Admission Guide  2024

For any  and all information regarding SFF programs, please email sffscholarship.info@gmail.com 

Who is SFF, what we have developed, and what do we offer:

 Shams Family Foundation (SFF) of The Dallas Foundation https://www.dallasfoundation.org/ is a USA-registered philanthropy foundation dedicated to improving human capital & human potential, via education & economic empowerment, and settlement pathways for those who chose to settle in the Global West.

 SFF Launchpad Platform

We do this by creating “ Learn & Earn” end-to-end global educational platforms called “launch pads”.  SFF spends years and thousands of dollars designing, collaborating, building, and growing these platforms with our educational partner in the Global West that share our values to assist students in launching their careers and attaining academic & economic empowerment across various industries in the most cost-effective manner.

SFF end-to-end Launch Pads identify all the costs, risks, and obstacles that international students may face as they seek to acquire education in Europe or North America by applying cost innovation, entrepreneurship, and supply chain management concepts. We build solutions that ensure success starting with discounted tuition, fast-track application, SFF-based selection and admission process, elimination of expensive fees, visa facilitation, travel logistic management, mentoring, work/study, and career guidance. 

What is our philosophy and approach? Our logo says it all:

 "No handouts. Just hand-up."         

On the platform we have partners. Currently, we have South East European University(SEEU)https://www.seeu.edu.mk/  
    

Our goal is to give you an opportunity to become the best version of who you can become. Depending on merit and need, we offer different levels of financial support for quick launch and self-economic empowerment. Each student agrees before arriving at SEEU as to what SFF will provide and what they will need to either earn themselves or rely on their parents or other sponsors. 

We believe in empowering individuals through “learn and earn” programs. We want students who are passionate about both academic and experiential learning and development. So, if you have fire in your belly, and are willing to endure pain now for future gain, this program is for you.  

Students must be able to show proof of personal funds for the first year of education Tuition € 1700, dorm € 1000, food and other expenses €1300. So the total annual cost is €4000.  One-time travel cost from home country to Tetovo plus visa fees €1,500 = Total €5,500. The estimated subsequent year cost is  €4,000/year for tuition + room + food paid by student earning or parental support 

1. Students must own a laptop and have access to a good internet connection to properly fill out SFF forms and documents, conduct a video interview, and work with the SFF team to complete all the admission, visa, and travel requirements. You will also need a good laptop for online remote work and for your studies at SEEU. 💻

2. Admission & Transcripts Equivalency Students can be admitted as Undergraduate Freshmen, Undergraduate Transfer, or Graduate Freshmen. For Undergraduate, you must be past 20 years of age Jan 1, 2024, and have completed your High school, HSSC, Intermediate OR A levels in 2023. For Graduate applicants, you must have finished 8 semesters of coursework from the same university. All Transfer and Graduate applicants can only be accepted after their transcripts have been reviewed by SEEU faculty. SEEU follows the Bologna European Education System 📜

3.  This program is not for everyone. For the first year, the Student must either have personal funds, qualify for an SFF or SFF partner funding, or find other sponsorship to pay for their education. For the 2nd year onwards, under our Learn & Earn program, the student must be able to seek out employment and work to pay for their educational expenses. Tetovo is a small town with various jobs available in restaurants, factories, and some small IT-based companies. Students must be hard-working and creative to seek out work in a new country and a new culture. Master students whose classes are every other weekend (after settling the first semester in Tetovo)may seek higher-paying professional jobs in the capital city of Skopje. Bachelor students can work part-time during studies and the vacations are 3 months long so they can also move to Skopje during vacations to do jobs and earn enough money to cover the following year's expenses. OR they must rely on their online skills & previous work experience or family funds to meet their funding needs 💶

Step 1: SFF selection process

SFF  selection process includes three steps.

 All candidates including those applying for the Merit and Aid program have to create a PowerPoint presentation of up to 10 slides and do a video recording where you are presenting your PowerPoint to us with the following information:

Slide 1

 Family history and personal background. Any professional experience.

Slide 2

Your understanding of the SFF Launchpad program, its components, and core values.

 Slide 3

List reasons why SFF should select you. Tell us if you have a combination of patience, perseverance, grit, and determination to succeed in our program. Give examples from your past experiences where these traits were in practice.

 Slide 4

Present a detailed financial plan for each year of study that shows how you will fund your education at SEEU.

 Slide 5

Decision making :  Give an example from your past experience where you took an important decision that was solely yours. What did you learn from it?

                                                                                                                                 Slide 6

Where do you see yourself in 10 years?

 Slide 7

Below are five policies that SFF requires to be part of our program. Please read them thoroughly.

