Every year, the University Association of El Salvador awards one full scholarship to a Salvadoran woman. The scholarship covers all expenses and academic counseling support through the six years necessary to obtain a Bachelor’s degree in El Salvador. University Association of El Salvador will ultimately support six women on a continuous, rolling basis. Each year, when one scholar graduates, another will be admitted to the program.
Identifying Scholarship Recipients
University Association of El Salvador partners with the American Society in El Salvador to identify the scholarship recipients. The American Society has sponsored and managed a High School Scholarship Program for many years. The American Society High School Scholarship Program asks Peace Corps volunteers, American Society members, and other cooperating parties to identify female Salvadoran high school students who need financial assistance in order to complete their high school degrees. The American Society scholarships are awarded exclusively to young women who a) come from families in considerable economic distress, and b) have shown great promise in their studies and after-school lives. The American Society in El Salvador currently awards more than 25 high school scholarships to young Salvadoran women annually.
University Association of El Salvador scholars will be selected, primarily, from a pool of American Society Scholarship recipients who have completed high school. The principal benefit of teaming with the American Society Program is that their members know the high school scholarship women and their families. They can, therefore, counsel high-performing high school scholarship recipients to apply for the University Association program. They can also help their recommended students with the application materials and communicate the program’s objectives to the families of scholarship applicants and recipients.
Application Process
To be considered for the University Association scholarship, students who have graduated from their high schools through the American Society scholarship program will submit the following materials:
1. Their final high school grades
2. An essay explaining why they want to pursue a Bachelor’s Degree
3. A letter of recommendation from a Peace Corps Volunteer sponsor
4. A letter of recommendation from a teacher
5. A letter of recommendation from a community leader (church, government, etc.)
The Committee of University Association of El Salvador will review these materials and award one full-scholarship per year.
Scholarship Recipient Agreement
In order to participate, the scholarship recipient will sign a commitment letter where they state their agreement to the following:
1. They are committed to devoting six years to the completion of their degree.
2. They agree to faithfully collect and turn in all of the academic and financial data necessary to manage their scholarship, as stated in the Bylaws.
3. They agree to seek the necessary assistance through the Scholarship Administrator and/or university provided services in order to not prolong their university education.
4. They agree, in principle, to complete their degree before starting a family.
5. They agree, in principle, to pursue and obtain full-time employment in El Salvador upon completion of their degree.
6. They commit to trying to help their families and communities through their work and earnings upon graduation from the University Association program.
Scholarship Benefits
Scholarship recipients will receive the following support:
1. Full tuition, room, board, books, medical, and transportation expenses,
2. Counseling assistance from the Scholarship Administrator who will help the scholar select a university and academic program, and provide counseling support throughout the course of the scholar’s education.
The scholarship amount for each scholar ranges from $275 - $325 dollars a month, depending on her university and living expenses. The Scholarship Administrator works with each scholar to ensure a conservative cost structure, but one that does not compromise the scholar’s ability to concentrate on her studies.
Scholarship Administration
The Scholarship Administrator works with each scholar to provide program and logistical support services necessary for each academic year. The Scholarship Administrator also works with each scholar’s respective university and other service providers to ensure that the scholar can focus on her studies unhampered by practical distractions.
The Scholarship Administrator, in coordination with the University Association Committee and its partner organization - Greene Giving - is responsible for maintaining thorough academic and financial records for each scholar. The Scholarship Administrator will post semi-annual data on each scholar’s progress on this website in the Scholar section of this site.
