Particularly at the graduate level there is an intense competition for the most talented mathematics students. Virtually every North American Ph.D. program in mathematics supports its graduate students with tuition waivers and stipends. The nature and value of such stipends varies but in general they are a mix of fellowship (gift) and assistantship (pay for teaching duties) paying in the neighborhood of $20,000 per academic year. Typically they also include generous health care benefits.

Currently almost two-thirds of mathematics graduate students supported in this way are foreign nationals. The competition for mathematical talent is both fierce and global. The dominant players vying for this talent are the premier universities from the United States with some competition from the top universities in the U.K. and Canada.

We believe that an Hungarian alternative could be highly competitive in this market and offer a superior level of mathematical training. We recommend The Templeton Foundation consider funding three distinct scholarship programs.