2019 AFGHAN STUDENTS SCHOLARSHIP PROGRAM

July 17, 2019

American University of Central Asia is accepting applications for the Afghan Students Scholarship Program, funded by the U.S. Embassy in Kabul, and administered by American Councils for International Education: ACTR/ACCELS. The scholarship will cover roundtrip travel from home to host university once per academic year, tuition, basic medical care, housing and meal stipend of students during all four years of undergraduate study in AUCA, and a one-year preparatory program at the New Generation Academy (NGA).

HOW TO APPLY (STEPS)

Click here to download the application
Read the instructions and fill out the application
Email the following documents to 2019.auca.scholarship@gmail.com by August 20, 2019 (deadline)

Completed application form
Scanned copy of School Diploma or Shahadatnama (please make sure to scan both sides)
Certificate of the USG Program Completion (required for male applicants) In order to apply for this scholarship, male applicants must have previously completed a U.S. Government (USG) program such as ACCESS or LEAP. Please include your certificate of completion in your application packet. This requirement does not apply to female applicants. Females can apply regardless of prior USG program experience.

Note

A) Any forged and illegal document particularly pertaining to school diploma or high school grades shall not be accepted and will directly result in suspension from the program. It is only your responsibility as an applicant of the program to provide American Councils with authentic, verifiable and valid school diploma.

B) In the absence of school diploma, applicants can temporarily provide American Councils with their three-year high school grades that are officially approved by their respective school administration and the Provincial Education Department.

Disclaimer:

American Councils is committed to ensuring that all eligible candidates are treated with respect and dignity and believes that each eligible individual has the right to apply for scholarship opportunities by taking part in the recruitment process. American Councils prohibits unlawful discriminatory practices and takes affirmative steps to extend recruitment for scholarship opportunities to all eligible candidates irrespective of their religious affiliation, ethnic and economic backgrounds, and their local language or geographical location. American Councils’ has a longstanding record of extending its recruitment activities to diverse regions of Afghanistan to enable all eligible Afghans apply for its programs. While American Councils is committed to maintaining diverse pool of applicants during the recruitment phase, it does not play any role nor can it guarantee ethnic, linguistic, religious, and regional diversity among program finalists. American University in Central Asia and the U.S. Embassy in Kabul are responsible for final selection and they are the sole authorities in making final decisions.

Your application will NOT be accepted if you fail to submit your application before the given deadline.

The “Subject” line of your email MUST follow the format below:

Your Last Name__Your First Name__Your Current Location: City & Province

ELIGIBILITY REQUIREMENT

The Afghan Students Scholarship Program does not discriminate on the basis of race, color, sex, religion, national and ethnic origin, or disability. Competition is merit-based (primarily focused on female applicants) and open to anyone who is:

A citizen/resident of Afghanistan at the time of application & during the selection process;
The recipient of a high school diploma by the time of application;
College freshmen or students who are currently in the first year of their undergraduate study
Proficient in spoken and written English at the time of application;
Able to demonstrate academic excellence, professional aptitude, and leadership potential;
Able to begin the academic program in September 2019; and
Committed to returning to Afghanistan after completion of the program to contribute to its development.

Individuals in the following circumstances are NOT eligible:

High school students who have not graduated yet
College graduates or students who are currently in the second year of college and beyond
U.S. citizens and permanent residents of the United States;
Spouses of U.S. citizens and permanent residents of the United States;
Current employees of AUCA or the U.S. Embassy;
Individuals currently participating in academic, training or research programs outside of Afghanistan;
Individuals currently residing or working outside Afghanistan;
Employees, officers, or directors of the Afghan Students Scholarship Program or American Councils for International Education: ACTR/ACCELS, their spouse, children, sibling, or a person in a committed relationship with an employee; and
Current and past recipients of the U.S. Embassy funded scholarships CANNOT apply. For example, if you are a current/past U.S. Embassy AUAF scholar or PROMOTE scholar, you are ineligible for the Afghan Students Scholarship Program at AUCA.

DORMITORY

Q: Are there certain floors specifically for women? How is security for women? (#1 Question from parents)

A: Female students can request to live on the floor, specifically designated for women. The dormitory is protected by several 24/7 security guards, and video cameras on each floor. Resident Assistants reside on each living floor and help students with unexpected issues. In general, security for women in at the dorm is not an issue, but all dormitory residents must return to the dormitory before midnight, 00:00. Residing in the Dormitory for the first academic year is a requirement for the students on this scholarship program.

STIPEND

Q: How much? Do girls eat in cafeterias or are they on their own?

A: Stipends are $200 per month, and students are responsible for buying their own food, which they can do at AUCA Cafeteria for all 3 meals. Residents can also use the cooking area at the dormitory to prepare their own meals, and there is a refrigerator on each floor in which they can keep their food.

EXAM

Q: What does it cover? How long does it take?

A: The paper based exam will last 80 minutes and consists of section 1: Structure and Written Expression and section 2: Reading Comprehension. Essay will take additional 30 minutes to write. Candidates will also go through a 10 to 20-minute individualized interview session which will be conducted by American Councils’ staff members.

AUCA Examinations

Candidates are applying for a 5-year scholarship with 1 year preparatory program. American Councils, in close coordination with the AUCA, will do the initial screening of applications to identify top 100 qualified applicants. Candidates, who make it through the evaluation process, will be contacted by phone and/or email and will be given specific information about the date, time and location of the initial test and preliminary interview. American Councils will conduct the initial test and preliminary interviews based on the following plan:

Candidates from the Northern region will be invited to and tested in Balkh;
Candidates from the Eastern region will be invited to and tested in Nangarhar;
Candidates from the Western region will be invited to and tested in Hirat;
Candidates from the Southern region will be invited to and tested in Kandahar; and
Candidates from the Central region will be invited to and tested in Bamyan and Kabul.

The initial test and interview papers will then be mailed to AUCA in Bishkek, Kyrgyzstan for identifying semifinalists. Semifinalists will go through a final interview round which will be administered by AUCA and/or the U.S. Embassy in Kabul. It is important to note that this year there are 59 slots (All or most of the students will be females, and several outstanding male USG program alumni can be selected as well. Male applicants must have previously completed a U.S. Government (USG) program such as ACCESS or LEAP). Candidates who pass the interview will be admitted to the 1-year preparatory program.

Disclaimer

American Councils is not involved in the final selection nor does it have any influence on who, how, and why individual candidates are designated as finalists or rejected. American Councils ensures diversity of candidates during program recruitment and identifies qualified candidates based on program requirement and eligibility criteria. Once qualified candidates are identified, all final decisions are made solely by AUCA and the Embassy and American Councils follows instruction it receives from these two entities.

For Dari and Pashto translations click here

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