On June 9, 2025, the Sandinista government transferred control of student scholarships from university to government authority.

Scholarship applications were previously processed through dedicated university departments. The June 9 legal reform approved by Nicaragua’s National Assembly shifted authority to the Attorney General’s Office (PGR), designating it the “governing body” of universities. The reform required that students reapply to all scholarships. Under the new application requirements, students must write a formal letter addressed to Nicaraguan co-presidents Daniel Ortega and Rosario Murillo and deliver it in person to the PGR along with a copy of their national identity cards and other application materials. Videos taken by students showed long lines at the PGR as applicants waited to submit their documentation.

The June reform is the most recent iteration of government policies that have progressively eliminated university autonomy and centralized control over higher education (see report).

Scholars at Risk is concerned about a national policy reform that severely limits university control over core academic functions, such as scholarship approval, curricula, hiring and firing of personnel, and students. State authorities have a responsibility to refrain from encroaching on university autonomy. The degradation of university autonomy has a direct and negative impact on academic freedom and democratic society more generally.

Sources:
*This incident was identified by Alianza de Investigación en Centroamérica (CARA), a member of the Coalition for Academic Freedom in the America’s Monitoring Working Group.
https://www.articulo66.com/2025/06/10/universitarios-humillados-nicaragua-becas-pgr-carta-ortega-murillo/
https://dariomedios.com/dictadura-centraliza-control-de-becas-universitarias-en-nicaragua-a-traves-de-la-procuraduria