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Onsi Sawiris Scholarship Program

Onsi Sawiris Scholarship Program

Onsi Sawiris Scholarship (Undergraduate)

ClosedFull RideMerit-BasedNeed-BasedBachelor's

About the Scholarship

The order of events here is the opposite of almost every other award. You win the scholarship first, in July, and only then apply to the universities, between October and the following spring, with Amideast advising you through it. Being nominated does not guarantee a place, so the scholarship is the easier half of the process rather than the reward at the end of it.

Five universities are endorsed and nothing else is funded: Chicago, Stanford, Penn, Harvard and MIT.

The field restrictions are unusually specific and rule out a popular choice. Funded subjects are engineering, economics, finance and management, and computer science and computer engineering are explicitly not funded. They may be taken only as a minor inside the engineering school. Within engineering, preference goes to sustainable development fields such as civil, environmental, energy, mechanical, chemical and water engineering.

The entry bar is concrete: a 3.5 GPA or 90 per cent, TOEFL 100 or IELTS 7.5, and SAT 1450 or ACT 32, all within two years. Students finishing grade 11 can apply alongside those finishing grade 12. Applicants must not exceed 19 years old.

The commitment at the other end is two years back in Egypt, directly after graduating. The programme also prefers applicants who have not lived, worked or studied abroad for more than two years, so this is built for students whose lives have been in Egypt.

The scholarship page and the schedule of events were checked on 16 September 2026, when the deadline for the 2027 intake had passed.

What It Covers

  • Tuition
  • Living stipend
  • Travel
  • Books & materials
  • Health insurance

The programme states that its scholarships include full tuition, a living allowance, travel expenses, books and a computer, and health insurance, for a four-year bachelor's degree. It has financed 105 students since it was established in 2000 by Orascom Construction. No per-scholar figure is published.

Eligibility

Be an Egyptian national resident in Egypt with a cumulative GPA of 3.5, or 90 per cent or equivalent in a national or international high school qualification. Students completing grade 11 and students completing grade 12 by the application deadline are both eligible. Provide TOEFL iBT of at least 100 or IELTS Academic of at least 7.5, taken within two years, and either SAT of at least 1450 or ACT of at least 32, also within two years. Applicants need a record of extracurricular involvement, must plan to begin study in the United States in 2027, and must commit to returning to Egypt for two years directly after completing the degree. Funded fields are engineering, economics, finance and management; computer engineering and computer science are not funded and may only be taken as a minor within the engineering school. Within engineering, preference goes to fields serving sustainable development, such as civil, environmental, energy, mechanical, chemical and water engineering. Applicants must not exceed 19 years old. Applicants must not exceed 19 years old.

Eligible Countries

Egyptian nationals who are residents of Egypt. Dual nationality is not given preference, and preference goes to applicants who have not lived, worked or studied abroad for more than two years.

🇪🇬 Egypt

Where You Can Use It

  • University of Chicago
  • Stanford University
  • University of Pennsylvania
  • Harvard University
  • Massachusetts Institute of Technology

How to Apply

Apply online to the programme with all supporting documents by the July deadline. Semi-finalists are selected and interviewed at Orascom Construction over August and September, nominees are notified in September and attend an orientation in October. Nominees then apply to the endorsed universities between October and April or May, with advising support from Amideast, and placements follow. Being selected as a nominee does not guarantee a university place. Awarded recipients are recognised at a ceremony the following July and depart for the United States in August or September.

Application Routes and Dates

Programme application

Closed

2027 entry

Deadline: 31 de jul. de 2026

Applications close: 31 de jul. de 2026.

Timing source · Checked 2026-09-16