   1. Student conduct policy

Here is the link to the policy: https://docs.google.com/document/d/1uoEdgdh0Ia9ZgMC3vR2bBc0e5PjrkBYlF1cJ2FFoMEc/edit?usp=sharing 

2. Erasmus policy + Travel policy 

Here is the link to the policy:  https://docs.google.com/document/d/1SANvIEfQGJpSAFrWZdMfEobbogcF62mT3H4HelFcwAY/edit?usp=sharing 

3.Grades and Grading Policy, Incompletes and INR 

Here is the link to the policy: https://docs.google.com/document/d/1prqItGX9Dt3NIUMCfiFsE97yaqoaTnIJycGSNpiQoXQ/edit?usp=sharing 

4.Nostrification( online registration at Ministry of Education to happen by the first semester) 

Here is the link to the guidelines for Nostrification : https://docs.google.com/document/d/1EGZB00nR8H7MAlCOYYySjCgTmgacr5NaOYHTdl09C_M/edit?usp=sharing 

            5. Communication policy

Here is the link to the policy:https://docs.google.com/document/d/1GSx4HJqSCP9Ft7yr5xh8yAuL32TuG2cuXaJpsA7KQ_4/edit?usp=sharing 

                          Do you agree and consent to these policies? 

                          Please provide written consensus in this slide and verbal consensus in the video.

 How to submit the video and the presentation.

Step1. Upload your video on YouTube. Make it privately accessible.

Step 2: Create a Gmail account using the name that is on your passport with the following format 

firstname.lastname.seeu2024@gmail.com.

For Example  john.smith.seeu2024@gmail.com 

john.smith2.seeu2024@gmail.com ( if the email is already taken) 

Step 3: Copy the link to the video you uploaded on YouTube and send it via the Gmail account you created. Also, attach the ppt slides of the presentation.

 Note: All communication with SFF onwards will be done via the same email.

Candidates for the merit program seeking a bachelor's and master's  degree in computer science must provide a color copy of  the certificates of the online courses CS50's Introduction to Computer Science  CS50: Introduction to Computer Science | Harvard University

&  CS50 Understanding Technology CS50's Understanding Technology (harvard.edu) 

Here is a link for instructions about completing the two courses:

  CS50 introduction to computer science: https://drive.google.com/file/d/1ic5CPupBoQY_lZxCuJpKtCi5Tv2bfzJP/view?usp=drive_link

CS50 Understanding technology:https://drive.google.com/file/d/1ChIfzvPtnnwXeHtx3pqfcHzd4qhK4Grb/view?usp=drive_link

Note: this step is only for Merit/Beta program candidates 

After the preselection process, selected students will be provided with dates for the face-to-face video interviews. During these interviews, we aim to assess your English language proficiency and interpersonal skills, as these are essential qualities in the Western world.

 For Merit students, the interview process includes an additional component.

 They will have the opportunity to showcase their final projects from the CS50 Harvard courses they have completed, allowing us to gain insights into their practical knowledge and project execution abilities. Furthermore, they will be tested on the CS50 Harvard courses they have completed, ensuring academic honesty.

NOTE: We are committed to selecting candidates who have completed all assignments and their final project independently. If any indication arises during the interview suggesting that a student may not have completed their work independently, regrettably, we will be compelled to disqualify them from consideration. We sincerely appreciate all applicants' dedication to upholding these principles, underscoring the importance of fairness and honesty in our selection process.

 Those students who have completed the above pre-selection requirements(provided the video with a PowerPoint file and went through the face-to-face video interview) will be provided with the link for the SFF online admission form via the emails they have used to send their video presentation.

Those students whose submitted forms have been screened and selected By SFF will fill out the online application form of South East Europe University under the SFF launchpad program.

DISCLAIMER: SEEU has the right to change the major they offer to students during the admission process with a slightly similar major under certain circumstances.  If this is a concern for the student, please do not apply for this program.

 Note: If you are selected by SFF you are selected by SEEU.

• SFF/SEEU has been able to get the government of RNM to establish a special process where all students regardless of their country of origin can apply for a visa at the RNM Abu Dhabi Embassy.  The Ambassador of this embassy has assigned a visa coordinator who will work with us to process your visa. 

• The journey from Admission to arrival at SEEU is a very complex process that requires coordination with about 10 different agencies.  Starting with our partner SEEU for admission & evaluation of transcripts by various faculties, to third-party translation & notary of documents in Macedonia language, Ministry of Internal Affairs, Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Travel Agent, RNM Embassy in Abu Dhabi, Hotel Stay in Dubai, etc.

List of all the documents required for the visa

1.CNIC

2. Scanned International passport(valid for a minimum 2 years from September 2024)

3. Travel health insurance

4. Passport-sized picture

5. University acceptance letter 

6. Bank statement

                                                      7. Receipt for an amount of 250 euros which includes the embassy visa fee, 

plus the translation fee.

Step1: Go to Google Drive(of the same google account you created for video submission), you will find an empty folder shared by SFF and  Upload these documents in the shared folder:

1.CNIC

2. Scanned International passport(valid for a minimum 2 years from September 2024)

3. Travel health insurance

4. Passport-sized picture

5. University acceptance letter 

6. Bank statement

                                                      7. Receipt for an amount of 250 euros which includes the embassy visa fee, 

plus the translation fee.

Travel to North Macedonia is a complicated process. It requires a minimum of two visas from two different countries and travel logistics and stay in one of the countries during this whole process.

 Student needs to be patient, and attentive, and follow strict SFF guidelines and protocols to ensure that they have a successful travel to North Macedonia.