A Ray of Light for Students: Scholarships in Azerbaijan

A scholarship is like a unicorn: everyone talks about it, but few have actually seen one.
And if they have — it was fleeting, in the fog, and they immediately doubted: “Did it even exist?”
But then it appears — and you freeze in front of the screen, staring at the numbers as if it’s not a cash transfer, but a ticket to a parallel reality.

It’s not just money. It’s pure adrenaline.
It’s the quest “Survival: Dormitory Mode”, where you are a hungry student dreaming of a hot sandwich.

What We’ll Talk About:

✔ How the scholarship system in Azerbaijan works — we’ll break it down atom by atom so you know what you’re fighting for.
✔ Why some students live large on their stipends while others survive on instant noodles and prayers — spoiler: it’s not just luck.
✔ How not to blow all your money in the first week.

“A Scholarship? It’s something between state care and a social mystery.”

Remember how as a kid you got candy for a good grade?
A scholarship is almost the same thing. Only now you’re an adult, no one gives you candy, but they’ve kindly handed you a scholarship card instead.

It’s worth noting that the scholarship of a jobless student melts like March snow — beautifully, rapidly, and beyond recovery.

In Azerbaijan, scholarships are a kind of reward system that tries to be fair but sometimes pretends not to notice you’re even studying.
You can be smart, responsible, submit everything on time — and still get nothing.
Or, on the contrary, you might get paid just because your GPA magically added up right.

As they say: You don’t choose the scholarship — the scholarship chooses you.

Types of Scholarships (and What You Need to Get One — Besides Luck)

State (Basic) Scholarship — ~130 AZN
The most common and the most unpredictable.
It’s awarded for good grades and a state-funded place, but it’s kept not by magic — by rating.
Lose a grade, fail an exam — and the scholarship says “goodbye.”
Like a butterfly effect.
Note: the amount usually varies depending on your grades.

Presidential Scholarship — ~300 AZN
As rare as strong Wi-Fi on a bus.
Given only to the best of the best — and not necessarily to you personally: competition is by specialty, university, region, and maybe even by the stars.
But if you do get it — consider it a mark of respect from your entire faculty.

Named Scholarships
Awards from various funds, including the Heydar Aliyev Foundation.
You have to fight for these too — high academic performance, participation in contests, olympiads, or research activities are required.
In short: be a prodigy, a bit of a superhero, and preferably stress-resistant — if your nervous system allows it.

Social Scholarships
For students in special circumstances.
Here, documents matter more than grades.
The support is important, but the paperwork may take longer than an exam session.
If you manage to collect all the certificates on time — you’ve already earned a medal.

Recently, scholarships in Azerbaijan were increased: great news for new students — pure jackpot;
but for graduates who’ve already walked into the sunset — a bittersweet “thank you, you may go now.”

How Do Students Really Feel About Scholarships?

In short — it’s a tragicomedy.
Some spend the entire scholarship on food (because happiness is edible).
Some spend it on new clothes.
And some joyfully buy piles of stationery — because “you have to do something responsible with money.”

Many students do the impossible for a scholarship:
study round the clock, argue with professors about grades, even write term papers for others — just to stay on the “worthy” list.

Micro-Stories

Ayhan, 22, Faculty of Journalism:

“I knew that if I lost my scholarship, I’d have to get a job. So at some point I memorized the entire Constitution — just to make the professor think I was a genius.”

Zumrud, 20, Faculty of Psychology:

“When I got my first scholarship, I bought coffee, a book, and accidentally enrolled in an online self-development course.

The money was gone in three hours.
But the feeling — unforgettable.”

Why Is It So Easy to Lose a Scholarship?

A scholarship is like a fragile friendship: skip one message (or miss a practical class deadline) — and that’s it, goodbye.
Someone else will always be to blame — the system, the teacher, the cosmos — but never you. Of course.

Your job:
keep track of your rating, don’t miss deadlines, don’t argue with people who have access to the grade sheet.
Better yet, remember: in life, mistakes are normal — but not in your academic record.

Fact: it’s painful when a scholarship is delayed because of university administration. They seem to believe that students can survive on knowledge alone.
So you enter Hachiko mode — waiting by the ATM like at your master’s door, refreshing the balance every five minutes, hoping the money materializes through sheer willpower.

Can You Actually Survive on a Scholarship?

The obvious answer — of course you can.
If you know how to:
• Budget for the week.
• Cook real food from whatever’s in the fridge (not just live on fast food).
• And most importantly — calculate how much you need to last until next Tuesday.

Students joke: “We’re not poor — we’re strategists.”

The Important Thing — Support and Recognition

A scholarship isn’t about the amount.
It’s about someone noticing your effort.
It’s about growing, not just passing exams.
It’s about being able to live off your own mind — and getting paid (a little) for it.

Attention!
If after reading this you still spend your entire scholarship in three days — then you’re either a sultan, or you didn’t read carefully.
Or even both.

Moral

A scholarship isn’t a “freebie.”
It’s a small “well done” from the state.
Yes, it’s not always fair.
Yes, it’s not always stable.
But in a way — it’s your first salary for using your brain.
And yes, it feels good.

Protect your scholarship.
Protect your head.
Protect yourself and your loved ones.
And don’t spend it all at once — even if you really want to.