Scholarship Opportunities

Please see some trusted websites to find scholarship opportunities:

• UNHCR Scholarship Opportunities for Refugees Portal
• Institute of International Education
• Al-Fanar Media
• Arab Youth Center
• The HOPES-LEB online catalogue (The catalogue is available at the bottom of the web page)

There may be others that you can find online or through your networks. Always be aware of scams and verify the legitimacy and reputation of offers.

Below is a list of some scholarship opportunities for students in Lebanon. Each scholarship has its own eligibility criteria and application process. Be sure to check the details.

UNHCR may not be directly affiliated with a higher education opportunity listed, nor administering applications and overseeing admission processes.

OPPORTUNITIES TO STUDY IN LEBANON

1. DAFI Scholarship Program (undergraduate degree in Lebanon)

The DAFI (Albert Einstein German Academic Refugee Initiative) scholarship program offers qualified refugee students living in Lebanon the possibility to earn an undergraduate degree in Lebanon. The call for applications is usually published around the month of June. For more information, please visit the website of the DAFI Tertiary Scholarship Program.

For any questions, you can contact us through 🗎the Online Contact Form.

To find answers to your questions, please check the FAQs on the DAFI Scholarship Program website.

2. USAID Scholarship Opportunity (undergraduate degree in Lebanon)

USAID Scholarship Opportunity offers full scholarships to Lebanese citizens and refugee youth living in Lebanon to pursue undergraduate degrees at the American University of Beirut (AUB) and the Lebanese American University (LAU). The scholarship covers full tuition, monthly stipends, medical insurance, housing and transportation, book allowance, laptop, and extracurricular activities to enhance soft skills (leadership, career preparation, civic engagement, team building, etc).

For more information on the program at the American University of Beirut, please check this page.

For more information on the program at the Lebanese American University, please check this page.

For any questions, please send an email to the USAID team at hes@aub.edu.lb.

3. Mastercard Foundation Scholars program scholarship (graduate degree in Lebanon)

The American University of Beirut (AUB) in partnership with the Mastercard Foundation offers scholarships to Lebanese citizens and refugees living in Lebanon for online and on-campus graduate degrees (Masters) at AUB. For more information about the eligibility criteria and the application process, please check this page on the website of American University of Beirut.

4. Erasmus + (undergraduate degree in Lebanon)

Erasmus+ provides International Credit Mobility scholarships for students enrolled in Lebanese universities. More than 1,000 mobility scholarships are available to Lebanese higher education institutions. To find out about available scholarships, please consult the student services office or the international relations office in the respective institution. To see which institutions have International Credit Mobility programs, please visit this website.

5. The HOPES-LEB scholarship opportunities (undergraduate and masters degrees in Lebanon)

The HOPES-LEB scholarship provides refugees in Lebanon an opportunity to access or continue higher education in Lebanon. For more information, please visit their website.

6. SE Factory (specialized courses)

SE Factory offers free courses to youth to learn Computer Science, Full-Stack Web Development, Data Engineering, and UI/UX Design for a successful tech career. Check the website to learn more about available opportunities.

OPPORTUNITIES TO STUDY OVERSEAS

1. Safar-Ibiary Syrian College Preparation Program

Safar-Ibiary Syrian College Preparation Program is a two-year program that helps talented Syrian students living in Lebanon prepare to apply for admission and win scholarships to U.S. universities. For more information, please visit the page of the program on the AMIDEAST website.

2. Student Refugee Program in Canada

The Student Refugee Program is a scholarship program for post-secondary studies in Canada. For more information on the study program and how to apply, please visit their website.

3. Jusoor’s Scholarship Opportunities

Jusoor offers various funds and scholarship opportunities and connects young Syrians with education possibilities. For more information on available opportunities, please visit the website.

4. Japanese Initiative for the future of Syrian Refugees

The Japanese Initiative for the future of Syrian Refugees offers a scholarship program of post-graduate studies in Japan for a Syrian student living in Lebanon. For more information on the scholarship and how to apply, please visit to this page of Japanese Initiative for the future of Syrian Refugees.

ONLINE PROGRAM

1. IIE Refugee EdTech Program 

This program is designed to help refugee students pursue advanced education online. Please check the website to know more about the program.

All scholarship programs are different. It is important to know the specific eligibility criteria for each opportunity before applying.

For overseas opportunities, these might include:

• Documentation requirements, including visa and passport to enter and reside in the country of study
• Specific language skills

Each scholarship program has its own application process and requirements, including payment of fees.

In general, scholarship providers aim to offer services without any cost to applicants. However, there might be some specialized scholarships that require applicants to pay fees.

In addition, commercial agencies offer services to help students with scholarship applications with fees.

Always be aware of scams! Please be cautious and verify the legitimacy and reputation of scholarships that require application fees as well as commercial agencies you choose to work with during the scholarship application process.

Yes. You can apply for multiple scholarships. However, if you are awarded multiple scholarships, you will need to adhere to the terms of each scholarship program, as policies may vary. In most cases, you will need to withdraw from one of the scholarships to ensure fair distribution.

Each scholarship program has its own rules and policies. Generally, due to limited slots, most scholarship providers do not allow recipients to receive assistance from multiple scholarships.

Scholarship recipients are usually selected by the scholarship providers themselves, often through a panel or committee. Each provider follows its own rules and regulations for the selection process.

UNHCR may not be directly affiliated with a higher education opportunity listed, nor administering applications and overseeing admission processes.

In general, scholarships do not require you to reimburse the funds at a later date. However, some scholarship providers may have other conditions, such as requiring recipients to engage in volunteer work.

Carefully review the terms of any scholarship before you apply.

Yes. You can apply for a scholarship again annually or at every application cycle.

In Lebanon, you may not be allowed to return once you have departed, even if you left with the intention to study abroad for several years. For re-entry to Lebanon you are required to fulfill the conditions and requirements of one of the entry categories/visa types.

With that in mind, your family, community, friends and UNHCR can help you decide whether you are financially and emotionally prepared to live in another country, perhaps far away from your family and support network, for the length of time needed to complete your studies and beyond.

• Do as much background research as possible on the country of study before making a final decision.
• Make sure you know the period of validity of your visa and be aware of any restrictions that may be in place – for example, the right to work – once you are in the country of study.
• Understand your options and legal status in your country of study after graduation. While some countries allow graduating foreign students to obtain a work visa after their study, others do not. Job placements, internships or other opportunities may also be available.
• Make sure you do not find yourself in a situation where your residency status expires in the country of study, or you face difficulty traveling abroad if your passport expires or cannot be renewed or become unable to support yourself.
• Understand the asylum procedures in the country of study in case you are unable to return to your home country following your course of study.