Students and master's degree applicants can take part in the Merit Scholarships 2009 contest organized by the University Information Center under the aegis of the Council of Rectors of Moldova, Info-Prim Neo reports, quoting a communique from the organizers. The best students and persons studying for a master's degree will benefit from yearly first, second and third-degree scholarships of 1,000 lei, 6,000 lei, and 4,000 lei respectively. The contest is open for third-fourth year students in full-time education and applicants for master's degree who study at one of the universities of Moldova and have the average grade for the years of studies not lower than 9 for the humanities, 8.5 for exact, technical and medical-biological sciences and 8 in the case of students with disabilities and/or orphans. The students who won scholarships at national competitions, including Merit Scholarship, in 2008 and the graduates of 2009 cannot participate in the contest. The contest consists of two stages. The students will be informed about the selection methods when they file the necessary documents. The application form is available at the University Information Center or on the website www.eac.md. The candidates must submit a Curriculum Vitae, a certificate of academic standing and a letter of recommendation from a teacher. The accepted documents will be examined by the Council of Independent Experts and the Council of Donors. The results are definitive and cannot be challenged. The deadline for applications is October 19, 2009. The results will be announced on November 10, 2009. The necessary documents will be submitted to the University Information Center located at 148 Stephan the Great Blvd., office 22, telephone: 221167; 221172. The Merit Scholarships 2009 contest is organized with financial support from Soros-Moldova Foundation, BC Moldova Agroindbank SA, Orange Moldova and the Council of Rectors of Moldova. The Merit Scholarships program was initiated in 1996 on the suggestion of Soros-Moldova to encourage the academic, scientific and extracurricular performance of the Moldovan students. From 2001, the program has been supported by the commercial bank Moldova Agroindbank, while from 2004 - also by Voxtel SA, which is now Orange Moldova. More than 890 students benefited from Merit Scholarship during the 13 yearly editions of the contest.