Belarus Government Scholarship (State Grant) for Foreign Students

Under this scheme, the Belarusian state pays for the recipient's tuition fees and provides a monthly scholarship stipend plus subsidized hostel accommodation charged at the same low rate paid by Belarusian citizens. This makes it fundamentally different from a 'fully-funded' scholarship in the Western sense: applicants are still expected to personally cover the cost of travel to and from Belarus, day-to-day meals, mandatory health insurance, visa fees, and registration with the migration authorities after arrival. Most instruction is delivered in Russian, so candidates without prior Russian proficiency are strongly encouraged to first complete a preparatory language year, which is also organized through the Republican Institute for Higher Education in Minsk and can itself be arranged through the same embassy-based process.

The selection process runs on a fixed annual calendar rather than a single open portal deadline. Prospective applicants submit a full document package directly to the Belarusian embassy or diplomatic mission covering their country of residence, generally by around 20 February each year. Missions compile and forward these applications to the Ministry of Education by mid-March, after which an interdepartmental commission reviews the files and forwards shortlists to the relevant universities. Universities then conduct interviews (in person or remotely via video call) with shortlisted candidates by 15 June, and the Ministry approves the final list of grant recipients by 20 June, after which successful applicants receive the official invitation letter needed to obtain a Belarusian student visa.

Because there is no single centralized online application form, the practical starting point for any applicant is their nearest Belarusian embassy or, where no embassy exists in their country, the nearest Belarusian consular section covering their region. The embassy confirms the exact document checklist, since some items (medical certificates, notarized translations, proof of prior schooling) vary slightly depending on the applicant's country and intended degree level. Applicants already residing in Belarus as students (for example, on a self-funded basis) can also apply for a grant place through their current institution's international office, using the same document package submitted to the interdepartmental commission.

For applicants specifically targeting Belarusian State University, the same government grant route applies for admission into BSU's bachelor's, master's, and PhD programs across faculties such as International Relations, Applied Mathematics and Computer Science, Economics, Law, Biology, and Journalism, among others. BSU's International Relations Office and University Admissions Office (ums.bsu.by) can confirm which faculties have grant-eligible seats available in a given intake year, since quota allocation by field of study is decided by the Ministry of Education and can shift from year to year based on bilateral education agreements between Belarus and the applicant's home country.