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.
Across its first two cohorts, the Scholarship has now supported 33 students from 19 countries attending 14 schools.
Eligibility
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.
Click on this link to apply https://cusds.globalcenters.columbia.edu/
This is very helpful for refugees and displaced people