Study abroad with state funding: are you eligible?

No. The programme doesn’t handle university admission. First you get an offer from a university on the list yourself (or you’re already studying there), then the state pays your tuition and living costs. You can’t submit documents without an offer letter.

You’re exempt from the language certificate only if your IB, A-level or AP result is within a set score range. Otherwise you need a C1 certificate in the language of instruction: IELTS 7.0+, TOEFL iBT 5.0+ (new 1–6 scale), Duolingo 130+ or another C1 certificate (TestDAF, DELF, HSK, TÖMER, etc.).

Yes. 75% or more of the maximum SAT or ACT score (SAT 1200+, ACT 27+), an international olympiad medal, or IB / A-level / AP results replace the DİM requirement. If you go with DİM: at least 400 in technical, natural science, health and agriculture fields, and 550 in other fields.

Tuition fees, visa and registration, monthly living costs (at a set rate per country), health insurance, international flights and bank/card fees. Payments are made with the "DP 2022–2028 Scholarship Card"; the card is activated after documents confirming you’ve started your studies.

No. Preparatory (foundation) and language courses aren’t funded. The programme also isn’t responsible for any amount you pay the university to get your offer letter. However, tuition fees you’ve paid yourself for the current academic year are refunded after admission.

No. Only traditional full-time (offline) programmes are funded. Executive, distance, online and non-degree programmes aren’t accepted. A joint degree is accepted only if all partner universities are on the list.

If you’re studying abroad, you can apply for funding of the remaining part, as long as no more than half of the standard programme length has passed. If you’re studying in Azerbaijan, you need to get a new offer for year 1 abroad; some universities count the years you’ve completed in Azerbaijan (see the university routes in your test result).

No, there’s no age criterion. But people who have already completed studies at the same level (for example, who did a state-funded Master’s) can’t apply again for that level.

Candidates whose documents are accepted are invited to an interview. A commission of at least 3 people (the Ministry, the State Oil Fund, state bodies) assesses your subject knowledge, logical thinking, communication and self-confidence; the interview is held in Azerbaijani and/or the language of instruction and is recorded on audio and video. If places are limited, olympiad winners are ranked first, then everyone else by final score. Olympiad medallists are exempt from the interview.

Bachelor’s and Master’s students sign a contract with the Ministry. PhD candidates also commit to working at a university in Azerbaijan for at least 5 years after their studies (notarised statement + consent letter from the local university). If you fall behind academically, funding is paused until you catch up.

Living, transport, insurance and visa costs for family members aren’t covered, and the scholarship isn’t increased. There are no concessions or privileges based on social status (internally displaced person, family of a martyr, etc.).

Programmes not on the list are also funded at universities in the top 10 of the THE, QS or ARWU rankings (except UCL). Rankings change every year; this group usually includes Oxford, Cambridge, Imperial, Harvard, MIT, Stanford, Caltech, Princeton, Yale, Columbia, Chicago, Penn, ETH Zürich and NUS. This route is the main option for majors not on the list (for example, law or politics), but the admission requirements are very high.

No. The Ministry doesn’t work with study-abroad companies. EDDE Global helps you with choosing a university, admission, language preparation, preparing your DP documents and getting ready for the interview; you apply to the State Programme yourself on portal.edu.az. Official information: dp.edu.az.