Jordanian Related Scholarships

Recommended: Arabic Language, Middle Eastern Culture, Islamic Studies

The Middle Eastern nation of Jordan shares borders with Syria, Iraq, Saudi Arabia, and Israel. The Jordanian monarch’s responsiveness to popular protests in 2011 helped Jordan to navigate that politically sensitive time successfully, and furthered Jordan’s progress toward political reform and accountable government.

Jordan is largely a desert plateau, with highlands in the west. The need for supplemental assistance from foreign governments guarantees Jordan’s cooperation with its international partners, which benefits the United States due to Jordan’s strategic location. Jordan plays host to a number of international students interested in examining Middle Eastern politics and culture at institutions like the University of Jordan’s Center for Strategic Studies, located in the Jordanian capital city of Amman.

Government Scholarships

Jordan’s location means the country is considered vital to America’s national security, and that means the federal government invests money in scholarship funding to send students there. If you are receiving a Pell Grant and want to study in Jordan, you may apply for an award from the Benjamin A. Gilman International Scholarship Program. Designed to send a more diverse population of students abroad by removing financial obstacles, the Gilman Program, sponsored by the State Department’s Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs, is highly competitive.

You May also like:

The Gilman Program selects students that have financial need, attend community colleges, study in sciences and engineering, have diverse ethnic backgrounds, or have disabilities. It prefers to send students to nontraditional locations, including Jordan. There is more information about eligibility here. Scholarships range up to $5,000, and anyone studying a Critical Need language, like Arabic, may receive an additional $3,000.

The David L. Boren Awards are also funded by a government agency, the National Security Education Program (NSEP). NSEP’s goal is to give American students the necessary knowledge and experience to serve the country in its international relations, and to that end they underwrite Boren Scholarships, for undergraduates, and Boren Fellowships, for graduate students.

Borens bring up to $20,000 for scholarships and $30,000 for fellowships ($24,000 for foreign study and $6,000 for language preparation in the U. S.). In return for the funding, students are expected to fulfill the NSEP Service Requirement, which exacts a year of national security service for each year of financial assistance.

Related Posts: