Scholarships & Grants

FUNDACIÓ PRIVADA INSTITUT D'EDUCACIÓ CONTÍNUA-UPF SCHOLARSHIPS PROGRAMME

The scholarship programme of the Continuing Education Institute Private Foundation-UPF (henceforth referred to as IDEC Private Foundation) is geared toward helping people with talent to access our master's programmes. We believe that talent is the main driving force of society and we endeavour to help people to develop their entire potential.

The Talent Scholarship programme is intended for people with university education, outstanding personal qualities and accredited talent in the academic sphere and, if appropriate, in the professional sphere. People with intellectual concerns, motivated to study and to become enriched with new ideas and new skills, and with enthusiasm to broaden their personal and professional horizons.

The Talent Scholarships, with the hallmark of the UPF, are a recognition and a reward for people who make an effort to achieve excellence. The scholarships want to encourage those who strive to be better each day and to offer more to their environment, those who demonstrate this with a good academic transcript, with important professional merits, with an outstanding personal attitude or with social commitment.

CONDITIONS OF THE ANNOUNCEMENT

The IDEC Private Foundation awards scholarships each year to fund the training of candidates who demonstrate that they have talent and motivation, even if they do not have sufficient financial resources.

Programmes wich offer scholarships
The scholarships programme covers all the master's programmes of at least 60 ECTS offered by IDEC-UPF and the Pompeu Fabra University's Barcelona School of Management. An exception is those programmes for which the enrolment process is external to the IDEC Private Foundation.

Amount of the scholarship
The scholarships of the IDEC Private Foundation cover 25% or 50% of the master's degree registration fees.
Only for candidates who prove that they have insufficient financial means, the scholarship can be increased an additional 25% of the registration fees.

Decision-making body
The IDEC Private Foundation's Scholarships Committee is the highest decision-making and awarding body. It is made up of 7 members and meets whenever scholarship announcements are made during the year.

The President of the Scholarships Committee is the President of the IDEC Private Foundation's Academic Council, the General Manager of the Foundation acts as Vice President and the members are the managers of the academic units and two members of the Foundation's Academic Council.

Award criteria
The scholarships are awarded in accordance with the following factors:

Academic talent: the candidates' prior student's record (transcript overall grade above 8/10 will be considered), the recommendation of lecturers or of people from the academic environment and, if appropriate, the results of the programme's specific access tests will be assessed.

Professional talent: on the programmes which require prior professional experience, the candidates' CV, the recommendation of people from the professional environment and, if appropriate, the results of the programme's specific access tests will be assessed.

Personal talent: the candidate's motivation and the personal merits that the candidate can demonstrate will be assessed.

The financial situation of the candidate's family unit will only be taken into account in the cases in which the candidate requests this.

Scholarship programme access requirements
To apply for a scholarship, candidates must:
•  be admitted on the programme;
•  have completed the reservation of the corresponding place within the period established, as indicated in the letter of admission;
•  submit the application using the online form indicated in the “Documentation and Formalities” section within the corresponding period;
•  demonstrate their merits (academic, personal and, if appropriate, professional), provide the documentation required and follow the formalities established on the form, and
•  demonstrate their financial situation as indicated in “Documentation and Formalities” (voluntary requirement, only for candidates who want their financial situation to be taken into account in the award decision).
•  It is compulsory to have completed the university degree and to present the closed academic transcript with the weighted average and the corresponding scale.

Documentation and formalities
To formalize the scholarship application, the applicant must fill in the form and will be required to upload the following documentation (*):
•  Letter of motivation
•  CV
•  Academic transcript which includes the average obtained with the corresponding scale
•  Letters of recommendation (academic and/or professional)

Those who want to demonstrate their family financial situation in order to apply for the increase in the scholarship of 25% should additionally send the following documentation (**):

Applicantsworking as an employee:
•  Last income tax return (only for candidates who pay tax in Spain)
•  Certificate of income from company
•  Last pay slip

Self-employed applicants:
•  Declaration of registration as self-employed
•  Last tax return

Unemployed applicants:
•  Certificate of unemployment

Applicants who are studying and not working
•  Documentation from parents or legal guardians

(*) Any missing document mentioned will invalidate the candidature.
(**) Any missing document mentioned will invalidate the candidature to apply for the increase in the scholarship of 25%.

Should the IDEC Private Foundation's Scholarships Committee need more information to assess the economic situation of the applicant, further documentation will be requested.

The academic transcript may be in Catalan, Spanish, English, French, Italian or Portuguese. If it is another language, it must be accompanied by an official sworn translation into Catalan or Spanish. The official sworn translation can be carried out by a sworn translator authorised and registered in Spain, through any Spanish diplomatic or consular representation abroad or, finally, through the consular or diplomatic representation in Spain of the country of origin of the applicant.

It is compulsory to have completed the university degree and to present the closed academic transcript with the weighted average.
When the process begins, the candidates may be required to carry out a complementary personal interview to assess their application.

Application and awarding dates
The scholarship awarding process is a continuous process throughout the year. Various sessions are established, each with the application and awarding dates indicated in the table below:

Academic year 2013-14

Part of the scholarship fund will be awarded in each session, in accordance with the percentages indicated in the table. Each applicant can only respond to one scholarship announcement per programme. It is not possible to apply for a scholarship for a programme already being studied.

Notification of the scholarships committee decision
The Scholarships Committee will notify each applicant of the decision individually, by e-mail.
If the decision is positive, the scholarship award letter will explain the details to complete the formalisation of the registration process.

