other matters related to the implementation of the mobility programme. By signing a learning agreement, home institution approves the student’s mobility and the selected study programme, and host institution accepts and approves their study programme. The home institution also undertakes to recognize all the courses, marks and credits specified in the learning agreement and verify the results achieved, in the same manner as it does for students who have not participated in any mobility programme.
Academic staff mobility
Academic mobility is one of the key objectives of the Strategy for Development of Higher Education 2016-2020.
Academic staff mobility takes place under bilateral or multilateral agreements between the Government of Montenegro and other countries, as well as under cooperation agreements concluded between the institutions themselves and partner institutions abroad.
In order to promote mobility, as a segment of internationalization of higher education, staff holding the rank of full and associate university professor are entitled to a yearlong absence, i.e. sabbatical leave, every seven years, aimed at education and professional development. The decision on sabbatical leave is made by the Governing Board, following the prior opinion of the Senate.
Academic mobility is also supported through the strategic document on the internationalization of the University of Montenegro, which, among other things, emphasizes the need to increase the number of foreign lecturers, students and researchers participating in mobility programmes, as well as to increase the number of international projects.
Financial support for academic staff mobility is provided by the Ministry of Education, Science and Innovation which offers funds for co-financing travel expenses in accordance with the criteria of the Call for co-financing tuition fees for Master’s and PhD studies in the country and abroad and travel expenses for study periods abroad. In accordance with the criteria defined by the Call, the Ministry also co-finances tuition fees for students of Master’s and PhD studies.