A Student Selection criteria for north2north institutional coordinators
The north2north Institutional coordinator is responsible for the selection of applicants for north2north scholarships and tuition waivers. The north2north coordinator can use some of the following aspects for the student selection:
- Participation in University of the Arctic Programs
Priority will be given to students enrolled in study programs that are endorsed by UArctic (such as Circumpolar or Northern Studies) or activities connected to the Thematic Networks of UArctic at both undergraduate and graduate levels. - Non-Traditional Exchange Participants
Students and institutions normally marginalized by lack of resources or geographical isolation, students from small communities, remote learners, adult / mature students and students from indigenous cultures and communities who are traditionally under-represented should be prioritized in the allocation of scholarships and tuition waivers.
- Students demonstrate a motivation to contribute to the North.
Diverse criteria should be taken into consideration when evaluating the motivation letter:- The student’s Program of study
- The student’s the past/future professional and/or academic plans
- The student’s personal commitment to contribute to the northern region or community
- Ability of the student to achieve some of UArctic’s goals:
- Personal growth, instrumental competence and intellectual maturity: the student should describe how he/she will use his/her academic competence to solve some of the challenges in the North.
B National Agency Decision-making Guidelines
The National Agencies (NAs) are responsible for the allocation of the north2north scholarships and/or travel funding and of the tuition waivers. The following list of criteria should be used by the NAs when ranking the students. Each National Agency may in addition establish its own decision-making criteria.
- Regional balance
north2north is an international mobility program. Therefore, the NAs have to ensure that there will be an interregional mobility (between the 3 regions of the Arctic: North-America, the Nordic countries and Russia). - Institutional balance
All the north2north institutions should have access to mobility grants to send out and receive students through north2north.
C What to include in the motivation letter?
The students should describe how the courses that they intend to follow at the host institution fit within the north2north mobility program according to one or more of the focus areas.
- Building Human Capacity in the North: Education and training that are culturally and academically relevant for Northern communities
- Demography and sustainability: sustainable education that will reverse the decline in term of population growth in the North and help the communities stay in their home villages.
- Adaption to Climate Change: Education focusing on the limitation of the climate changes, the evaluation of their impacts on the population and nature and the adaptation to the new environmental situation.
- The North as a dynamic region: how to contribute to an economic growth in terms of employability, health, infrastructure and culture.
The students should describe their social and educational background and their connection to the North.
The students should describe the challenges that they meet as citizens from the North in terms of (for example) environment, demography, education, welfare, labor market or infrastructure.
The students should describe how they define themselves as citizens living in the North and how they see their life in the North or in relation to the North after completing their education.
The motivation letter should not exceed one page (approximately 600 words).