Pool 1: Don't start with AMPEU
The most common Pool 1 mistake: a student finds the AMPEU portal online, fills it out, and waits. Then they get confused when nothing happens. Pool 1 requires a Nomination Letter from your home country's nominating authority — and that body has its own internal selection process that happens before the AMPEU application. Find your national nominating body first.
Pool 1 — Step-by-Step
Find your home country's nominating authority
Before you open the AMPEU portal, find out who handles Croatian scholarship nominations in your country. This is usually your Ministry of Education, national higher education agency, or a designated scholarship office. Every bilateral country has one. Contact them directly — they'll tell you their internal timeline and any pre-selection criteria.
Your national body pre-selects candidates
The nominating authority reviews applicants internally. They may have their own criteria — academic performance, language skills, research fit. You may need to interview, submit documents to them, or compete against other applicants from your country for a limited number of nomination slots. This is not administered by AMPEU.
Complete the AMPEU online application
Once nominated (or in parallel — confirm with your authority), complete the application at the AMPEU portal. Applications must be submitted in English or Croatian. The portal collects your personal details, scholarship type requested, and document uploads.
Open AMPEU Application Portal →Upload all required documents
Passport/ID, CV (Europass format preferred), Letter of Interest (1–2 pages), proof of enrollment, academic transcripts from the last 2 semesters, recommendation letters, study or research proposal, and language proficiency proof. See the Documents page for the full breakdown.
Your institution sends the Nomination Letter directly to AMPEU
The Nomination Letter is sent by your home country's nominating institution to AMPEU — directly, institution-to-institution. You do not submit it. You do not upload it. If you've been asked to submit your own Nomination Letter, something is confused in the process.
AMPEU reviews; Croatian host institution makes final acceptance decision
AMPEU processes the application. The Croatian host institution (university or research institute) makes the final decision on whether to accept you. For research types (C2, D, E), this is where having a pre-confirmed host professor is critical — without someone at the Croatian institution already agreeing to supervise you, acceptance is unlikely.
Wait for June/July results
Results are announced in June or July. This is 2–3 months after the April deadline (typically around April 10; the 2027/2028 date is to be confirmed). Successful applicants receive a General Information Package by email with details on where they'll be studying, housing, and next steps. Contacting AMPEU in May asking about your application status won't speed anything up.
Pool 2 — Step-by-Step
Pool 2 is simpler — no government nomination required. But you still need to move early, because your Croatian language professor needs to write a recommendation letter.
Contact your Croatian language or Slavic Studies professor
The professor who currently teaches you Croatian at your home institution needs to agree to write a Recommendation Letter for the scholarship. Don't wait until March to ask — professors have their own timelines. Approach them in January or February.
Confirm the letter arrangement
Unlike Pool 1's Nomination Letter, the Pool 2 Recommendation Letter is uploaded by the candidate in the AMPEU application system. Confirm with your professor how they want to handle this — whether they'll send it to you as a PDF or if they need a specific submission format.
Complete the AMPEU online application
Go to ampeu.hr/scholarship_application and fill out the online form. Select A1 or F as your scholarship type. Applications in English or Croatian.
Upload your documents
Pool 2 needs: passport/ID, CV, proof of enrollment in your Croatian language or Slavic Studies program, and the Recommendation Letter from your professor. See the Documents page for details.
Wait for June/July results
Same timeline as Pool 1. Results in June/July. Academic year starts October 1.
Research Types (C2, D, E) — Extra Step
You need a Croatian host professor BEFORE applying
For types C2 (partial PhD/research), D (postdoctoral research), and E (short postdoctoral visit), the application requires a Letter of Invitation from the Croatian host institution or professor. This is not something AMPEU arranges for you.
You need to independently contact Croatian academics at public universities whose research overlaps with yours. This means identifying relevant professors, emailing them directly, explaining your research, and asking if they'll host you. Expect to contact 5–15 people before getting a positive response.
What Happens After the Deadline
Deadline closes (2027 date TBC)
AMPEU stops accepting applications. The portal closes. Nominations from partner countries must also be received by this date.
AMPEU processes applications
Applications are reviewed. Croatian host institutions assess candidates. AMPEU doesn't publish status updates during this period.
Results announced
Successful applicants receive a General Information Package by email. This includes the host institution, acceptance details, and housing/enrollment instructions.
Academic year begins
Scholarship officially starts. Stipend payments begin for October. (July and August are excluded from stipend calculations.)