The President of the American University in Cairo Ahmed Dallal on Sunday sent a message to the university community and students affected by the US Agency for International Development (USAID) freezing its scholarships.
The message included an emphasis on the university’s keenness to ensure that its students complete their educational journey, and that it will cover three months’ salaries for teachers suspended due to the cancellation of scholarships, while bearing the costs of a number of students, and it will postpone the acceptance of some other, until donations are collected.
US freezes aid
The US State Department froze all foreign aid around the world after US President Donald Trump issued a comprehensive executive order in January suspending aid for 90 days.
The new US Secretary of State, Marco Rubio dispatched a telegram to all US diplomatic missions explaining the move, which includes funding from the State Department and the USAID for programs around the world.
Following the Trump administration’s decision, students who benefited from USAID scholarships received emails announcing that they would no longer benefit from the scholarships.
The Supreme Council of Universities in Egypt afterwards held an emergency meeting during which it decided that the universities would commit to the allocations and tuition fees that the agency had allocated to all students affiliated with it, totaling 1,077 students, until the end of the second semester.
It also pledged to support students in facing any future challenges.
Full statement
The full message of Dallal to the university community and students was as follows:
“We have a long-standing commitment to ensuring that no continuing student is forced to leave the University due to an inability to pay. Last week, 200 of our current students had their scholarship funding suspended, pending review. Within 48 hours, we informed our students — some only in their first semester at AUC, others in their last, and everything in between — that we would cover their tuition, housing and educational expenses for Spring 2025. We will offset the cost for the spring semester through budget savings and fundraising because of our deep commitment to the education and well-being of our students.”
“In addition to the 200 current students already at AUC, another roughly 125 students had dreams of joining the University. Some were accepted to start this semester. Others were part of an English-language bridge program that supports outstanding students with a year of intensive English training to allow them to pass the English required for their academic program at AUC. We understand the painful situation these students now face and wish we could accommodate them. We simply do not have the financial resources. Although we could not find the funds for this spring, we deferred their acceptance to the University and will make every effort to fundraise to support them in joining AUC in the future.”
“There are also 113 grant-sponsored staff members who administer the suspended scholarship programs at AUC and other universities. Their positions have also been suspended. To help them during this transition, the University will cover their basic salary for three months as they seek alternative roles at AUC or elsewhere.”
“Throughout the past week, the number of individuals — previous scholarship recipients, alumni, faculty, staff and friends of AUC — who have expressed an interest in contributing funds to support new and continuing students has been inspirational. We’ve created this online web page for anyone who wishes to make a gift of any size.”
“We will continue to provide any updates once information becomes available.”
