Special Announcement

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 5 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 4 A’s in relevant subjects, including English.

• The areas of study will be Engineering, IT and Business

• Students are eligible to receive up to $14,300 per year for tuition

• In addition to tuition support, students may receive up to $10,440 per year for housing, food, transportation on campus, and books

• Total scholarship funding available to each student may range from $19,040-$24,740 per year

• Airfare, insurance and visa costs will be separate from the above mentioned amounts

The Ministry plans to offer 500 undergraduate scholarships for study in the U.S. each year, with the goal of awarding 2,500 U.S. scholarships over the next five years.

If your institution is interested in accepting applications from Omani students for January admission (in an academic program or an IELP), please contact the EducationUSA Advisor Katy Conrad and provide the following information:

1. Tuition cost – and if it is above $14,300, your ability to cost-share

2. Estimated yearly cost of housing, food, books and local transportation – and if it is above $10,440/year, your ability to cost share

3. Description of the type of housing available

4. Areas of study that are available  (within the business, engineering and IT fields)

5. Entrance requirements, including GPA, TOEFL and/or SAT scores, whether SAT scores can be optional, etc.

6. Type of IELPs that are available, and the dates of those programs and costs (if different from the regular tuition rate)

7. Is conditional admission offered? If so, what is the process for IELP + conditional admission?

8. The number of students you can consider, by type of program (IELP,  January term, etc.)

9. Application deadlines for IELP admission in fall and/or deadlines for January academic admission

10. Any other details you would like the Ministry to consider