Deadline: October 15
Visa Category: J-1 degree-seeking student
Description
Dimiter Etimov, a scholar from Bulgaria who later became director of Loretto Hospital’s Health Sciences Library in Chicago; an editor of the Chicago Chronicle; and founder of The American-Bulgarian Center STS. Cyril & Methodius, was and still remains a very prominent figure in the Bulgarian community in Chicago.
Etimov’s dedication to his country was further exemplified in the establishment of the Dimiter Etimov Endowed Scholarship aimed at benefiting Bulgarian students interested in studying at Illinois Institute of Technology for Master level (non-thesis) programs. His goal was to help Bulgarian students earn a master’s degree at Illinois Institute of Technology, then apply their gained skills, knowledge, and leadership potential back in Bulgaria.
Fulfilling the essence of the Etimov Scholarship entails a unique opportunity to study in one of the top-rated universities in the United States while experiencing the great city of Chicago.
Requirements
- Preselection and nomination process (see note 1 below)
- Those preselected may apply to Illinois Tech and must qualify for admission to an Illinois Tech graduate non-thesis master’s degree program offered by the department/college listed below:
- In addition to meeting the Illinois Tech graduate international admission criteria for the program, the prospective applicant must:
- Be a citizen of Bulgaria and not a resident nor a citizen of any other country (e.g., U.S., EU, Canada, etc.)
- Have graduated from an accredited high school and university in Bulgaria
- Provide a nomination letter by a professor from the current university who has taught the student*
- Provide a letter from a company in Bulgaria that will be interested in hiring the prospective applicant based on skills acquired and degree program completed at Illinois Tech*
- Submit a brief essay written and signed by the prospective applicant, explaining his/her goals for a career in Bulgaria and how an Illinois Tech education will help achieve those goals*
*Please send to:
Iva Purcheva Dimitrova (M.S. Financial Markets ’07, former Etimov scholarship recipient)
purcheva@hotmail.com
With copy to:
Alex Nikolov
Office of International Affairs, Illinois Institute of Technology
10 West 33rd Street Room 139, Chicago IL 60616-3793
nikolov@iit.edu
Note
1. A school or university may nominate no more than one student per year. A telephone interview may be required of finalists.
2. Students are eligible to take one or two courses (not prerequisites) online for one academic semester via our TechPro Certificate program. Such students must notify Iva Purcheva and Professor Alex D. Nikolov of their intention so that information about the application process and requirements may be transmitted. The certificate course(s), if successfully passed (B grade or better), may apply to the appropriate master’s degree program at Illinois Tech, the commencement of which should be the subsequent academic semester (e.g., certificate online course taken in spring 2024 or fall 2024, if successfully passed, may apply towards the appropriate master’s degree program as indicated on the TechPro Certificate link, starting in fall 2024 or spring 2025 respectively).
3. The scholarship will cover tuition only for a maximum of three consecutive academic semesters (including an academic semester of online courses from the TechPro Certificate program) from the time of enrollment. While enrolled at Illinois Tech for in-person courses, the student must maintain full-time status (minimum of nine credit hours per semester) and should be in good academic standing (minimum GPA of 3.0 on a 4.0 scale).
4. The scholarship will not cover mandatory and other fees nor living expenses nor visa fees/flight expenses.