The CRO Higher Education Scholarship Program

The aim of the CRO Higher Education Scholarship Program is to support Circassian students in their educational pursuits in an engaging, thought-provoking, and memorable manner. The top scoring students (Combination of GPA, creating best essays or video responses to the questions listed below and extracurricular activities) will be awarded a $1,000 scholarship to be put towards their post-secondary education.

Students must submit the following items to be eligible for the scholarship:

1. A one or two paragraph cover letter (introductory document) that explains why you have chosen to apply for the CRO Higher Education Scholarship Program. This will not be evaluated.
2. A completed Application of the CRO Higher Education Scholarship Program
3. Proof of Enrolment at a recognized University along with an academic transcript that proves a minimum GPA of 80% (≥2.7 of the 4.0 scale)
4. A typed essay (with title page) that answers the question provided below. Your essay will be evaluated. Submitted essays should be 4 – 6 pages in length (not including bibliography or title page), double spaced, and with page numbers inserted. Footnotes, citations, and references should be included. Your title page should include essay title, name, date of birth, town/city, school, and date. An alternative option to the essay, is a 3 – 5 minutes professional video that educates viewers about the chosen topic and responds to the question listed below. Your video should open with a still-screen showing the title and your name and it should close with a still-screen showing your references and acknowledgements if applicable.

NOTE: The cover letter and the essay must be emailed as .doc or .pdf documents. The video can be submitted by providing a link to a Dropbox folder, or similar, that holds the finished video file.

Deadline and Eligibility: 

All requirements must be received by email to the CRO by Aug. 2, 2020. If after all evaluations are completed your entry is found to deserve a scholarship, a potential winner must provide a signed “Eligibility & Liability / Publicity Release”, proof of age, and proof of enrolment.

Evaluation Criteria: 

A submission’s final grade consists of the GPA of applicant (60%), the essay or the video score (30% of final grade) and the Applicant’s extracurricular activities (10%).

The Question: 

Answer the following question and write your response in an essay format or create a video. Your response should be fully referenced.

The Maykop Culture: Its History and Significance.

Rules and Regulations:

The following rules and regulations apply:

1. The CRO Higher Education Scholarship and contest is open to all Circassians who are younger than 24 years old prior to June 30, 2020.
2. Eligible persons must be enrolled at a recognized University as a full-time student at the time of application.
3. The applicant must be a citizen or legally residence in the country of the institution where the applicant is enrolled. For the 2020 Academic year, the Scholarship is open to students enrolled at a recognized university in the Russian Federation.
4. Applications must be submitted to the following email (edu@CROWorld.org) by Aug. 10, 2020.
5. Submitted applications will be evaluated by the CRO Higher Education Scholarship Program Committee to determine the winners of the scholarship.
6. The winners will receive a $1,000 scholarship that will be paid in two instalments of $500 each. Payments will be paid at the beginning of the academic semester.
7. All submitted essays and videos will be added to the CRO documentary library and will be posted on the CRO’s website and the CRO’s YouTube page.
8. Chance of winning the CRO Higher Education Scholarship will depend on the number of entries and the quality of the submission.
9. Applicants can produce their essay or video in Circassian, English, or Russian.
10. Winners who do not respond via phone or email within 10 days of being contacted, who cannot show proof of attendance at a post-secondary education institution on a full-time basis for the upcoming academic year, who cannot show proof of age, or who do not sign our “Eligibility & Liability / Publicity Release” will be disqualified and the scholarship will be awarded to the next in line as per the criteria outlined above.
11. The “Eligibility & Liability / Publicity Release” outlines that each scholarship winner consents to CRO’s use of their name, address, and submitted materials without further compensation.
12. The CRO is not responsible for any complications negatively affecting any scholarship contest entries or any other errors or negligence that may arise in connection with this scholarship contest.
13. The CRO also retains full rights to the administering of the scholarship contest according to the law and reserves the right to terminate the scholarship contest at any time and without notice.