A new system for financing Armenian students in foreign universities will be introduced after statistics showed that only 20% of Luys foundation scholars and 40% of students funded by the My Step foundation returned to Armenia.

Addressing the issue, Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan stated: “It turns out that we have been financing emigration under the guise of education.”

Minister of Education, Science, Culture, and Sports Zhanna Andreasyan presented the program, explaining: “We plan to introduce a new approach to state support for strengthening the innovative potential of enterprises. Employees of Armenian commercial companies, who will study at top-ranked foreign universities (top 65 universities for bachelor’s and top 75 for master’s degrees, according to the Shanghai ranking system), will have their tuition co-financed.”

The program requires private sector involvement: a commercial company with at least 100 employees must cover 50% of tuition fees, while the government will provide up to 10 million AMD per year. After graduation, the student must work for at least three years at the sponsoring company.

To qualify for a scholarship, students must be admitted to a top university and have at least 50% of their tuition covered by a current or future employer. The state’s contribution will be granted only after the employer’s funding and will cover the remaining tuition costs, capped at 10 million AMD per year.

Another requirement states that both the employer and the student must sign a contract ensuring the student works at the company for at least three years after graduation.

The government approved the decision but will conduct a monitoring process until autumn to assess student return rates. If a significant number of students fail to return and work in Armenia, the program will be discontinued.

Under the current system, students admitted to the world’s top universities have no obligation to return to Armenia.