Omani Government Seeking U.S. Host Institutions for Undergraduate Scholarship Students

Oman's Ministry of Higher Education is currently administering His Majesty's Scholarship Fund, set up by the Sultan to provide 1,500 merit-based undergraduate scholarships for students who graduated from high school in June 2011. Five hundred of those scholarships have been allocated for the U.S., and will be repeated every year, for a total of 2,500 students in the coming years.

The EducationUSA office based in AMIDEAST/Oman is assisting the Ministry with finding four-year universities and colleges (with housing or campus-supervised homestays) that would be interested in considering applications from scholarship students in the near future. Universities and colleges that can offer cost-sharing will be given preference by the Ministry as it awards the scholarships.

All students are seeking a January 2012 start date, either for an IELP or an academic program. Additional details follow:

• Scholarships will cover five years, including a one-year IELP if required. (Most scholarship recipients are expected to require an IELP. Those who do not require an IELP will prepare for the TOEFL iBT and SAT, if required, during Fall 2011.)
• Students who are designated to receive scholarships to the U.S. are the top performers of all scholarship recipients, as determined by their high school exam results; they are required to have four As in relevant subjects, including English.

Institutions interested in accepting applications from Omani students for January admission (in an academic program or an IELP) should contact EducationUSA Advisor Katy Conrad kconrad@amideast.org for more information.

IIE
http://www.iie.org/