L.E. 137 Million in Scholarship Provided to AUC Undergraduate Students

August 19, 2014, Cairo – The American University in Cairo (AUC) has allocated 15 percent of its tuition income, LE 137 million annually, to provide AUC undergraduate students with a wide range of scholarships and financial aid to assist them in meeting the expenses of their education. The scholarships this year include the Public School Scholarship Fund (PSSF); Empower Scholarship; Misr El Kheir Scholarship; Orascom Construction Industries (OCI) Scholarship, the Academic Achievement Scholarship; the Honors Scholarship; Innovation, Cultural and Leadership Scholarship; and Sports Achievement Scholarship.According to Khaled Dahawy, vice president for student affairs, nearly 60 percent of AUC students receive some form of financial assistance, either through scholarships or financial aid. “The University is committed to providing students with stellar academic records with the opportunity to receive an education at AUC,” said Dahawi. For the first year, Orascom Construction Industries (OCI) has partnered with AUC to offer five undergraduate scholarship opportunities for top students from Upper Egypt who are interested in majoring in economics.  “We are glad that we were able to expand opportunities to students from Upper Egypt and are very proud of our partnership with OCI,” said Dahawy. For the third year, AUC offered five top students from Assiut, Beni Suef, Menya, Sohag and Fayoum governorates in Upper Egypt the opportunity to pursue an AUC undergraduate education in the major of their choice through the Empower Scholarship. Empower is open to students from both public and private high schools who have demonstrated involvement in civil society or community service, as well as a history of academic excellence.  In addition, Misr El Kheir Foundation, a non-profit organization, has offered three top STEM school students a scholarship to pursue their undergraduate education at AUC.  The University's Public School Scholarship Fund (PSSF), which is partially supported through the contribution of corporations and individuals, has been one of AUC’s most successful scholarship programs. PSSF scholarships provide annually funding for 20 new undergraduate students who have succeeded academically and have graduated from Egyptian public schools, but do not have the financial resources to attend AUC. “Since the establishment of this program in 1990," Dahawy noted, "it has provided more than 289 students with the opportunity to study at AUC. In fact, about 77 percent of these students have graduated with distinction, receiving high and highest honors, and honors” Dahawy said. “AUC by far is the most fruitful experience I have ever had. There is more to AUC than just study materials or specialization courses, since no matter what your background, social standard, religion, culture or race is, the university guarantees a quality learning system. As long as you have the willingness and eagerness, you can benefit the university and reap the benefits as well,” said Ahmed El Shall, a Mechanical Engineering student 08’, 12’ who was a recipient of the PSSF scholarship. Through the Public School Scholarship Fund (PSSF), AUC with the contribution of HSBC bank provides also full scholarships to two students demonstrating disabilities. Two additional programs – targeting students with exceptional academic records – are also offered to AUC students. The Academic Achievement Scholarship identifies up to the top 25 percent of enrolling undergraduate students and reduces their tuition by up to 30 percent. The Honors Scholarship is awarded at the beginning of each academic year to the top five students who have achieved the highest scores at the national or regional level for their respective high school diplomas. This scholarship provides a 40 percent additional reduction in addition to the achievement scholarship. Moreover, students who excel in national and international sports or those who participated in cultural activities, have the opportunity to receive a 15 percent reduction in tuition.