Scholarships and Student Financial Aid in North Macedonia

State scholarships from the Ministry of Education and Science

North Macedonia's Ministry of Education and Science runs several parallel scholarship schemes for students at public universities. According to Eurydice , need-based support pays around 3,300 MKD a month (roughly 55 EUR) to students from lower-income households. A separate priority-field scholarship pays about 6,050 MKD a month (roughly 100 EUR) to students enrolled in fields the country lists as short on graduates, including ICT, mathematics, physics, and chemistry.

On top of these, the ministry runs merit scholarships for high-achieving students, targeted scholarships for Roma students, and awards tied to deficit occupations, fields where the labor market needs more graduates than the system currently produces.

Applying for ministry scholarships

1. Check your faculty's student affairs office or the ministry's own scholarship announcements for open calls, since these run on their own annual schedule separate from university enrollment

2. Gather proof of enrollment, academic transcripts, and, for need-based support, documentation of household income

3. Submit your application within the published window, since these schemes do not stay open year round

4. Keep your academic standing up, since most awards renew only if you keep meeting the grade requirement

Fee reductions and exemptions

Students with disabilities and students without parental care get their co-financing fee waived entirely at public universities, on top of any scholarship they receive. This sits alongside the general system where your co-financing fee already depends on your ranking and academic performance, not a flat rate applied to everyone.

Housing and meal subsidies

Students who qualify get access to subsidized public dormitory places and subsidized meals through student canteens, priced around 120 MKD a day (about 2 EUR) according to Eurydice. These subsidies reduce your living costs directly rather than paying out cash, so factor them into your budget only if you secure a dormitory place or a meal card.

University-level scholarships

Individual public universities, including UKIM in Skopje, and some private universities run their own scholarship and fee-waiver schemes for high performers, on top of what the ministry offers. Check the scholarship page of your target faculty directly, since amounts and eligibility rules vary by institution and sit outside the national schemes above.

Municipal and private funding

Some municipalities and private foundations in North Macedonia run smaller scholarship programs alongside the national ones, often tied to your registered place of residence or field of study. These are not centralized, so check with your local municipality office and with foundations connected to your field before you rule them out.

Combining a scholarship with part-time work

Many students supplement a scholarship with part-time work, particularly in Skopje, where the job market is larger than in smaller university cities. If you are not a North Macedonian citizen, check the work conditions attached to your residence permit before you commit to a job, since these vary by permit type and nationality.

Erasmus+ and international funding for European students

North Macedonia is an Erasmus+ Programme Country , meaning it has full access to Erasmus+ activities rather than the more limited access given to non-associated partner countries. If you study in North Macedonia through an exchange agreement, or your home university has a partnership with a North Macedonian institution, you apply for Erasmus+ mobility funding the same way you would for an exchange semester anywhere else in the EU or associated countries.

Full-degree scholarship databases, such as the ones DAAD maintains for Germany-linked funding, rarely apply directly to study inside North Macedonia itself. Treat Erasmus+ and the national ministry schemes above as your two main funding routes if you come from elsewhere in Europe.