Education & Training Announcements
Funding Announcement - Organization of American States - Program of Scholarships and Training
The Organization of American States (OAS) Program of Scholarships and Training assists member states with their domestic efforts in pursuit of integral development goals by supporting human resource development in the priority areas established by the Summits of the Americas, the Strategic Plan for Partnership for Integral Development of the Inter-American Council for Integral Development (CIDI), and the OAS General Assembly.
The OAS is committed to promoting and supporting human capacity development and the strengthening of bonds among the peoples in the Hemisphere by maximizing the number of scholarships awarded in reputable educational institutions in its member states with the resources available. To achieve this goal, the OAS Scholarship Program will place more scholarship recipients in universities which belong to the OAS consortium of universities or with which the OAS will make written agreements for the placement of students. Accordingly, the number of scholarships which will be awarded to individuals who have obtained their own admission to a university will be seriously reduced. Thus, applicants who elect the Self-placed Scholarship option only will have less of an opportunity to win an OAS scholarship.
Academic scholarships: These are OAS-funded scholarships awarded to persons to undertake undergraduate or graduate studies (also “university” or “postgraduate” studies, as named in the Manual of Procedures for the Scholarship and Training Programs of the OAS) that lead to a degree and/or graduate research at a university or higher learning institution in a member State. Studies may be carried out by on-site or by distance education or a combination of both, and must always be undertaken on a full-time basis. The scholarship is awarded for a maximum of two academic years.
Graduate scholarships are offered for study towards a Master’s or Doctorate degree. They may also be used for graduate research, if required by a specific academic program. Scholarships are awarded for an initial period of one academic year and may be renewed subsequently for up to one additional year if funds remain available and if the renewal is necessary to complete the program of study or research for which the scholarship was initially awarded. The OAS does not offer scholarships for studies in the medical sciences. The total financial award from the OAS may not exceed US$30,000.00 per academic year which includes tuition, benefits, and administrative costs. There are two types of graduate scholarships:
Self-Placed: Candidates apply directly for admission to the universities or educational institutions of their choice and apply separately to the OAS for scholarships to assist in financing those studies. Consideration for a scholarship is contingent on receipt of proof of admission to the university by the deadline established by the OAS General Secretariat. The number of self-placed scholarships the OAS will award among all member States is more limited than OAS-placed scholarships, averaging 1 self-placed scholarship per country.
OAS-Placed: Candidates do not apply directly for admission to universities or educational institutions. Instead, candidates apply to the OAS only for a scholarship. The OAS seeks admission for those candidates selected for scholarships to recognized and reputable universities or educational institutions determined by the OAS, taking into consideration the preferred countries, language(s), and the intended fields and levels of study stated by the candidates in their applications to the fullest extent practicable. Depending on the individual case, the OAS may negotiate additional resources with these institutions which often results in the scholarship recipient receiving a full scholarship.
Undergraduate Scholarships: Undergraduate scholarships are offered only to candidates from the English-speaking Caribbean member states, for the last two years of study leading to an undergraduate degree (Bachelor’s degree or its equivalent).
Deadlines:
US citizens or permanent residents who will be sponsored by the U.S. for an OAS scholarship must present their completed applications and documents to the OAS Department of Human Development, 1889 F Street N.W., Washington D.C. 20006, by: May 29, 2009.
OAS applicants must submit their completed application and documents to the national liaison office (one) in their sponsoring member state: deadline determined by each member state’s one. applicants must contact their one for the deadline. The ONE of each Member State must present to the Department of Human Development of the OAS in Washington D.C. the list of ranked pre-selected candidates they will sponsor by: Jun. 15, 2009.
The official announcement and description of this opportunity may be found on the funding agency’s website:
http://www.educoas.org/portal/en/oasbecas/about.aspx
Disciplinary Category:
Environmental & Life Sciences; Physical Sciences & Engineering; Social Sciences; Arts & Humanities.
Applicant Type:
ELIGIBILITY REQUIREMENTS: To be considered for an OAS academic scholarship, applicants must:
Be citizens or permanent residents of an OAS Member State.
Possess the necessary educational background and professional experience to be accepted into the academic program identified by him/her for placement.
Have completed the highest degree required to undertake further graduate, or undergraduate, studies at the time of the deadline set by the National Liaison Office of their sponsoring country.
Be in general good health condition to complete the program successfully.
Be endorsed by the ONE in their Member State. OAS Scholarships are awarded to study in an OAS Member State other than the sponsoring country.
United States citizens or legal permanent residents must apply directly to the OAS Department of Human Development, in Washington D.C.; and must include proof of such legal status in their application packages.
Possess the language competence to undertake studies in the country of study. Any applicant for an OAS-placed award will be required, as part of the placement process, to provide proof of proficiency in the language of instruction via a Language Certificate.
Applicants for an OAS-placed award to study in the United States or Canada will be required to take and provide satisfactory scores for any and all admission and standardized tests (GRE, GMAT, and/or TOEFL), if required by the institutions, at their own cost. Considering the importance of standardized tests scores for the technical evaluation of applications, we strongly recommend that these tests results be included in the application package. Candidates should check admission requirements for the program of studies that they are interested in.
Agree to return to reside in the sponsoring country for a period of no less than twenty-four months after completing of the program of study covered by the scholarship if they are awarded an OAS scholarship.
Award Amount:
The funds provided by the OAS are intended to serve as a complement to those funds which the scholarship recipient may already be receiving from other sources or to assist the recipient with general costs to make the completion of her/his studies feasible.
Deadlines:
External Deadline: 5/29/2009
Posted May 11, 2009