Muslim Scholarships in United States – It’s not always easy to get a higher education in United States. The tuition cost, living expenses, book expenses can be quite overwhelming. That’s why many of the undergraduate students in United States apply for financial aid, especially grants and scholarships. These two are very popular because they are basically free money given by the government, nonprofit foundations and organizations.
While there are some general scholarships and grants available, many students find it easier to get the scholarship aimed for specific population based on gender, religion, etc. What about Muslim students? Is there any scholarship for Muslim students in United States?
Luckily there are some. Below are some of the possible scholarship opportunities available for Muslim students in United States:
Opportunities for Muslim Scholarships in United States
Islamic Scholarship Fund
One of the best places to find financial aid for Muslim students is the Islamic Scholarship Fund (ISF). There are scholarships available for many study fields, but the preferred ones would be the study fields related to the public policy, including social sciences, humanities, law and liberal arts.
There are three scholarship categories, including the ISF National Scholarship, ISF-Yaseen Foundation Scholarship, and also the Alumni Scholarship. The ISF National Scholarship is available for students with U.S. citizenship or permanent residence. Meanwhile, the ISF Yaseen Foundation scholarship is available for Muslim students in Belmont, California. Last but not least, there are Alumni scholarships for students in Los Angeles, Berkeley and Irvine based colleges that follows the University of California system.
The award amount differs based on various aspects, but typically the scholarship will grant you somewhere between $2,000 and $10,000.
King Faisal Foundation
The King Faisal foundation provide two categories of scholarship, including the King Faisal International Prize and King Faisal Foundation Scholarship programs. The programs are intended to cover educational cost for Muslim students in the field of Medicine Sciences, Islamic Studies, Service to Islam, Arabic Language and Literature.
Muslim Women’s Association
The Muslim Women’s Association provides scholarships for female Muslim students who find it hard to cover the cost of college due to their family’s low income. Only full-time students are eligible, they have to have good grades, take at least one Islamic Studies class, and have a limited income.
For every scholarship opportunities, you should prepare the required documents beforehand. For example, you may need to make a copy of your taxes or proof of income.
For further information on this matter, we highly recommend you to contact your community leaders in your local Muslim communities. Believe me, these communities are more than willing to help Muslim students in achieving their dreams through education. Even if they have little or no resource to help you directly, it is often that the community leaders can connect you to those that can help you.
The religion of Islam always puts education as one of the most important task of a Muslim, therefore, we highly encourage you to pursue the best education that you can. Being educated will surely improve your life, making you a better person, and help your community. That said, stay down to earth and don’t forget to pray for the best. We hope you get that Muslim Scholarships in United States!
References:
- The King Faisal Foundation – http://www.kff.com/
- Islamic Scholarship Fund – http://islamicscholarshipfund.org/
- Image: islamicommentary.org
