December 11th, 2014 -- The Secretary General of the Organization of American States (OAS), José Miguel Insulza, recently approved the award of 80 scholarships under the OAS Academic Scholarship Program for citizens of member States to pursue graduate and undergraduate studies at institutions throughout the Hemisphere.
The scholarships were awarded following the initial ranking of candidates by the high-level education experts of the Academic and Technical Studies Scholarship Selection Committee (ATSSSC) who met in September at OAS headquarters in Washington, DC to review more than 160 pre-selected applications presented by member states for the 2015-2016 cycle.
Established in 1958, the OAS Academic Scholarship Program is one of the oldest programs in the Organization and in the Hemisphere, providing access to quality higher education to citizens of Americas. It offers generous scholarship benefits for up to two years for the pursuit of undergraduate or graduate degrees or for research leading to a degree. Scholarship recipients are selected through a highly competitive process and are required to return to their home countries to apply the knowledge gained through their studies. From 2005 to the present, the annual number of students granted scholarships by the OAS has multiplied three times, from 570 to 1855.
The role of the ATSSSC in reviewing and ranking candidates follows comprehensive criteria that combine country needs and training priorities, the merits and overall credentials of each candidate, including, among others, academic achievements, professional experience, and financial need. Equitable geographic distribution and special consideration for the greater needs of the smaller and relatively less developed economies are also taken into account during the selection process.
The OAS Academic Scholarship program seeks to promote intercultural networks and regional integration, supporting individuals who study outside their sponsoring member state to return home to contribute to the economic, social, democratic, cultural, scientific, and technological development of their communities, their countries and the wider region. Recipients of over 21,000 scholarships for undergraduate, master’s and doctoral studies granted through OAS Academic Scholarship Program since its inception have made and continue to make significant contributions to the integral development of the Americas.
To view the list of current awardees and for additional information on OAS scholarship opportunities, www.oas.org/scholarships.
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