ÅBO AKADEMI UNIVERSITY DEPARTMENT OF ENGLISH

The Grant Application

In order to lessen the financial burden the language practice regrettably might be for most students, there are several grants which you can apply for. Åbo Akademi has its own grants for students with a compulsory language practice in their degree, and there are a number of other funds which also award grants for this kind of activity. The Donner grant, which is targeted only at the students of the English Department at Åbo Akademi, is the most relevant in this case. Grants from the Donner Fund are normally advertised in January or early February every year, and the deadline for applications is usually the last of February. Keep your eyes on the notice board for up-to-date information on this and other grants. 

Although there are specific forms for you to fill in for most grants, there are several factors which must be considered when you write your grant application. You should be aware that grants are not awarded for tourist trips, and neither are these accepted as language practice. Also, grants are not normally given for summer courses aimed at foreign students, nor to packages which include a language course and a job placement. 

Your grant applications should be very specific, which means that you need to be able to estimate what your expenses are going to be and at least have an idea about what you are going to do and where you are going to live when you submit the application.

It is important to stress that what you actually do during your stay abroad must correspond to what you said in your applicaton for a grant. Otherwise you may have to return the grant money. Occasionally it happens that it is not possible to make the trip according to the plans originally outlined in the grant application, but similar arrangements will be possible. If there are any changes to your the plans stated in your Donner grant application, contact the Professor immediately. 

As you see, you really need to have a clear and detailed plan of what you are going to do before you hand in your application, and it is therefore essential that you start planning your language practice in time. Decide what you want to do and where, find out the cheapest way to get there and what expenses you are going to have when you are there. It is, for example, quite possible to apply for a small weekly sum to be used as pocket money if the job you are planning to do pays very poorly, as might very well be the case. This is all information which must be included, at least on a conditional basis, if you want your application to be successful. 
 
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