Scholarship pays students' rent if they do good deeds

A scholarship that rewards students for doing good deeds for their international counterparts is offering to pay winners’ accommodation costs for a whole semester.

In its third year, the Uniplaces scholarship will reward the top 15 students who submit any evidence of their generosity, as judged by high-profile international education professionals.

Suggested good deeds include taking an international student out for dinner, helping with their administrative paperwork or showing them around the city. Students can also recommend a friend rather than nominate themselves.

One of last year’s winners, 22-year-old Mia Santic studying architecture at the University of Split, said: “This scholarship made my life 10 times better, and not only my life.”

Mia's friends applied to the scholarship for her after she welcomed international students to the university, helped them to meet new people, showed them around and organised trips for them to visit tourist destinations.

The scholarship aims to support international student mobility and is open to international students studying abroad as well as their domestic counterparts.

Last year, applications were received from more than 9,000 students from 900 cities around the world.

Ben Grech, co-founder of Uniplaces, commented: “At Uniplaces, we’re passionate about global student mobility and empowering students to have a great experience at university. The Uniplaces Scholarship proves our commitment to breaking down social and geographical barriers for students.”

He added that the campaign will encourage students everywhere to make their campuses more accepting and welcoming for international students.

Applications can be submitted at http://scholarship.uniplaces.com until the end of June. Video, image and written formats are accepted as proof of the good deed.