Graduation / Completion Targets

University Scholarship Program

The Lebanese American University is pleased to introduce and launch the University Scholarship Program (USP IX Cohort 1) which offers university-bound students a unique opportunity to pursue quality higher education. The program aims to provide undergraduate scholarships to promising public high school students and technical school graduates from all governorates of Lebanon.

This ambitious and generous program is made possible with the support of the American people through the United States Agency for International Development (USAID). Student beneficiaries will experience LAU’s high/rigorous academic standards and a campus environment that promotes social equality and critical thinking. Moreover, it is mandatory for all students to engage in volunteer work, attend leadership and career workshops, and complete internships to complement their academic studies.

USAID Announces $50 Million for Higher Education in Lebanon

As published by USAID:

Today in Beirut, Administrator Samantha Power announced USAID will provide $50 million for Lebanese and refugee students living in the country to attend the American University of Beirut (AUB), LAU and Notre Dame University-Louaize (NDU).

Of the $50 million, $15 million will support 140 full undergraduate scholarships to AUB and LAU for financially disadvantaged yet academically meritorious students. The remainder of the funds will provide partial need-based financial aid for about 3,500 students over the next three years to help students who can no longer afford tuition amidst Lebanon’s economic crisis.

Since 2010, USAID has provided more than $156 million in full undergraduate scholarships to more than 1,600 Lebanese and refugee students who might not otherwise be able to attend a university. USAID also works closely with these universities to prepare students with technical and manufacturing skills applicable to emerging sectors, such as solar power.

This new funding reflects USAID’s continued commitment to empowering youth to shape Lebanon’s future.

LAU’s Higher Education Scholarship alumnus Antonio Bakhos welcomed esteemed guests and thanked USAID for their generosity stating, “I am here today to tell you that dreams do come true and that I, Antonio, from Sebeel Public High school achieved my dreams and was able to make my parents proud by being the first person in my family to graduate from the university”. He later introduced fellow AUB Higher Education Scholarship alumnus Buthaina Al Abrash who gave her testimony of success as a refugee in Lebanon who managed to excel both academically and personally.

New Cohort of 66 USP Graduates Celebrated

LAU and USAID recognize the graduates, and mark the end of their undergraduate journey in virtual ceremony.

The event marked “the tenth year of a winning partnership which has provided scholarships to most deserving and remarkable young women and men from across Lebanon’s 26 districts.”

Together with the United States Agency for International Development (USAID), LAU hosted a virtual ceremony to celebrate the graduation of 66 University Scholarship Program (USP) scholars who have earned their undergraduate degrees with the full support of USAID.

Welcoming guests, President Michel E. Mawad shared that with this new USP cohort, LAU is celebrating “a decade of students graduating with a cumulative GPA of 3.0 and above, implementing intensive and meaningful community service projects, and engaging in hours of volunteerism and leadership-based activities.”

He thanked USAID and the generosity of the American people as LAU “stands witness to countless life-changing success stories.”

US Embassy Deputy Chief of Mission Richard Michaels congratulated the USP graduates, while acknowledging a “longstanding and productive relationship” between the American people and LAU.

In fact, the US has invested more than $150 million in USP in Lebanon since 2010, in addition to $73 million provided by the Middle East Partnership Initiative. LAU’s new graduates brought the total to over 1300 students from all over Lebanon to have received a full undergraduate scholarship.

Addressing the students, Micheals implored them to “apply the same determination they had exhibited at LAU to help build back a better Lebanon and shape its future.”

LAU Vice President for Student Development and Enrollment Management Elise Salem pointed out that this event marks “the tenth year of a winning partnership which has provided scholarships to most deserving and remarkable young women and men from across Lebanon’s 26 districts.” She congratulated the students on their “academic successes, leadership potential and impactful citizenship in a country that so desperately needs you.”

Expanding on the rigorous academic, leadership and community service requirement of the program, Program Director and Assistant Vice President for Outreach and Civic Engagement Elie Samia gave an overview of the graduates’ outstanding achievements. Confirming the three objectives of the grant – academic excellence, civic engagement and productive employment – fully achieved, he addressed the cohort saying: “You continue to epitomize the very values of this distinctive program.”

During the event, USP scholars gave live and recorded testimonials on the impact of the scholarships on their personal and professional growth.

Speaking on behalf of her graduating cohort, banking and finance major Maryse Abi Haidar spoke about her LAU journey, rich in internships and workshops, some of which she had delivered herself. She urged her colleagues to “continue to seek learning, and not to give up in the face of difficulty.”

MEPI Tomorrow’s Leaders Program

The Tomorrow’s Leaders Program (TL) is an initiative of the United States Department of State U.S.-Middle East Partnership Initiative (MEPI) that supports capable and highly motivated young scholars from underserved backgrounds in the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) region by providing a fully funded undergraduate level academic matriculation, civic education, and leadership development. The full-coverage scholarship aims at investing in Arab youth’s unexplored capacity and strengthening their leadership skills to become drivers of change and catalyze social progress in their home community.

The TL program has been implemented and overseen by LAU since its launch in 2008.