The REF Scholarships Programme (formerly RMUSP) offers scholarships for eligible Romani students at the university level. The funds for the first two years of this program were allocated from gold looted by the Nazis during the II World War and held by the Allied Forces. The Open Society Institute with grants from the C.S. Mott Foundation and the Remembrance, Responsibility and Future Foundation was the main financial source of the program for its 3rd, 4th and 5th year of existence. Starting with the sixth year, the financial support comes principally from REF with the continuous support of the Remembrance, Responsibility and Future Foundation.
Roma who are eligible for the scholarship are citizens of one of the Program countries and will have been accepted at state-accredited, well-acknowledged universities in their home country or country of residence, pursuing their studies for BA, MA or PhD degree.
Scholarships Announcement Materials now available for downloading
Roma Health Scholarship Program 2010-2011 - Bulgaria and Romania
The Roma Education Fund Scholarships Programme (REF/SP) and the Open Society Institute announce an open competition for scholarships for Medical and Pharmaceutical studies at vocational and university level in Romania and Bulgaria in order to address the lack of Roma Professionals in the field of Medicine. The funds for the Roma Health Scholarship Program (RHSP) come from Open Society Institute (OSI). The Program is launched under the Framework of the Decade of Roma Inclusion 2005–2015 and is an unprecedented undertaking in Central and Eastern Europe.
The Roma Health Scholarship Program (RHSP) will seek to support Roma Nationality Students who are pursuing/would like to pursue Medical Education in their home country or country of residence. Students pursuing education to attain degrees of Medical Nurses and Medical Doctors at State accredited and recognized Medical and Medical-vocation schools will be supported through Roma Health Scholarship Program (RHSP) scheme.
Please note that starting from 2010 the Roma Health Scholarship Programme (RHSP) is extended to Macedonia and Serbia and accepts applications for the 2010-2011 academic year.
More details on RHSP Program in the new Programme countries and application package for academic year 2010-2011 available in Macedonian language and Serbian language
Download RHSP Program Guidelines and Application package for academic year 2010-2011. available in English.
Program Guidelines and application package for academic year 2010-2011 in Bulgarian and Romanian
The Roma Education Fund/Scholarship Programs (REF/SP) announces the second year of the Professional Development Fund for RMUSP and LHP 2009-2010 Scholars. The financial support for the Professional Development Fund comes principally from REF.
The purpose of the Professional Development Fund is to support the participation of the Scholars in activities such as research projects, fellowship programs, summer schools, Internships or language courses within recognized universities, language school and other organizations in their own countries or abroad in the 2009-2010 academic year.
Professional Development Grant Application package available in English.
RMUSP currently operates its Core Program in Bulgaria, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Croatia, the Czech Republic, Hungary, Macedonia, Montenegro, Romania, Serbia, Slovakia and Turkey. From 2009 RMUSP expand its work in Albania and Kosovo. For more information and the complete application materials, view RMUSP Core Program.
The Law and Humanities Program operates in Moldova, Poland, Russia, and Ukraine with the financial support of the Remembrance, Responsibility and Future Foundation. For more information and the complete application materials, view RMUSP Law and Humanities Program.
Roma Supplementary Scholarship Grant Programme
Starting with the academic year 2010-2011 Roma Education Fund Scholarships Programme (REF/SP) decided to merge the previous Interregional and Supplementary Scholarship Programmes under Roma Supplementary Scholarship Grant Programme (RSSGP).
The RSSGP is designed to provide partial support to Roma students who are citizens of one of the following countries: Albania, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Bulgaria, Croatia, Czech Republic, Hungary, Kosovo, Macedonia, Moldova, Montenegro, Romania, Russia, Serbia, Slovakia, Turkey, or Ukraine, for pursuing Bachelor, Master, Ph.D or Postdoctoral education as full-time students at a recognized and well-established university outside of their home country or their country of residence. To find out more about the scholarship and download application materials view Supplementary Grant.
