In 2013 North-Eastern Federal University established its own academic mobility program to support its students going for exchange studies abroad. Students are especially encouraged to apply for UArctic member institutions. This is an article authored by Daria Burnasheva from the NEFU International Relations Office.
The annual budget of the program is up to 2 million rubles annually, which means that up to 10 students may receive the grant of 200 thousand rubles. NEFU Academic Mobility program is budgeted from the Endowment Fund and gives students an outstanding opportunity to study abroad.
For the spring semester of 2013/2014 academic year NEFU offered 5 grants each comprising 200 thousand rubles. The call was highly competitive with many excellent applications. Following decision by the Selection Committee the International Relations Office which initiated the establishment of the grant program announced the first five successful applicants.
Grant receiver Anna Neustroeva is the first ever north2north student financed by NEFU own funds in terms of NEFU Academic Mobility Program. A 3rd year student of the NEFU Institute of Finances and Economics started her semester abroad at the University of Helsinki, Finland.
Despite of no funding of north2north in Russia, NEFU makes everything to support incoming north2north exchange students from UArctic partner institutions. In the academic year 2013/2014 NEFU offered five tuition and accommodation fee waivers for incoming students. Two students from Finland and Norway participated in the NEFU International Summer School in July on tuition-fee free basis, three north2north exchange students from Finland and USA took their exchange semester with paying only 15 EUR of registration fee for semester accommodation.
Even if international students don't receive n2n scholarships, they are offered the most attractive conditions for coming for exchange studies to Yakutsk. The tuition and accommodation fee waiver saves them the most of their budget.
North-Eastern Federal University uses its own financial means to support the north2north exchange program and maintain its activity. By offering both NEFU and international students from the Arctic those special conditions, NEFU shows its willingness to develop north2north program to its next level.
In the coming academic year and summer term NEFU is ready to allocate even more tuition and accommodation waivers than last year.