Colombia is offering a scholarship to international students through the program ‘Beca Colombia’. It is a program offered by ICETEX (Colombian Institue of Educational Credit and Techinal Studies Abroad) and is directed towards international students who want to do their post-graduate degrees in Colombia. It is also directed towards international students from non-Spanish-speaking countries who want to study the language further to undertake a post-graduate degree in Colombia.
What does the program include?
The scholarship offers a variety of things. Perhaps the most important benefit is that the scholarship includes 100% of the tuition fee for the academic program. It also includes Spanish courses. These courses apply to applicants from non-Spanish-speaking countries and they can last for up to six months. The aim is for students to perfect the language.
The package also includes health insurance. This covers medical and hospital assistance for students in Colombia, and that includes repatriation in case of disability or death.
Students will also have access to a monthly stipend, in which ICETEX will support each foreign scholarship recipient with monthly support of three minimum wages, almost as much as COP$3 million. Foreign students will also receive a courtesy Visa. ICETEX will send letters to Colombian consulates abroad for the issuance of the courtesy Visa, which is Type V, for visitors.
Through the scholarship, ICETEX will also take care of installation costs, foreigner identification, as well as books and materials. The institute will grant COP$500,000 in the first instance, given just once during the academic program to help students settle in. They will also provide a COP$250,000 support that will, likewise, be paid just once to cover costs related to the issuance of the immigration card. Finally, the institute will include a COP$500,000 support for books and academic supplies.
The scholarship applies for the second semester of 2024, and the offer lasts until June 9, 2024.
What are the requirements international students must meet to apply for the scholarship in Colombia?
The requirements that international students must meet to apply for this scholarship are as follows:
- Be a foreign citizen
- Do not have Colombian nationality
- Have not been a beneficiary of ICETEX through the Beca Colombia Program
- Must be younger than fifty years old
Candidates have to not be currently residing nor have resided in the last 6 months prior to applying for the scholarship in Colombia, nor are they allowed to have started studies at the time of their application. Applicants must also have a cumulative general average of 4.0 out of 5.0 in undergraduate to apply for the scholarship according to the grading scale of each country. It must, in any case, be the equivalent of a minimum of 4.0 according to the Colombian scale.
If they are selected, candidates must submit the Certificate of Migratory Movements no more than 30 days after entering Colombia. Candidates must also have admission to at least one, and a maximum of three, post-graduate programs found in the academic offer catalog. Applicants must also not have any marital or de facto relationships in Colombia and must have a professional undergraduate or undergraduate degree in any area.
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