High Achievers' Scholarship awardees now allowed to change courses

Changes have been brought to the policies, which now allows awardees of the High Achievers' Scholarship to change courses if desired.

State Minister at Ministry of Higher Education, Labour and Skills Development Dr Abdul Raheem Hassan said that the previous policy set in place in 2019 does not allow for course changes after any financial transactions have taken place.

The new policy, on the other hand, cites situations under which the course can be changed after the student submits placement letter.

These are:

- No payments having been made to the course provider cited in the previous placement letter

- Steps to be taken in the instance any payments have been made to the higher education facility when the request for course change is submitted

- Changes to be made before the end of the first semester of the course initially opted for

- Consenting that the expenses made for the first course under the student's name will be deducted from the total cost of the selected new course

- Submittal of letters from relevant official institutions which support the need to change courses

- No other stipulations in the scholarship agreement will be affected even if a course change is granted

- It being the first change in courses

- Applying to change to a course the cost of which does not exceed the total cost of the initially chosen course

- The course requested to be changed to being one that does not have an entry requirement of a first degree, and a Master Degree course that can be completed in no more than four years

- Consent that the scholarship will cover expenses only for the remaining part of the course after the change is affected

- Students who apply for the change must be those currently studying when the new policies are implemented

The High Achievers' Scholarship is granted to students who receive A passes in five subjects including Dhivehi and Islam.