Student Relief Fund

What is the Student Relief Fund?

Within the Student Relief Fund, we award scholarships to individuals facing difficult life, social, or financial situations. These scholarships are purposeful - they are intended for continuing education and covering part of the tuition fees at SWPS University. The amount of the scholarship is up to the equivalent of half of the annual tuition fee applicable to a given course.

Scholarships from the Student Relief Fund are aimed at exceptional, talented students - developing in the field of science, art, or social engagement.

Who can apply for scholarships?

A scholarship from the Student Relief Fund can only be awarded to individuals studying at least in the second year of studies, with at least one semester remaining until the completion of their education at the time of submitting the application.

All applicants must have the status of a student at SWPS University on the day of submitting the scholarship application.
An individual applying for a scholarship should have outstanding academic achievements or involvement in artistic or social activities.

How to apply for a scholarship?

1. Familiarize yourself with the Scholarship Regulations - without this, you will not submit a good application.
2. Read the frequently asked questions - you will find valuable tips for preparing your application there.
3. Gather the necessary attachments. Note! Translations must be attached to documents in a language other than Polish or English.
4. Submit the scholarship application by December 2nd at 23:59:59.

NOTE! When preparing and submitting your application, please remember that we will not respond to inquiries on weekends. Also, please do not wait until the last day to submit your application. Firstly, overloading the website can result in the application not being submitted on time. Secondly, our response time to emails is from 1 to 3 working days, which means we may not answer your question in time.

In the scholarship application, the applicant will be asked to provide:

1. their average grade for the academic year 2023/2024 and the required personal data needed to process the scholarship (information on personal data processing can be found in the Regulations),
2. a description of academic achievements such as active participation in conferences, involvement in research or development projects, scientific publications, work in scientific circles, participation in trips, international exchanges or scientific internships, awards received for scientific activity,
3. a description of social activities such as involvement in non-governmental organizations, activities in social movements, awards and distinctions for social activity, activism, implemented social projects or publications in opinion magazines,
4. a description of artistic activities including awards and distinctions, exhibitions, publications, performances, and other artistic presentations,
5. a description of their current life, social, or financial situation,
6. attachment of:

• a current certificate confirming the student status at SWPS University, issued no later than 30 days before the application date, with a note on the average grade obtained in the academic year 2023/2024 and information on the number of semesters left to complete the studies (format: JPG or PDF, 5 MB),
• at least one recommendation issued by an academic employee of SWPS University expressing support for the scholarship applicant - issued no later than 14 days before the application date (packed in a ZIP, RAR, or PDF archive, 20 MB),
• documents confirming the described achievements in the application (packed in a ZIP, RAR, or PDF archive, 20 MB),
• documents confirming the difficult life, social, or financial situation, including income certificates or death certificates. The documents must be current - issued no later than 60 days before the application date. In particularly justified cases, the Foundation’s Chapter may allow the submission of a statement by the applicant, which will be treated equally to the required documents (packed in a ZIP, RAR, or PDF archive, 20 MB).

Evaluation of applications, announcement of results

The evaluation of applications will be carried out by the Foundation’s Chapter no later than February 15, 2025.
The scholarship will be paid out once.

What happens after receiving the scholarship?

We care about maintaining contact with our scholarship recipients. The Foundation's website will feature stories of scholarship recipients along with their photos. We will stay in touch with the laureates even after the scholarship is awarded to know how their path has unfolded.

FAQ

What documents can confirm a difficult situation?
Answer: The list of possible documents is very long. If you are in a difficult financial situation, these can be income certificates for you or the person who supports you. If you come from a country where there is an armed conflict and your family still lives there, it can be a passport photo or a confirmation of the registered address. Of course, not every situation can be proven with an official document.

I do not have documents confirming a difficult situation and I cannot obtain them. What should I do in this situation?
Answer: In this case, the Foundation's Chapter, which will evaluate scholarship applications, will take into consideration a written and signed statement from you, in which you should confirm your situation. The statement will be treated equally to the required documents.

Does a lack of scientific, social, or artistic involvement exclude me from applying for a scholarship from the Student Relief Fund?
Answer: No. However, remember that people who are scientifically, socially, or artistically engaged have a greater chance of receiving a scholarship.

