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. Kindly go through the table of contents below for an overview on the application process.
About the Scholarship
The United Nations (UN) rates that over 70 million people are presently 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 notable number of these people have had their education interrupted, seriously impacting their potential for future success. The Columbia University Scholarship for Displaced Students (CUSDS) is an effort to combat this unique humanitarian and economic loss by providing displaced students with the opportunity to seek higher education at Columbia University, one of the leading educational institutions in the world. Started in 2016 by the Columbia Business School’s Tamer Center for Social Enterprise, and now administered by the Columbia Global Centers, the Scholarship supports displaced students from anywhere in the world who are helpless to complete their higher education. These students will get full tuition, housing, and living support while seeking undergraduate or graduate degrees across all 18 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 invest up to $6 million annually in support, per group, for up to 30 students each year. Mentoring and assistance will be provided by the Scholarship, and by schools and student groups at Columbia.
Scholarship Aim
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 by 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.
Scholarship Benefits
Full tuition, plus student’s housing and living expenses, for the number of terms necessary to complete the student’s degree.
Eligibility
This scholarship program is for foreign nationals with refugee status living anywhere in the world, or who have received US asylum or submitted a US asylum application, or are in the US under Temporary Protected Status. There are no age restrictions on the scholarship.
Host Country:
United States of America
Host University:
Columbia University in the City of New York
Degree Level:
Participating Schools:
Participating Schools with Undergraduate Degree Programs
Participating Schools with Graduate Degree Programs
Application Process
Applicants must apply to and be accepted to one of the degree programs listed below to be qualified for the scholarship. (The application specifications and criteria for scholarship applicants are the same as for normal admissions, and students cannot receive the scholarship if they are not first accepted to a Columbia degree program.). Each school and degree program maintains its own acceptance specifications and specific application deadlines. Applicants must complete the scholarship application form no later than the deadline for the application for their degree program. (There is no single deadline for the scholarship application – the scholarship application deadline is the same as the respective degree program the student is applying for.) Students will only be assessed for the scholarship if they are admitted to the degree program for which they applied. Students will be informed about the scholarship only after degree admissions decisions are made. This is a contentious scholarship with limited awards per school, so students may be accepted to Columbia and not receive funding through the scholarship. Acceptance to an academic program does not warrant funding, through the scholarship or otherwise. Degree program application fees can be waived in exceptional cases by e-mailing CUSDS@columbia.edu at least two weeks before the student plans to submit their degree application. Only degree programs listed below are eligible for the scholarship. Dual degrees (degree programs with more than one Columbia school or with another university) are not qualified for the scholarship. Transfer applications are not qualified for the scholarship.
Application Deadline:
All applicants must submit their application to both the degree program of their choice and the scholarship by the admissions deadline of that particular degree program. Example: The admissions closing date for the Juris Doctor (JD) degree program at Columbia Law School is February 15, 2020. Applicants must, therefore, submit both their application to the Law School and their application to the scholarship no later than February 15, 2022. NOTE: Scholarship applications are reviewed all together for each degree program only after the degree application deadline. The review is not “rolling”, so there is no benefit to applying “first” or earlier than the degree application deadline Applicants must begin their online Columbia degree application before completing the scholarship form. Once the applicant creates their online Columbia degree application, they will receive an application ID / reference number through the Columbia school’s application system. This Columbia application ID / reference number must be entered in the scholarship application form to be considered for the scholarship. Scholarships are limited and competitive. As such, admittance to a degree program DOES NOT guarantee funding through the scholarship. Degree program application fees can be considered for a waiver in extraordinary cases by emailing cusds@columbia.edu at least two weeks before the student plans to submit their degree application.Fee waiver requests must include the applicant’s full name, the Columbia school and degree program to which they are applying, and the degree application ID / reference number. All applicants must submit their application to both the degree program of their choice and the scholarship by the admissions deadline of that specific degree program.Example: The admissions deadline for the Juris Doctor (JD) degree program at the Columbia Law School is February 15, 2022. Applicants must therefore submit both their application to the Law School and their application to the scholarship no later than February 15, 2022.NOTE: Scholarship applications are reviewed all together for each degree program only after the degree application deadline. The review is not “rolling”, so there is no benefit to applying “first” or earlier than the degree of the application deadline.
