Friday, 5 June, 2020 , 15:15
Since its foundation in 1983, the Kurdish Institute has paid particular attention to the education of young and talented Kurdish students. To this end, a higher education scholarship programme has been established for the benefit of Kurdish students of all backgrounds, selected on the basis of merit. To date, more than 600 young people, 45% of them women, have benefited from this programme of excellence. Our former scholarship recipients have become university professors, researchers, engineers, lawyers, diplomats and writers, and play an important role in Kurdish intellectual, cultural and social life.
The competition is open to all students from Kurdistan, with the exception of citizens of Iraqi Kurdistan, who now have their own government and universities. Applicants must hold a Bachelor's degree or a Master's degree. They must not already be receiving a scholarship or study grant from another public or private organisation. The age limit is 30. Married applicants, those holding the nationality of a European country or residing in a Western country are not eligible.
Applicants must have an overall average grade of at least 80/100 for their Bachelor's or Master's degree.
Selected applicants will first undertake a 9-month intensive French language course before enrolling, depending on their level, in a second-year Master's or doctoral programme. After this first stage, those who achieve a good average grade in the second year of their Master's programme may undertake doctoral studies at a French university.
The maximum duration of the scholarship is 5 years for doctoral students, including the language-learning year, and 3 years for Master's students.
For the 2026 competition, priority is given to science, environmental studies, water resource management and agronomy.
The following fields are not eligible due to problems relating to curricula and the equivalence of qualifications.
Applicants must complete their application online on the Institute's website using the application: Applicant Area.
Application files must reach the Institute before the deadline of 12 August and must include the following documents :
Incomplete applications or applications received after the deadline will automatically be rejected.
Award procedure
A seven-member committee composed of Kurdish academics and researchers will examine the application files. Applicants will first be selected on the basis of their files, and those who pass the first stage of the selection process will be interviewed via Zoom. The final list of successful applicants will be made public at the end of October. Priority will be given to women, the youngest applicants and applicants with a good command of Kurdish and English.
