The Iran Opportunity Award offers financial and educational support for female Iranian students with outstanding academic records and low-income backgrounds aiming for a Master’s or PhD program in the U.S. starting Fall 2025. This initiative covers upfront costs, including an English proficiency test, college application fees, U.S. visa and SEVIS fees, airfare, and a settlement allowance, as well as professional advising support. Prospective students are selected based on academic excellence, economic challenges, English proficiency, and application quality. Join us in empowering talented Iranian women on their journey to higher education in the United States!

For questions, please contact IOA@iie.org.

Submission of Applications

The application cycle has closed for the Iran Opportunity Award.

A complete application will include:

• Completed online application form
• A personal statement of approximately 500 words
• A demonstrated financial need statement of approximately 250 words
• Two reference letters from non-family members who know you well, such as a teacher, instructor, professor, employer/work supervisor, or advisor to an extracurricular club.
• College/university unofficial or official transcript issued by the school.
• CV/Resume

Only completed applications with all required documents received by the deadline will be reviewed. Falsifying or plagiarizing any portion of your application is grounds for automatic disqualification.

Selection of Award Recipients

Award applicants will be evaluated based on the following criteria:

• Outstanding educational background
• Clearly expressed financial need
• Compelling references
• Successful competition of the IOA online application
• Successful completion of the IOA video evaluation
• Successful completion of the IOA online video interview
• Successful completion of the IOA English practice test

These additional criteria have been incorporated into the evaluation process for a comprehensive assessment of applicants.

Notification of Selection Results

Applicants selected for the next round of evaluation will be informed via the email address IOA@iie.org by the end of March 2024.

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