$10 Million USAID-AUC Merit Award to Support Scholarships

Building on the success of AUC’s scholarship programs, the U.S. Agency for International Development recently granted AUC the $10 million USAID-AUC Merit Award, supporting need-based scholarships for 108 new and continuing students from public schools across Egypt’s governorates.

Over the three years, the award will cover partial scholarships for 62 continuing students whose academic endeavors are funded through need-based AUC-funded scholarships and 46 new students entering AUC between Fall 2021 and Fall 2022. Continuing students will be placed under the scholarship fund starting Spring 2021, covering their full tuition and other scholarship fees, and 80% of students will also receive housing coverage.

“The shared vision of USAID and AUC for Egypt is built on foundations of democratic development and innovation while empowering future generations of change makers to grow to their full potential,” said AUC Provost Ehab Abdel-Rahman. “This merit award serves as a vessel that will leave an incomparable impact on the scholarship recipients’ lives and future careers through their journeys to join the cadres of private corporations, nonprofit entities, civil society organizations and government institutions as well as a worldwide network of more than 37,000 AUC alumni who are leaders in every discipline.”

The screening and selection process for the new cohorts of the USAID-AUC Merit Award will follow rigorous considerations to ensure equal access to both males and females as well as geographic diversity among the selected students to represent various Egyptian governorates.

Through this collaboration, AUC and USAID continue to develop a cadre of young leaders, equipped with critical thinking, problem solving, communication and leadership skills that Egypt needs to devise home-grown solutions to the development challenges it faces.

“Both USAID and AUC maintain a core belief that investing in the education of individuals, and in particular individuals showcasing both merit and high financial need, contributes to the intellectual growth, discipline and character of the future leaders of Egypt,” said Dina Adly (MPA’17), associate provost of sponsored programs at AUC. “This award is exceptional, as it will equip and shape Egyptian youth from disadvantaged backgrounds, coming from Egyptian public schools, with outstanding academic qualifications, to pursue their academic career at AUC in order to shape the future of their communities and, in doing so, will be contributing to Egypt’s Sustainable Development Goals.”