The Estophilus Scholarship pays for short research visits to Estonia by students and researchers enrolled at universities outside the country whose work is about Estonia — its language, culture, history or society. It is run by the Education and Youth Board of Estonia (Harno) under EKKAV, the programme for the academic study of Estonian language and culture abroad. A grantee spends one to five months in Estonia gathering material or carrying out research, hosted by an Estonian academic supervisor who is the main point of contact before and during the stay.
The scholarship covers living costs at a flat monthly rate and reimburses travel at a fixed rate set by distance. Applications open twice per academic year, once for the autumn semester and once for the spring semester, and each window stays open for about a month.
Benefits & funding
- Living stipend of €660 per month.
- Travel compensation at a flat rate set by the European Commission distance calculator: €180 for 1–499 km, €275 for 500–1,999 km, €360 for 2,000–2,999 km, €530 for 3,000–3,999 km, €820 for 4,000–7,999 km, and €1,100 for 8,000 km and above.
- A research stay of one to five months; final-year bachelor’s students are granted two months at most, and no stay may be shorter than 30 days.
- A placement with an Estonian academic supervisor at a host university or research institution, who accepts the candidate before the application is submitted.
Eligibility
- Foreign nationals studying or researching at a university outside Estonia.
- Final-year bachelor’s students, master’s students, PhD students, and post-doctoral researchers holding a PhD.
- The research plan must focus specifically on Estonia-related topics.
- An Estonian supervisor must confirm in writing that they accept the candidate and are prepared to supervise, describing the topic and why the research matters for Estonia.
- Knowledge of Estonian is an advantage but is not required.
Can you apply?
Here's who can apply
Decoded from the official rules. A free account checks them against your passport, degree and age in seconds.
Education required
Bachelor Enrolled · Master Enrolled · PhD Enrolled · PhD
Circlebreaker is a free database of global fellowships, scholarships and programs — every one decoded like this.
We only check the criteria we have data for. Always confirm full eligibility on the official page before applying.
Application process
- 1Find an Estonian academic supervisor and agree the research topic, the host institution and the dates of the stay.
- 2Watch the Harno Estophilus page for the semester round; a round opens for the autumn semester and again for the spring semester of each academic year.
- 3Prepare the formal application form, a research plan, a curriculum vitae, proof of student status or of the PhD degree, and the Estonian supervisor’s confirmation letter.
- 4Sign the application form digitally with an Estonian ID card or Mobile ID, or by hand and then scan it, and email the full set to rvo.dokumendid@harno.ee with the subject line “Estophilus stipendium (EKKAV)”.
- 5Wait for the decision of the EKKAV programme Council, taken within 45 days of the application deadline.
Program timeline
Autumn 2025/26 round opened, per the Harno announcement carried by the Estonian-American paper Vaba Eesti Sõna.
Oct 5, 2025
Autumn 2025/26 round closed.
Nov 15, 2025
Spring 2025/26 round opened.
Feb 15, 2026
Spring 2025/26 round closed. This is the most recent deadline and the one shown above, so the listing reads as between cycles rather than open.
Mar 15, 2026
Within 45 days of each deadline
the EKKAV programme Council selects the grantees.
Research stay
one to five months, arranged with the Estonian host supervisor.
Next round
not announced. As of this check the official Estophilus page, last updated 27 January 2026, still carries only the 2025/26 rounds, and the EKKAV programme page, last updated 6 April 2026, publishes no 2026/27 dates. The autumn window opened in early October last year, so a similar autumn call is the pattern; no date is published for it.