Government Approves 14th Anti-Crisis Measure Aimed at Students

The government decided in its meeting today, April 23, to approve the 14th measure aimed at neutralizing the economic consequences of the coronavirus. This was presented by Minister of Education, Science, Culture and Sports Arayik Harutyunyan, who noted that the purpose of the 14th measure is to assist students of higher education and postgraduate / clinical residency / educational programs in Armenia who are citizens of the Republic of Armenia in overcoming difficulties caused by the spread of the coronavirus.

The beneficiaries of the measure include undergraduate, master's, and clinical residency students studying in the paid system of 21 universities included in the attached annex, whose cumulative average grade (CAG) from the beginning of their studies until the end of the first semester of the 2019-2020 academic year is 90% or more of the maximum value of CAG.

Moreover, those students who partially or fully paid the tuition for the second semester of the 2019-2020 academic year can refuse this support, while if the tuition is paid through a student loan, the support will be directed to the repayment of the loan.

Arayik Harutyunyan stated that students in their final year will receive 100% compensation of the tuition fee for the second semester of the 2019-2020 academic year. For those who received state compensation for tuition fees according to the legislation, this measure will reimburse the remaining amount of the semester tuition. In cases where students have paid the tuition fee, this amount will be refunded to them.

Additionally, the students who meet the specified criteria in the second point of the annex will receive 75% reimbursement of the tuition fee for the second semester of the 2019-2020 academic year. For those who have received state compensation, they will receive 100% reimbursement of the remaining tuition fee of the semester.

The provisions regarding the interest rates will apply from May 1, 2020, to December 31, 2020, and for students whose cumulative CAG is 80% or more, the interest on newly issued student loans during this period will be fully subsidized by the state.