Commitment of the scholarship holder
The people who obtain a scholarship from the IDEC Private Foundation undertake to provide their support to the institution in different promotional and institutional representation activities, such as for example helping to integrate international students during the first stage of their study period.

Causes of revocation of the scholarship
The scholarship can be revoked in the following cases:
•  Falsification of documents on demonstrating the merits which gave rise to the award.
•  Abandoning the programme for any reason: academic, voluntary or disciplinary.
•  "Fail" mark on the programme.

The revocation of the scholarship entails the obligation for the scholarship holder to repay the amount corresponding to the scholarship received to the IDEC Private Foundation.
Should the scholarship recipient obtain a leave of absence, the right to receive the scholarship is considered to be suspended for the duration of the leave of absence.

Compatibility with other scholarships or allowances
The IDEC Private Foundation's scholarships are not compatible with other Fundation's scholarships funded by external organizations, or with discounts or allowances of the programmes. However, the IDEC Private Foundation's scholarships are compatible with other scholarships that the candidates may apply for from organizations outside the Foundation.

In the event of any query or for clarification please contact: beques@bsm.upf.edu

FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS

Who can apply for a scholarship?
Anyone who wants to register for a Master' degree of the Barcelona School of Management or of IDEC-Pompeu Fabra University of at least 60 ECTS and who can demonstrate talent. An exception is those programmes for which the enrolment process is external to the IDEC Private Foundation.

Can I apply for a scholarship if I am a foreign student?
Yes, there is no problem if you fulfil the requirements established.

Can I apply for a scholarship if I register for a postgraduate course?
No, the Talent Scholarship is only for Master's degrees of at least 60 ECTS.
You cannot apply for a Talent Scholarship if the course has already begun.

Does everyone have to pay to reserve the place in order to access the scholarship?
Yes, everyone, even those who want to apply for the financial scholarship of 25%, has to pay to reserve the corresponding place as specified in the letter of admission.

In which session can I apply for the scholarship?
You can apply for the scholarship in the sessions which are still pending before the programme for which the scholarship is requested has started.

What does the scholarship holder's commitment involve?
The scholarship holder's commitment involves:
•  outstanding academic performance and a level of active participation in the development of the programme.
•  active collaboration on activities supporting the programme and the institution (occasional participation in internal programme assessment and improvement meetings and/or the associated services, occasional participation in institutional events and meetings with companies, testimony in printed or audiovisual communication materials, etc.)

What documentation do I have to submit?

To formalize the scholarship application you should send the following documentation (*):
•  Letter of motivation
•  CV
•  Academic transcript which includes the average obtained with the corresponding scale
•  Letters of recommendation (academic and/or professional)

If you want to demonstrate your family financial situation in order to apply for the increase in the scholarship up to 25%, you should also send the following documentation (**):

Applicants working as an employee:
•  Last income tax return (only for candidates who pay tax in Spain)
•  Certificate of income from company
•  Last pay slip

Self-employed applicants:
•  Declaration of registration as self-employed
•  Last tax return

Unemployed applicants:
•  Certificate of unemployment

Applicants who are studying and not working
•  Documentation from parents or legal guardians

(*) Any missing document mentioned will invalidate the candidature.
(**) Any missing document mentioned will invalidate the candidature to apply for the increase in the scholarship of 25%.

What is the PC? How do I get it?
This is your identifying code for the administration of the IDEC Private Foundation.
You will receive it in the letter confirming your place once you have paid to reserve the place.

Does the dossier have to be certified?
The dossier only has to be certified if this is an admission requirement.

If I have different qualifications which university degree and dossier should I submit?
You are recommended to submit them all.

What is the certificate of unemployment?
Document demonstrating that you are currently unemployed. In Catalonia it can be requested from the SOC and elsewhere from the competent official bodies.

What is the certificate of income from the company?
Certificate that your company can give you indicating your income.

Should I submit my whole tax return or just the last part?
The last part of Form 190 in Spain.

Can the scholarships be combined with other discounts?
No, the Talent Scholarship is incompatible with any other kind of scholarship, discount or promotion.

If I am not awarded the scholarship will I get my money back?
If the scholarship is not awarded and the participant wants to abandon the programme, all the money will not be refunded under any circumstance. The general conditions will be followed: The IDEC Private Foundation will refund the registration fee (retaining 10% of the cost of the programme to cover administration costs) if the student cancels their registration up to one week before the beginning of the programme.

If I am not awarded the talent scholarship, can I apply for another kind of scholarship, either related to programmes or from other institutions, and even promotions?
Yes, if the Talent Scholarship is refused, you can apply for other kinds of scholarships or promotions if you fulfil the requirements established.

Is the Talent Scholarship subject to any kind of tax deduction?
The scholarship is subject to Income Tax

For official Master's degrees the Talent scholarship is exempt on being a scholarship for official education. In Spain official courses are considered to be those of the general education system: pre-school, primary, secondary, advanced vocational training and university (undergraduate degree, master's degree and PhD), and the special education system (artistic, languages and sport), according to Article 3 of Organic Law 2/2006 and Royal Decree 1393/2007, of 29 October, which establishes the organisation of official university education (Official State Gazette of 30 October).

For University-specific Master's Degrees
The withholdings and payments on account which must be applied in accordance with Income Tax regulations and which must be paid in full by the recipient of the scholarship must be deducted from the scholarship. The Administration Service will inform the scholarship holders in detail.