Columbia University Scholarship for Displaced Students
Columbia University
Columbia University Scholarship for
Displaced Students
Brief Description
Columbia University Scholarship
The United
Nations (UN) estimates that more
than 82 million people are currently living as refugees or
asylum-seekers, or have been internally displaced due to wars and natural
calamity – the largest such population in human history. A significant number
of these individuals have had their education interrupted, severely impacting
their potential for future success. The Columbia University Scholarship for
Displaced Students (CUSDS) is an effort to combat this unprecedented humanitarian
and economic loss by providing displaced students with the opportunity to
pursue higher education at Columbia University, one of the leading educational
institutions in the world.
The
Scholarship supports displaced students from anywhere in the world who are
unable to complete their higher education. These students will receive up to
full tuition, housing, and living assistance while pursuing undergraduate or
graduate degrees across all 19 Columbia schools and affiliates, reflecting
Columbia’s full institutional commitment to addressing this global crisis. As
the first-ever Columbia-wide scholarship, and the world's first scholarship of
its kind, this program will commit up to $6 million in support, per cohort, for
up to 30 students each year. Mentoring and support will be provided by the
Scholarship, as well as by schools and student groups at Columbia.
The
Scholarship aims to shift the global dialogue surrounding displaced persons,
from one that views them as a burden to one that recognizes them as vital
contributors to global innovation and prosperity. Currently, there is no
initiative like this at any university in the world, despite the obvious desire
for education on the part of these displaced student populations. The Columbia
University Scholarship for Displaced Students aims to be a leader in filling
this pressing humanitarian need and will hopefully encourage other universities
to follow suit.
Across its
first two cohorts, the Scholarship has now supported 33 students from 19
countries attending 14 schools.
Eligibility criteria Applying Columbia
University Scholarship
This
scholarship program is for foreign nationals who: have refugee status living
anywhere in the world; have received US asylum or submitted a US asylum
application; are in the US under Temporary Protected Status; are Internally
Displaced Persons. Displaced Afghan students on Humanitarian Parole or with
Special Immigrant Visas are also now eligible for the Scholarship. US permanent
residents (green card holders, citizens, etc.) are not eligible for the
scholarship. There are no age restrictions on the scholarship.
TYPES OF DISPLACEMENT
Refugee – one who has been forced to flee
their home country due to persecution because of their race, religion, nationality,
political opinion, or membership in a particular social group (e.g., members of
the LGBTQ community). The persecution a refugee experiences may include
harassment, threats, abduction or torture. They have received official
recognition as refugees by the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees'
(UNHCR).
Asylee – one who is already present in the
United States and has received official legal recognition as an asylee from the
United States government due to persecution in their home country because
of their race, religion, nationality, political opinion, or membership in a
particular social group (e.g., members of the LGBTQ community).
Asylum Seeker – one who is already present in
the United States or has sought admission at a port of entry due to persecution
in their home country because of their race, religion, nationality, political
opinion, or membership in a particular social group (e.g., members of the LGBTQ
community), and is seeking safe haven in the United States, but has not yet received
official legal recognition as an asylee from the United States government.
NOTE: Applicant's petition for asylum must have been placed prior to the time
of application to the Scholarship in order to be eligible.
Temporary Protected Status (TPS) – a temporary immigration
status provided to nationals of certain countries experiencing problems that
make it difficult or unsafe for their nationals to be deported there.
Internally Displaced Persons (IDP) – persons or groups of
persons who have been forced or obliged to flee or to leave their homes or
places of habitual residence, in particular as a result of or in order to avoid
the effects of armed conflict, situations of generalized violence, violations
of human rights or human-made disasters, and who have not crossed an
internationally recognized State border.
Displaced Afghan students on
Humanitarian Parole or with Special Immigrant Visas
Scholarship Benefits
Depending on
the school and degree program, the scholarship may cover up to full
tuition, plus the student’s housing and living expenses, for the number of
terms necessary to complete the respective degree.
Application Process
Applicants
must apply to and be accepted by one of the degree programs listed below to be
eligible for the scholarship. (The application requirements and criteria for
scholarship applicants are the same as for normal admissions, and students
cannot receive the scholarship if they are not accepted to a Columbia degree
program.) Each school and degree program maintains their own acceptance
requirements and specific application deadlines. A full list of eligible degree
programs and their respective scholarship deadlines can be found below. Only
degree programs listed below are eligible for the scholarship. Students will
only be eligible for the scholarship if they are admitted to the degree
program for which they have applied. Students will be informed regarding the
scholarship only after degree admissions decisions are made.
This is a
competitive scholarship with limited awards per school, so students may be
accepted to their degree program and not receive funding through the
scholarship. Acceptance to an academic program does not guarantee funding,
through the scholarship or otherwise.
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