The ELC Undergraduate Scholarship Program for Afghan Students in Lebanon
Women for Afghan Women facilitates the applications of Afghan students to the Education for Leadership in Crisis Undergraduate Scholarship program (ELC) at the American University of Beirut (AUB). This life-changing, merit-based undergraduate scholarship program is designed around AUB's strong liberal arts foundation, with an emphasis on developing leadership skills of students who live and are expected to return to areas of protracted crises.
Women for Afghan Women works closely with the American University of Beirut (AUB) to raise awareness and assist eligible, yet underprivileged and marginalized students from all over Afghanistan to apply to AUB's Education and Leadership in Crisis Scholarship program (ELC program).
The ELC program offers undergraduate scholarships to these students, who will be enrolled at AUB, with funding provided by the United States Government. The scholarship covers four year of full tuition, room and board fees, and international travel expenses for students to enter into the Freshman year and graduating in their senior year.
The American University of Beirut
Since its founding in 1863, the American University of Beirut (AUB) has made its educational mark in Lebanon and the region. Selected students are exposed to a campus environment that promotes tolerance, gender equality, social equality, and critical thinking. AUB has been accredited as an institution since 2004 by the Commission on Higher Education of the Middle States Association of Colleges and Schools and its accreditation was most recently reaffirmed in June 2009. AUB is also known for its high academic standards and the high demand for its graduates in all disciplines.
ELC Program
The Education for Leadership in Crisis Scholarship program (ELC) at the AUB is a rigorous academic program that provides undergraduate students with excellent academic grounding to become life-long learners and contributors in their communities, while allowing the students to participate in a wide range of co-curricular activities designed to foster leadership and critical thinking. Upon graduation, students benefiting from this scholarship are required to return to Afghanistan and become agents of positive change in the public, private and non-profit sectors.
Education and Leadership in Crisis at AUB
This rigorous approach and the requirements of AUB’s general education program, will provide the ELC students with superior academic structure and support.
In addition to the academic requirements, this scholarship offers students opportunities for professional and personal development through:
- A tailored capacity-building program focused on leadership, communication, and civic engagement.
- Participation in intensive workshops on conflict resolution and regional issues.
- An internship and a community service volunteering component.
- Internships to provide intensive public/private sector experiences.
- A senior-year capstone civic service project relevant to the student’s communities.
- Student mentorship and support from existing ELC scholars.
Eligibility and Criteria
Eligibility criteria - Who can apply?
- Applicants should be Afghan citizens residing in Afghanistan at the time of applying.
- Applicants should hold a baccalaureate degree (high school diploma) or equivalent.
- Applicants should have graduated from high school in the year of 2017, 2018, and 2019.
- Applicants must be in very good academic standing.
- Applicants must have approximately 75% as a minimum average in high school grades.
- Applicants must demonstrate leadership potential and commitment to community service and civic engagement.
- Applicants should not have been enrolled in or completed a degree at any university.
- Fluency in academic English, especially reading and writing academic texts.
What does the scholarship cover?
- Full tuition fees for the duration of the study program
- Housing
- Medical and health insurance
- Monthly stipend
- Annual round-trip to Afghanistan
How to apply?
For the list of documents and the steps you need to follow to apply to the AUB's ELC Program, please see the following link [Click Here]
To download online applications forms:
1. Hard Copy Submissions: Download the hard copy application form using the following link: [Click Here]
Note: Downloading and filling this application is only for applicants submitting hard copies of all required documents. Applicants need to fill the form in English and in dry ink (pen) and to submit it with copies of all required documents to the closest WAW office
2. Online Submissions: Download the online application form and scan all your required documents (see above) using the following link: [Click Here]
Note: Online applications should be completed and submitted with scans of all required documents.
Application Deadline: February 20, 2020
Applications received after the deadline – (February 20, 2020) – will NOT be considered. Please note that incomplete applications or applications with missing supporting documents will not be processed.
WAW-ELC Focal Points: Afghanistan
To help you find the closest WAW office, please call the following Provincial Focal Points:
- Balkh: 0728859696
- Badakhshan: 0728859759
- Faryab: 0728859719
- Herat/Farah/Badghis: 0797826210
- Jawzjan: 0728859784
- Kunduz: 0728859746
- Kunar: 0728859656
- Kabul: 0728162982 / 0793182880
- Kapisa: 0728859826
- Nangarhar/Laghman: 0728859642
- Samangan & Baghlan: 0728859832
- Saripol: 0728859793
- Takhar: 0728859773
ELC Offices: Lebanon and Afghanistan
If further information or help is needed, please refer to the contacts below and address your questions to:
In Lebanon
The American University of Beirut
Ms. Sandra Zeineddine, Program Manager
email: Elc2018@aub.edu.lb
In Afghanistan
Women for Afghan Women
Ms. Shekwa Nasrati, Project Assistant
scholarship.aub@womenforafghanwomen.org
+93 (0) 793182880 / +93 (0) 728162982
For updates please check the Undergraduate Scholarships for Afghan Students-Lebanon Facebook Page

Quotes:
"My parents never dreamed that they could send me to university, much less that I would go abroad to study at a world-class university like the AUB. For me, it is a dream come true. This program has changed my life."
ELC 2019 Program Participant
We are confident that the ELC program will be a positive, life-changing experience for the Afghan students that benefit from it. These scholarships create graduates that will be the agents of change critical to nation-building in Afghanistan."