Iranian Scholarship Funds: Eligibility and Opportunities for Iranian-American Students

Iran, the historical birthplace of the Persian Empire, boasts a rich cultural heritage. To support the academic aspirations of Iranian-American students and promote Iranian culture, several scholarship funds have been established. These scholarships offer financial assistance to deserving students pursuing higher education in the United States.

The Iranian Scholarship Foundation (ISF)

The Iranian Scholarship Foundation (ISF) is a registered nonprofit organization dedicated to enabling exceptional students of Iranian descent with financial constraints to attend university. ISF scholarships empower academically promising students to pursue their educational dreams, regardless of their financial situation. Community service is central to ISF’s vision, as they seek to support future leaders who will contribute to their communities.

Eligibility Criteria for ISF Undergraduate Scholarship

To be eligible for the Iranian Scholarship Foundation’s Undergraduate Scholarship, applicants must meet the following criteria:

Be enrolled or accepted at a four-year accredited university in the United States.
Demonstrate financial need.
Have a GPA of 3.5 or higher.
Have participated in community service and continue to do so.

Applicants must also submit the following documents:

School transcripts.
Income taxes.
IRS form 4506.
Two letters of recommendation.
The university acceptance letter.
Two personal essays about yourself (750 words and 500 words).

Each year, ISF awards an Excellence in Community Service Scholarship to one student with an outstanding record of community service.

Dr. Ali Jarrahi ISF Merit Scholarship

In the Fall of 2007, ISF received a major contribution to its endowment from Dr. Ali Jarrahi of North Carolina. The principal of his donation to the ISF endowment cannot be spent or touched. Hence the ISF Board of Trustees voted to name the ISF Merit Scholarship the “Dr. Ali Jarrahi ISF Merit Scholarship”.

Other Scholarship Opportunities for Iranian-American Students

Besides the Iranian Scholarship Foundation, several other organizations offer scholarships to Iranian and Iranian-American students:

Soros Fellowships for New Americans

This fellowship program honors the contributions of immigrants and children of immigrants to the United States. Since 1998, it has provided 30 fellowships annually to New Americans - naturalized citizens or “green card” holders, or children of naturalized citizens. Each fellowship provides up to $90,000 in support of graduate study over two years in any field at any degree-granting institution in the United States. Fellowships are awarded based on sustained accomplishments that show unusual creativity, originality, and initiative.

The Houtan Foundation

The Houtan Foundation offers scholarships to students from all origins - Iranian and non-Iranian - who have high academic performance and proven interest in promoting Iran’s great culture, heritage, language, and civilization. The award is offered to students from all origins with an active interest in promoting Iran’s heritage and culture. In order to apply, the applicant must have a working knowledge of Persian and distinguished academic performance. Financial need will be a factor in award consideration.

The candidates for the award must demonstrate leadership ability and the desire to make a difference in the society where they reside.

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Iranian-American Scholarship Fund (IASF)

Founded in 1997, the Iranian-American Scholarship Fund (IASF) started off as a small group of philanthropists in San Diego, California. Hundreds of applications are reviewed and tens of thousands of dollars are awarded to undergraduate and graduate students annually.

Momeni Foundation

Established in 1998, the Momeni Family Foundation provides scholarships to graduating high school students and current college students of all levels regardless of citizenship or country of residency. The foundation grants ten scholarships for amounts of $500 to $1000 each to college bound seniors and current Iranian American students at undergraduate, graduate and PhD levels regardless of country of residency. Three additional scholarships are awarded annually to graduating high school seniors who are citizens or permanent residents of United States.

Society of Iranian-American Women for Education (SIAWE)

SIAWE provides scholarships to college or university students in Texas to enhance their educational opportunities. The scholarship is awarded annually to a number of students based on availability of funds and the quality of the applicant pool. The scholarship recipients do not receive any cash rewards from SIAWE; instead the award money is credited to the students’ account at their enrolling school to be used toward their tuition and books for the fall and spring semesters. citizens or permanent residents. Currently, the Ansari Scholarship funds 3 students annually for $2,000 each.

Children of Persia (COP)

Children of Persia (COP) was established in 1999 with the objective of promoting the well-being of the disadvantaged Iranian children thru providing healthcare, education, and social services assistance. In 2006, Children of Persia, through its generous donors, started its scholarship program with a focus on assisting students with financial need to meet their goal of attaining higher education.

Additional Scholarship Resources

In addition to the scholarships specifically for Iranian-American students, many other resources are available to help students fund their education:

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Department of State’s Benjamin A. Gilman International Scholarship: A grant program that enables students of limited financial means to study or intern abroad, thereby gaining skills critical to our national security and economic competitiveness.
The Critical Language Scholarship (CLS) Program: A fully funded summer overseas language and cultural immersion program for American undergraduate and graduate students.
Fulbright Student Program: Offers research, study, and teaching opportunities in over 140 countries to recent graduates and graduate students.
Maryland Higher Education Commission (MHEC): MHEC ensures that the people of Maryland have access to a high quality, diverse, adequately funded, effectively managed, and capably led system of postsecondary education.
Central Scholarship Bureau: Enables students to pursue education or training after high school through scholarship opportunities and interest-free loans that fund the gap after all other financial aid has been awarded.
College Bound Foundation: Administers privately-funded college scholarships.
Ron Brown Scholar Program: Seeks to identify African-American high school seniors who will make significant contributions to society.
League Foundation Scholarships: The program is open to self-identified gay, lesbian, bisexual, or transgender graduating high school seniors meeting the prescribed criteria.

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