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.
Scholarship Program –
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.
Eligible Criteria
Type of Displacement
- Refugee
- Asylee
- Asylum Seeker
- Temporary Protected Status (TPS)
- Internally Displaced Persons (IDP)
- Displaced Afghan students on Humanitarian Parole or with Special Immigrant Visas
- Note- Cannot apply green card holder
Required Document
Students must submit four essays as part of their scholarship application (these are separate from the essays submitted as part of the degree application). Each of the four essays should be between 300-500 words (so 1,200-2,000 words in total for the four essays). The four essays must be written in your own words. All essays must be written in English. Plagiarized essays will be grounds for immediate disqualification. Essays must be clearly labeled and uploaded as a single document.
- Essays (all four essays are required to be considered for the scholarship):
- Explain the situation surrounding your displacement, and your current situation.
- Explain your financial situation and why receiving this scholarship would be important to you.
- Why have you chosen to apply to Columbia University and to your specific degree program?
- How will your chosen degree program support you in achieving your broader life goals?
Available field
Undergraduate / Masters / Phd
Award & Benefits
Full tuition fee and Living cost
Deadlines
Application open now
Application here
