Government of Colombia Scholarships for Africans to Study Spanish in Colombia | Fully Funded

The strategy of Spanish as a Foreign Language (ELE), per its acronym in Spanish, led by the Government of Colombia seeks to form tour guides and undergraduate and graduate students from Asia and Africa in different Colombian learning institutions recognized by the quality of their Spanish programs. In 2018, this strategy will include the following initiatives: 6th version of ELEFocalae, 2nd version of ELE Asia + and the first versions of ELEAsia Central and ELE África.

ELE ÁFRICA SCHOLARSHIP ELIGIBILITY

• Be a national of an African country.
• Be tourist guides duly certified or students who have outstanding academic results and are enrolled in the last academic year of their undergraduate course or in a postgraduate course.
• Have a good knowledge of English (certified B1 level minimum).
• Have been born between January 1, 1978 and December 31, 1998.
• Accept and carry out the rules of this 2018 initiative, submitted as Annex I of this document.
• Have good physical and mental health.
•  Have the necessary resources to cover the costs of the first month of their stay in Colombia. It is suggested a minimum amount of US$600 (six hundred US Dollars).
• Have the necessary resources to cover for the costs of the Colombian Alien ID, approximately US$70 (seventy US Dollars.)
•  Not to have participated in the previous versions of ELE initiatives offered by the Colombian Government, developed since 2013.

Note: Knowledge of basic Spanish (level A1) will be positively valued.
Possession of a valid USA or Schengen Visa will be positively valued.

ELE ÁFRICA SCHOLARSHIP BENEFITS

• Round trip, air ticket in economy class from the capital of the home country to the Colombian city where the course will take place. The Colombian Government will be responsible for assigning the placement city.
• Monthly stipend of one million six hundred (1.600.000) Colombian pesos for the beneficiary to cover basic living expenses, such as accommodation, local transport, and the cost of meals in Colombia. The monthly stipend will be proportional to the number of days of the beneficiaries’ stay in Colombia, and will be paid once per month in arrears subject to the assistance to the Spanish lessons by the beneficiary. Attendance will be checked through report, which will be submitted by the university to the Colombian authorities.
• Tuition scholarship for the Spanish course.
• International Health Insurance.
•  Courtesy Colombian Visa.
•  SIELE exam to obtain the Spanish as a foreign language certification.

Note: The cost of any additional visas of third countries that may be necessary to travel to Colombia, as well as of any extracurricular activities that the beneficiaries wish to undertake at the Colombian host universities, will not be financed by the Government of Colombia.

ELE ÁFRICA SCHOLARSHIP KEY DATES

HOW TO APPLY FOR ELE ÁFRICA SCHOLARSHIP

• Application form completed, available on the webpage of the Colombian Embassies in the African countries. Point 9 below has the list of Colombian Diplomatic Missions with their contact details.
• A recent passport size photo (3.5 x 4 cms).
• Copy of the principal passport page, containing biographical information. The passport must have a minimum validity of six months after the start of the program.
• Medical certificate in English, signed by a doctor, certifying that the candidate is in good physical and mental health to take the course in Colombia, submitted as Annex II of this document.
•  Yellow Fever vaccination certificate, if you have it.
• Documents evidencing the candidate has a proficient knowledge of English, equal or greater than B1, per the Common European Framework of Reference for Languages.
• For tourist guides only: Acceptance letter or authorization of enrollment issued by the National Tourism Authority or Competent Authorities of their countries.
• For undergraduate and graduate students: Confirmation of enrollment letter issued by the university of origin that includes the Grade Point Average (GPA) of the candidate.
• For graduate students only: Copy of Undergraduate diploma.

Note: Only applicants that comply with the required profile and documents will be considered.
Scholarship Beneficiaries will be asked to submit the Letter of acceptance, available as Annex III in this document, on a later date upon selection.

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