Education Ministry awards tuition scholarships to higher education students affected by this year’s floods in the north of Chile

As part of a series of pledges made by the Government in response to the flooding in the north of Chile in March this year, the Education Ministry has awarded a total of 509 support scholarships to higher education students from the Atacama region and the municipalities of Antofagasta and Tal Tal. The special scholarships have been awarded to students from families whose homes were severely damaged or who lost their source of employment as a result of the flooding.

Students in Copiapó in the Atacama region received 71.7% of the scholarships (365 students in total). In terms of the distribution of scholarships by type of higher education institution, 50.1% of them were awarded to students enrolled at public universities belonging to the Council of Rectors (255 students), 20% to students at professional institutes (102 students), 18.1% to students at private universities (92) and 11.8% to students at technical training centers (60 students).

Students were able to apply for these scholarships online between May 25 and June 23. The application process did not include socioeconomic or academic requirements. The scholarship covers the cost of the referential tuition fees for a period of three years (until 2017) and includes the supplementary maintenance scholarships from the National Board for Student Aid and Scholarships (Junaeb), which will also be valid until 2017.

The results of the appeal process for these special support scholarships will be announced on Thursday, August 20.

The Education Ministry has also awarded 223 Universidad del Mar relocation scholarships, corresponding to the second round of applications for this benefit, which took place during May and June.