Courses: Any academic field
Level: Graduate (PhD, research)
Provider: CIMO
For Which Country: Finland
Scholarship Description: The Centre for International Mobility (CIMO) has a number of scholarship programmes for Doctoral level studies and research at Finnish universities. They are targeted at all academic fields, with the exception of the scholarships for advanced-level degree students of the Finnish language, which are specific to that particular field.
CIMO currently administers the following scholarship programmes:
- CIMO Fellowships
- Finnish Government Scholarship Pool
- Scholarships for Kindred Peoples (Finno-Ugrian minorities in Russia)
- Scholarships for Master’s level degree students of the Finnish language
- Scholarships for post-Master’s-level degree students and researchers of the Finnish language
Information on the last two (2) above is found on the www.cimo.fi site.
Eligibility: CIMO scholarships are for: young PhD students and researchers; AND advanced-level students of the Finnish language.
NOTE: CIMO does not have any scholarship programmes or other financial assistance available for Bachelor’s or Master’s level degree studies in Finland, or Post-Doctoral Students. Neither do they have any grants for beginner’s-level studies of Finnish or Swedish. For study funding opportunities for Bachelor’s or Master’s level degree studies, see the ‘Please note’ section below or readTuition Free Universities in Finland for International Students.
Eligible groups: Targeted accordingly to the following groups:
- CIMO Fellowships: Citizens of ALL countries can apply
- Finnish Government Scholarship Pool: Citizens of countries with cultural agreements or similar arrangements between Finland: Australia, Austria, Belgium, Bulgaria, China, Cuba, Czech Republic, Denmark, Egypt, France, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Iceland, India, Ireland, Israel, Italy, Japan, Luxembourg, Mexico, Mongolia, Namibia, the Netherlands, Poland, Portugal, Republic of Korea, Romania, Slovakia, Spain, Switzerland, Turkey, Ukraine.
- Scholarships for Kindred Peoples: Citizens of Finno-Ugrian minorities in Russia
- Scholarships for Master’s level degree students of the Finnish language: Non-Finnish scholars at universities outside Finland
- Scholarships for post-Master’s-level degree students and researchers of the Finnish language: Non-Finnish scholars at universities outside Finland
Participating Institutions: All Finnish universities are participating.
Also note that CIMO provides support to students with a Master’s degree who carry out post-graduate studies or research in Finnish language and culture or Finno-Ugric studies at universities outside Finland.
Fields of Study: Targets all academic fields (EXCEPT scholarships for advanced-level degree students of the Finnish language, which are specific to that particular field.)
Number of awards: Several are awarded for each type of scholarship.
Sponsorship duration: Basically for young PhD students and researchers; AND advanced-level students of the Finnish language:
- As start-up finance for young PhD students and researchers: Varies from three (3) months to an academic year.
If you are granted a CIMO scholarship, and your studies or research continue in Finland after your initial CIMO scholarship period is over, you should plan ahead and also research into other funding possibilities. - For advanced-level students of the Finnish language: See the official www.cimo.fi web site
Scholarship benefits:
[A]. Start-up finance for young PhD students and researchers:
- The scholarships CIMO offers are not full scholarships, for example, they can not be applied to cover a whole PhD. Rather, they are intended to work as start-up finance for young PhD students and researchers, who are yet to be invited to a Finnish university and who do not have a long post-Master’s research career behind them.
- However, the CIMO scholarships are also applicable to those who have, for example, been accepted into a Doctoral degree programme, even though they can not cover the whole time it takes to complete a PhD.
[B]. CIMO scholarships for advanced-level students of the Finnish language:
- CIMO offers scholarships for those foreign students who are studying Finnish at advanced degree level in foreign universities. In other words, these CIMO scholarships are not applicable to beginner’s level Finnish language studies. For complete details, see the official www.cimo.fi web site
Method of Application: Interested? In most cases, you must have successfully applied for a study/research placement at a Finnish university/public research institute.
Please visit the official web site (link is below) and click on the appropriate section, or follow the left-hand menu navigation to find out more about each programme, the eligibility requirements, the application procedure, whom to contact, etc.
DEADLINES: Deadlines are variable depending on the program you are eligible for. Please visit the official web site (link is below) for complete details.
Please Note: The CIMO scholarships in themselves are tax-free, since the total maximum scholarship sum that can be granted to an individual applicant does not exceed the taxation limit for scholarships in Finland. However, if you receive other scholarships or other income simultaneously with a CIMO scholarship, you may be liable to taxation.
No tuition fees are charged in Bachelor’s level degree programmes in Finland. The same is true of several Master’s programmes. The cost of this education is covered by the Finnish government, therefore, there are usually no scholarships available.
However, in those Master’s Level Programmes that charge a tuition fee from non-EU/EEA students, institutional scholarships for non-EU/EEA students are available. These institutional scholarships are always applied for directly from the university in question.
In the Erasmus Mundus Master’s programmes, scholarships are also available. They are always applied via the university consortium offering the Erasmus Mundus programme in question. Please see further info in the section concerning Erasmus Mundus scholarships on the official web site (link is below).
Application Deadline: Variable
Open for International Students: Yes