A total of 32 students received prestigious scholarships for excellence from the Ministry of Education, Science, and Innovation in Montenegro. Among the recipients is Alek Barović, a doctoral student studying human rights at the University of Padua, who achieved an impressive average score of 9.67. This announcement marks a significant initiative aimed at supporting talented students pursuing higher education abroad.
Barović expressed his surprise upon learning about the scholarship during a phone interview, stating, “We caught him off guard.” He views this scholarship as one of the most beneficial ideas in the history of Montenegro, reflecting on its potential impact on the nation’s educational landscape. The scholarship competition attracted 58 applicants, with 26 candidates being ineligible due to not meeting specific criteria.
Criteria for Awarding Scholarships
To qualify for the scholarship, students must be enrolled in a foreign institution ranked within the top 200 on the latest Shanghai Ranking. Candidates must be first-time enrolments for the relevant academic year, have maintained continuous academic progress without losing any study years, and achieved exceptional results in their previous education. Additionally, applicants must not hold other government-funded scholarships and must be Montenegrin citizens residing in Montenegro.
For the 2025/26 academic year, the total budget allocated for the Fund for Excellence in Higher Education is set at €500,000. The scholarship amount will vary based on tuition and living costs, which typically include accommodation, food, health insurance, and local public transport expenses. For doctoral students, living expenses also cover research-related costs, including small equipment, publication of scientific papers, literature procurement, and participation in academic conferences.
Encouraging Future Scholars
Barović highlighted the importance of this support, stating, “This scholarship is a perfect way to assist those who are talented in science and have the desire to learn.” He emphasized that such a scholarship is not found even in many more developed countries. Barović expressed hope that recipients will find ways to give back to their homeland, implementing their education from top universities to contribute positively to Montenegro’s development.
Among the other notable scholarship recipients are Lucija Stanković, a second-year undergraduate student at the University of California, Berkeley; Aleksandar Veljović, a second-year doctoral student at Oxford University; and Sofija Kaluđerović, a first-year master’s student at University College London. Other recipients include students from renowned institutions such as Imperial College London, University of Pennsylvania, and Rice University.
The Ministry of Education, Science, and Innovation announced the scholarship competition on November 24, 2025, with a deadline for documentation submission set for December 5, 2025. Students have the right to appeal the scholarship award decision to the Ministry within eight days of the announcement, as stated on the Ministry’s official website.
This initiative is seen as a transformative step in encouraging academic excellence and fostering a new generation of educated leaders in Montenegro, aiming to enhance the country’s reputation in the global educational landscape.
