Registrations have begun to be part of the project's target group Be the first, become your best!, having the code MySMIS 323824.
Project "Be the first, become your best!", implemented by West University of Timișoara (UVT), aims to contribute to combating university dropout and increasing the number of university graduates from a very specific social category, often ignored by existing support measures: young people from families with a low educational level, whose parents did not graduate from university and who could thus become the first students in their families. Therefore, undergraduate students will be supported, to provide them with the necessary support to pursue university studies.
The target group within the project will consist of: 200 students who will take part in the proposed activities for two academic years, of which 100 students will be recruited in the first year of the project (academic year 2025-2026).
The project aims to develop and implement a comprehensive program of support, counseling and educational and vocational guidance, remedial teaching activities and financial support for students from the West University of Timișoara, coming from disadvantaged and underrepresented groups, in order to ensure access to and participation in quality university studies.
In addition to support activities, each student in the target group will benefit from financial support consisting of a subsidy of 330 lei/month, awarded between October and June, for two academic years, provided that they participate in the individualized support program developed following the preliminary assessment carried out after enrollment in the target group. Details about the activities in which students who will be selected in the target group will be able to participate within the project are available HERE.
Students eligible to be part of the project target group
Students targeted for enrollment in the project's target group may be enrolled in years 1 or 2 of undergraduate studies (at the time of entry into the target group) and subsequently 3 (in the second year of membership in the target group), for undergraduate studies programs with a duration of three years (180 credits), respectively enrolled in years 1, 2 and 3 (at the time of entry into the target group) and subsequently 4 (in the second year of membership in the target group), for undergraduate studies programs with a duration of four years (240 credits) within one of the following faculties:
– Faculty of Arts and Design;
– Faculty of Law;
– Faculty of Physics and Mathematics
– Faculty of Letters, History, Philosophy and Theology;
– Faculty of Computer Science;
– Faculty of Sociology and Social Work;
– Faculty of Psychology and Educational Sciences.
Another project with the same specifics is being carried out at the West University of Timișoara, Education for your Academic Future, which targets students from other UVT faculties than those mentioned above. More information is available on the project website, are here.
To be eligible for enrollment in the project's target group, UVT students must cumulatively meet the following criteria:, on the date of entry into operation (date of selection to become part of the project target group):
- have their domicile on the territory of Romania, in any development region, except the Bucharest-Ilfov region;
- are enrolled as students at the West University of Timisoara, in a bachelor's degree program (ISCED level 6);
- are between 18 and 29 years old;
- they come from disadvantaged backgrounds and groups (with low educational level of parents, with disabilities, of Roma ethnicity, coming from isolated or residentially segregated areas, from large or single-parent families, coming from families with low socio-economic status, with dependent children who benefit from support to reduce the risk of university dropout and to remain enrolled in higher education institutions) who fall into at least one of the following social categories:
a) come from families with low parental educational level (whose parents did not obtain a university degree, who may have brothers/sisters who are already students/have already graduated from university);
b) meet the conditions for granting social scholarships according to the provisions of art. 10, paragraph (9), letters a)-c) of OME no. 6.463/2023 on the approval of the General Criteria for granting scholarships and other forms of financial support from the state budget for students and trainees in state higher education, full-time education, with subsequent amendments and additions;
c) they are of Roma ethnicity.
At least 70% of the target group of students will be represented by people from families with low parental educational level (whose parents did not obtain a university degree, who may have brothers/sisters who are already students/have already graduated from university), so they will have priority in the selection process. Also, In the selection of the target group, priority will be given to students enrolled in the first year of the undergraduate university studies cycle.
Forms of support provided in limited numbers
To support the educational path of students who are most in need, the project will provide several grants types of support for a limited number of beneficiaries from the total number of those who are part of the target group, so:
- supporting meal expenses (25 students from the total number of those who are part of the target group, whose lunch expenses will be supported, within the limit of 30 lei/day, 5 days/week, during a maximum of 17 weeks/semester (14 weeks of teaching activity + 3 weeks of exam session), in the first year in which the student is part of the target group, resulting in a maximum of 170 days of meal support/student);
- supporting accommodation expenses (students from the target group who live in a dormitory of the West University of Timisoara will be able to request the UVT management to exempt them from the accommodation fee, their request will be analyzed and approved in correlation with their social situation);
- providing IT equipment – laptops (30 students from the target group will benefit from IT equipment – laptops purchased through the project, within the limit of 3000 lei/laptop).
The students who will benefit from these forms of support will be those with the lowest incomes who have expressed their intention to apply for these facilities through this form, who will be identified through the documents uploaded in the registration form in the project's target group, within the available budget.
How to register in the project target group
Enrollment in the project target group Be the first, become your best! is done through the online form available HERE. The first stage of registration ends on September 16, 2025. If the number of places available in the project is not reached, the selection process will continue with other selection stages, the calendar of which will be published on the project website.
All information about the project, the possibility of registering in the target group or eligible beneficiaries is available on the website bethefirst.uvt.ro, and any other additional information can be requested at the e-mail address bethefirst.project@e-uvt.ro.
The documents required for registration in the target group are mentioned in The methodology to identifyand selection of the target group within the project Be the first, become your best! – available HERE, and the conditions for maintaining the target group are described in Methodology for providing support and subsidies to facilitate the transition to university studies and to prevent and combat university dropout within the Be the first, become your best! project. – available HERE.