I am a first-year undergraduate student. Can I submit an application?
Answer: No. The scholarship can be awarded to individuals studying at least in their second year, with at least one semester remaining until the completion of their studies. Remember that the field and level of studies do not matter.

Can I send screenshots of my grades from the student portal (Virtual University) instead of a certificate confirming my SWPS student status?
Answer: No. The certificate confirming student status must be obtained from the Centre for Student Affairs. Screenshots from VU, VDO, grade transcripts, etc. will not be accepted.

I have a certificate confirming my student status obtained from the Centre for Student Affairs, but I forgot to request the inclusion of my GPA for the previous academic year. In such a case, can I send a screenshot of my grades instead of requesting another certificate?
Answer: No. The only possible way to confirm the GPA is by attaching the certificate obtained from the office.

I have a student status certificate downloaded a year ago from CSA. Will such a document be accepted?
Answer: No. According to the regulations, the certificate must be issued no later than 30 days before the application deadline. Remember that the certificate must include a note about your average grade for the previous academic year and information about the number of semesters left to complete your studies at the given level.

Can I attach a recommendation I received from a SWPS lecturer two years ago during another project to the application?
Answer: No. The recommendation must be current - issued no later than 14 days before the application deadline, prepared for this year's Student Relief Fund recruitment.

I helped organise a scientific conference, but I did not participate in it as a presenter. Can I include this in my "scientific achievements"?
Answer: No. A scientific achievement would involve active participation in the conference - as a presenter or speaker. Assistance in organising the event should be listed under the section concerning social activities.

Over the past year, I have published numerous reports and materials in opinion weeklies. Will this be considered as scientific achievements?
Answer: No. The section on scientific achievements should only include articles of a scientific nature published (or submitted) in scientific journals. Articles, reports published in media of a different nature should be described in the section concerning social or artistic activities (depending on the topic).

I implemented a project that was not research or scientific in nature. As part of the project, I provided support for individuals experiencing homelessness crisis. Should I describe such a project in the section on scientific achievements?
Answer: No. Projects with a social focus should be listed in the section concerning social activities. Artistic projects should be listed in the section concerning artistic activities.

Can involvement in student government be counted as social activity?
Answer: Absolutely. If you also hold a position in the student government, please specify it.

The appendices I want to submit are not in Polish or english. Should I provide a translation prepared by a professional translator?
Answer: No. We do not require translations prepared by a professional translator. The documents can be translated by the person who applies for the Scholarship. You can even use Google Translate or any other application which allows you to translate documents online. The translation must stay true to the original text and confirm the candidate's achievements.

What if I do not submit a recommendation or another required attachment?
Answer: In such a case, the Foundation's Chapter may ask the applicant to complete the application. It may happen that the scholarship application is rejected for not meeting formal criteria.

I have filled out the application, but I cannot submit it. Is there something wrong with the form?
Answer: First, check if you have filled in all the required fields. Then check if you have added attachments in the correct format and size. If you believe you have filled everything in according to the instructions, write to [email protected] and describe the problem. Include screenshots illustrating the error in your description.

I am on the Scholarship application page, but I do not see the entire application form to fill out, only its header. What should I do?
Answer: Unfortunately, sometimes to make the form work properly, you need to agree to optional - marketing cookies. After accepting the optional cookies, the form will work again.

I have submitted two applications. Which one will be considered?
Answer: In the evaluation of applications, the Foundation's Chapter will consider the first submitted application.

I am on a dean's leave this academic year. Can I still apply for a scholarship?
Answer: No. Individuals applying for a scholarship cannot be on a dean's leave.

I have provided the expected tuition payment dates in the application. What if the actual payment dates are different?
Answer: In the application, you should provide approximate payment dates. This way, if you receive the scholarship, we will know roughly when you will provide us with confirmation of paying the tuition fees. This serves as confirmation that the scholarship is being spent according to its purpose. If the actual payment dates differ from the planned schedule - nothing will happen. Just inform us about it in advance.

Can I use the Student Support Fund scholarship for a trip abroad? Or to pay for a language course?
Answer: No. This scholarship is purposeful and has to be used to finance tuition fees at SWPS University on your current course.

What if I spend the scholarship funds on a purpose other than tuition fees at SWPS University?
Answer: In that case, you will have to return all the funds received from the Foundation.

Did you not find an answer in the FAQ section?

Contact us at: [email protected].
We respond within 1-3 working days.