The RA Government approved the 14-th measure on neutralization of consequences of Coronavirus which aims to support the citizens of the Republic of Armenia studying in the educational institutions implementing higher and postgraduate educational programs. The Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan emphasized that with the approval of this measure, the Government fulfills its political commitment that a high performance student will not be expelled from the university due to tuition fees. The RA Minister of Education, Science, Culture and Sports Arayik Harutyunyan, presenting the project, noted that the measure is targeted at three main groups of beneficiaries.
1. Full (100%) tuition reimbursement
Full-time undergraduate, postgraduate and clinical residency graduate students of paid education system, whose average grade point average (GPA) is 90% and more from the beginning of the course to the second semester of 2019-2020 academic year, will receive 100% tuition fee reimbursement. Moreover, if the student has partially or completely paid the tuition fee for the second semester of 2019-2020 academic year, the amount paid shall be returned to the student, if the payer is a natural person.
2. 75% tuition reimbursement
Full-time undergraduate, postgraduate and clinical residency non-graduate students of paid education system, with an average grade point average (GPA) of 90% and more from the beginning of the course to the end of the first semester of 2019-2020 academic year, will receive 75% tuition fee reimbursement.
Students who have already received partial tuition fee reimbursement from the State during 2019-2020 academic year, will receive 100% of the residual amount of the tuition fee for the semester within the framework of the Action14. And those students who have already partially or fully paid the tuition fee for the second semester of 2019-2020 academic year, the amount paid will be considered as the tuition fee payment for the next semester(s).
If the tuition fees of the second semester of 2019-2020 academic year have been paid by the sponsoring organizations, the issues related to the management of the money shall be settled by mutual agreement between the universities and the respective organizations.
3. Student loans
Full-time and part-time students of state and state-accredited HEIs, studying in bachelor’s, master’s and clinical residency programs will get preferential as well as interest-free student loans. The students whose GPA from the beginning of their studies to the end of the first semester of the 2019-2020 academic year is higher than 80% of the maximum point will receive a student loan for the period from May 1, 2020 to December 31, 2020 for 0 percent (0%). For them, the interest rate of the loan will be fully subsidized by the State. In the same period the state will reimburse the interest of loans on 5% for students with the GPA lower than 80%, thus the interest rate will make 4%.
In the past, the students with high GPA could receive a loan for 6% interest, and the rest for 7%, since the subsidy on interest rates on loans, according to decision № 270-N of March 14, 2013, was 3% for people with a high GPA and 2 % for others. During the period of application of new interest rates, ie from May 1, 2020, to December 31, 2020, the previous terms of subsidizing interest rates on loans will not be applied.
The CBA Governor reported to the RA Prime Minister that the bank loan process is simplified and facilitated. The payment of the principal amount of student loans starts after the end of the study, and one year after the graduation for those with а high GPA.
