Most of the scholarships awarded by Mescyt are for STEM careers

Santo Domingo.- The professional fields in highest demand for international training in the Dominican Republic include STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics), marketing and sales, health and biology, and renewable energy. Notable disciplines within these categories are computer agriculture, biotechnology, business, neuroscience, and telecommunications.

Over the past three years, the Ministry of Higher Education, Science, and Technology (Mescyt) has awarded around 6,000 scholarships to professionals pursuing master’s and doctoral degrees in foreign universities. This initiative, facilitated through the National Scholarship System, was created by the government to transparently assist Dominican students, especially those with limited financial means, in pursuing both undergraduate and graduate degrees, both domestically and abroad.

The Minister of Higher Education, Franklin García Fermín, explained that the prioritization of professional areas for international scholarships was determined through a nationwide survey conducted in collaboration with the Ministry of Economy, Planning, and Development.

Renegotiated agreements with 230 Higher Education institutions across countries like the United Kingdom, Germany, Spain, the United States, Australia, France, Honduras, Italy, Mexico, Sweden, Switzerland, Costa Rica, and Russia have been undertaken based on the survey results. This renegotiation resulted in significant savings of 400 million pesos for study plans.

García Fermín emphasized that providing young individuals access to higher education, both nationally and internationally, is essential for opening doors to opportunities that empower youth to excel and contribute to social mobility and wealth creation for the common good.

Scholarship recipients have the choice of academic options in various languages, including Spanish, English, French, Italian, Portuguese, and Euskera (Basque language). Leading countries for these opportunities are Spain, the United States, and the United Kingdom.

The government’s agreements encompass diverse Spanish universities and specialize in medical sciences, business, tourism, and technology, among other fields. Notably, a special agreement has been established with the University of Oxford, with only two Dominican students being selected by the institution based on their exceptional qualifications.

Recipients of these scholarships are required to sign a contract that is shared with the embassies of their respective study destinations. Those who choose to stay abroad cannot adjust their immigration status unless they return to the Dominican Republic and repay the full investment made by the State in their education.

Minister García Fermín emphasized that the scholarship application process is democratized, breaking the pattern of mostly benefiting those in Greater Santo Domingo. He also underscored that influence peddling is not applicable, as all applications must go through the National Scholarship System.

In addition to Mescyt, the National Scholarship System comprises the Ministries of Youth, Labor, Economy, Planning, and Development, Industry and Commerce, Mipymes, the Presidency’s Innovation Cabinet, and the Information and Communication Technologies Office.