Scholarships for Albania
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Albania, once an Eastern Bloc country is located right next to Greece and across the Adriatic from Italy, so while it is considered Baltic, it also has much in common with the Mediterranean countries as well. While other countries in the region have excelled at freeing the bonds that not long ago constricted them, Albania has been the scene of a much more volatile socio-political climate. Vigorous government overhauls, of course, have taken their toll, but for this reason Albania affords the right students an up-close example of upheaval as the resulting fallout from political, social, and economic confusion.
Scholarships are slim as are formal programs of study. There are more opportunities open to graduate, post-graduate and post-doctoral researchers whose ultra-specialized fields of work often are more well-suited to funding as well as beneficial for international collaborative efforts.
Scholarship Programs
The David L. Boren Scholarships are now one of the most virally marketed scholarship programs in the country. Open to both undergraduate and graduate students the program is a scholarship for service program the encourages those students interested in both work with national security as well as intensive program studies in critical need countries like Albania. These scholarships are funded by the National Security Education Program for the purpose of seeing to it that top-notch students get training in non-traditional language and cultures for the benefit of national security. Those chosen for the awards may receive up to $25,000 for a year of study, but are expected to repay the favor by serving for a period of time in a national security agency, ideally employing the knowledge of Albanian language, culture and norms.
For many post-doctoral scholars the funds to put toward travel are often slim at best. For this reason many organizations fund small travel scholarships just for these purposes. The International Research and Exchanges Board (IREX) is just such an organization. Applicants for these “short-term” travel stipends must be conducting research that demands they be on-site in a Eurasian or European country, including Albania. Applicants must have a highly evolved and detailed itinerary that makes it clear their research can be concluded within a couple of months. Even though these are considered short term the awards are still a generous $5,000.
American Councils for International Education is world-recognized organization whose primary mission is engaging scholars, educators and researchers in collaboration for the international good of all. The organization sponsors the following scholarships for students interested in studying in Albania:
- Title VIII Southeastern Europe Language Program is open to all levels of students and scholars who wish to study a language of the region, including Albanian. Fellowships generously fund qualified candidates for up to a year in Albania.
- Title VIII Southeastern Europe Research Program is similar, but applicants are chosen for their finely tuned research projects that require them to be on site in Albania for up to a year.
- Title VIII Special Initiatives Fellowship Program is a highly competitive research program that awards outstanding research scholars a whopping $35,000 to conduct research in Albania and other parts of the region. Qualified projects should be in the realm of politics and economics.