Applications for financial support for first higher education students are now open

The Independent Social Support Authority (AFCS) announced that on October 27, 2025, applications for financial assistance for first higher education students, regardless of age, began. The application period will continue until November 27, 2025.

Applications are submitted exclusively online through the Authority's website: https://socialsupport.gov.cy. Applications must be accompanied by all required supporting documents and submitted personally by the applicant.

The subsidies are intended to cover university fees or student accommodation rent. Payments are made directly to universities for tuition or to property owners for rent.

AFCS, celebrating ten years of continuous operation, is expanding its assistance programs for the 2025–2026 academic year by including three new groups of students receiving support regardless of income or assets: graduates of the “Georgios Markou” School for the Deaf, graduates of the School for the Blind, and students resettled in Northern Cyprus in the Kormakitis and Rizokarpaso regions.

Those affected by extraordinary events are also eligible for assistance. Students from families affected by the July wildfire in the semi-mountainous area of Limassol may fall under category G.4 “Extraordinary Event” if conditions are met, including total destruction of the family's primary residence or destruction of the main source of income significantly affecting the family’s financial situation, in accordance with the legislation regulating AFCS operations.