Croatian Government Scholarships (Bilateral Scholarships)

The Croatian Government Scholarships, formally called Bilateral Scholarships, are offered by the Ministry of Science, Education and Youth of the Republic of Croatia together with the Agency for Mobility and EU Programmes. They fund study and research periods at accredited public Croatian higher education institutions and research institutes, and are paid directly from the Croatian State Budget. The call runs annually with a deadline of 10 April.

The single most important thing to understand before applying is that there are two entirely separate application pools, and working out which one you belong to determines everything else. Pool 1 is for citizens of countries and territories that hold a valid education cooperation programme or bilateral agreement with Croatia. It requires your home institution to send a nomination letter directly to the Agency, separately from your own application. Pool 2 is for international students already studying Croatian language or Slavic Studies at a university outside Croatia, and this pool is open regardless of whether your country has any agreement with Croatia at all. Applicants who submit through the wrong pool lose the cycle.

This is a mobility scholarship rather than a full degree scholarship, and framing it correctly saves disappointment. You are being funded for a defined period, anywhere from about one month to ten, at a Croatian host that has already agreed to receive you. The placement has to be arranged in advance, which means contacting a Croatian university or research institute well before the deadline is not optional preparation but a core part of the application. Awarded mobilities must take place within the following academic year, running from October to September, and July and August cannot be used at all, with the single exception of the Croatian language summer seminar held in Dubrovnik by the Zagreb School of Slavic Studies.

The scheme is unusually open in who it accepts. Foreign students, university teachers, scientists and researchers can all apply, so it suits early-career academics needing a few months abroad just as much as it suits students. One selection rule is worth planning around: first-time applicants are explicitly prioritised over people who have held the scholarship before, so a repeat application is genuinely weaker rather than merely equal. Results are communicated by official email during June and July, and successful candidates receive a Letter of Award, a Letter of Acceptance and an information package, which together make the Croatian visa process considerably more straightforward than it would otherwise be.

• Two separate application pools exist, and you need to work out which one you belong to before anything else, because the requirements differ.
• Pool 1 is for citizens of countries or territories that hold a valid education cooperation programme or bilateral agreement with Croatia, and requires a nomination from your home institution.
• Pool 2 is for international students already studying Croatian language or Slavic Studies at a university outside Croatia, and is open regardless of whether your country has an agreement with Croatia.
• Open to foreign students, university teachers, scientists and researchers, so the scheme covers a wider range of applicants than a typical student scholarship.
• You must have a confirmed placement at an accredited public Croatian higher education institution or research institute, agreed in advance.
• The awarded mobility has to take place within the following academic year, running from October to September.
• July and August cannot be used for the mobility period, with the single exception of the Croatian language summer seminar.
• First-time applicants are given priority over people who have already held the scholarship, so a repeat application is a genuinely weaker one.

• A monthly state allowance covering living costs in Croatia for the duration of the approved mobility.
• Study or research in any field at an accredited public Croatian university or research institute, arranged with the host in advance.
• Access to the Zagreb School of Slavic Studies summer seminar in Dubrovnik for language-track applicants, which is a rare funded route into the language.
• An entry point to the European Higher Education Area at a comparatively low cost of living, with a growing number of English-taught programmes.
• Successful candidates receive a formal Letter of Award, a Letter of Acceptance and a general information package, which simplifies the visa process considerably.
• The scheme funds short mobilities as well as longer ones, so it suits researchers who need a few months abroad rather than a full degree.
• Note that this is a mobility scholarship rather than a full degree scholarship, so treat it as funding for a defined period at a Croatian host, not a route to a free degree.

• Online application submitted through the Agency for Mobility and EU Programmes application system, in English or Croatian.
• Nomination letter sent to the Agency directly by your foreign partner institution, which is mandatory for Pool 1 applicants.
• Recommendation letter, which is required for Pool 2 language and Slavic Studies applicants.
• Letter of acceptance or confirmation from the Croatian host institution that has agreed to receive you.
• Academic transcripts and degree certificates covering your previous study.
• Detailed study or research plan for the period you want funded in Croatia.
• Curriculum vitae and a copy of your passport or identity document.

• Identify your application pool first, since Pool 1 needs a nomination from your home institution and Pool 2 does not, and applying through the wrong one wastes the cycle.
• Contact a Croatian public university or research institute well ahead of the deadline and agree the host arrangement, because the placement must be determined in advance.
• For Pool 1, ask your home institution early to prepare and send the nomination letter, since it goes to the Agency separately from your own application.
• Submit your documents in the Agency's online application system by 10 April, and make sure the nomination letter reaches the Agency by the same date.
• Plan your mobility for a window between October and September, avoiding July and August unless you are applying for the language summer seminar.
• The Agency and the Ministry assess applications after the deadline, with first-time applicants prioritised.
• Results are sent by official email during June and July, and successful candidates then receive their award and acceptance letters.