If you’ve ever imagined becoming an Obama Scholar, the time is now! The application for the 2022-2023 Obama Foundation Scholars Program at Columbia University, New York, USA is now open.
This program seeks and sponsors rising leaders from all over the world for a fully-funded leadership program at Columbia University for a year.
Scholars from every part of the world have an equal opportunity to join like minds in the 2022-2023 Obama Scholar Program at Columbia University. However, you must meet the eligibility requirements and submit your application before the deadline.
In this post, we will share with you the detailed application requirements for the Obama Scholars Program at Columbia University. We will also guide you on how to apply for the program before the application deadline.
Table of contents
About Obama Foundation Scholars
The Obama Foundation Scholars is an initiative of the former president of the USA, Barack Obama. The aim of this program is to support dynamic, collaborative, and rising leaders from around the world through an innovative one-year academic and leadership experience.
However, these prospective leaders must already be making a difference in their communities for the foundation to consider them. Thus, the program empowers individuals with a proven service commitment with the tools they need to impact the world globally and promote change through values-based leadership.
In doing this, future leaders from around the world will build lasting relationships among themselves. They will commit themselves to work together to solve the most pressing challenges of our time while creating a global network that reaches across issues and borders.
At the end of the program, however, Obama Foundation Scholars will return to their communities to continue the work which they had started in the program. They will then implement their personalized action plan.
Presently, the Obama Scholars Program holds at only two institutions in the USA – Columbia University, and the University of Chicago.
Also, learn how to apply for the Obama Foundation Scholars Program at the University of Chicago in the USA
Level/Field of Study
The Obama Scholars Program 2022 is available to working graduates from around the world. Also, the program is open to individuals pursuing a career in any field of study.
Host Nationality
The Obama Foundation Scholars Program takes place at Columbia University in New York, United States of America.
Eligible Nationality
The 2022-2023 Columbia World Project of the Obama Scholars Foundation is open to all races and nationalities. You can apply for the scholarship whether you’re an international or domestic student.
Scholarship Worth
If your application to the Obama Scholars Program at Columbia University is successful and the foundation selects you to participate, you’ll enjoy the following benefits:
- A monthly stipend to assist with your cost of living in New York City
- Furnished studio apartment within walking distance of Columbia University
- All tuition and fees for up to four courses at Columbia University
- Basic medical, dental, and life insurance for the lifespan of the program
- Air ticket to and from home country and any program-related activities, and
- Leadership development programming led by the Obama Foundation will help you gain the real-world skills, tools, and experiences to expand the impact of your work when you return home.
You can also see how to apply for the Columbia University ISHR Human Rights Advocates Fellowship for Developing Countries
Eligibility Requirements
Of course, not everyone is eligible to participate and benefit from the Obama Foundation Scholarship Program at Columbia University. To be eligible for this scholars program, you must be a rising leader from anywhere in the world as well as meet the following requirements:
- Have a proven commitment to service and leadership within a community, region, or country outside the United States. You must also be desirous of returning to your community following the completion of the program. You will then apply your enhanced training, skills, and connections on a long-term basis for the benefit of your community.
- Are an emerging leader who has made a meaningful contribution to your field and is now at a stage in your career where small changes can create a huge impact.
- Fluent in verbal, written, and spoken English
- Possess the ability and inclination to positively shape the future of your community, and
- Have the ability and inclination to positively shape the future of your community.
How to Apply
You can only complete your application for the Obama Foundation Scholars Program at Columbia University using the online application form.
Below is a comprehensive instruction on submitting your Obama Scholars Program application.
Time needed: 1 day.
- Fill the Online Application Form
Click on the “START APPLICATION” button below to access the Obama Scholars Program, Columbia University online application form. You will have to create an account with the Obama Foundation Scholars, or log in to the portal if you’re an old user, to begin your online application.
- Provide Resume/Curriculum Vitae
To complete the application form, you must provide a CV. Please ensure that your CV/Resume is a chronological listing of your employment and academic history, and other significant activities, including any awards, publications, or other achievements․ To complete the application form, you must provide a CV. Please ensure that your CV/Resume is a
- Make and Upload a Personal Video Statement
You will make a personal video statement that should not be longer than five minutes. In the video, you are to introduce yourself and your work to the selection committee. Furthermore, you will upload this video to hosting services like Vimeo and YouTube and then include a link to the video in your online application.
- Respond to the Short Essay Questions
The selection committee requires you to answer all the short essay questions on the application form. This will help them understand your work, your motivation, and how the program fits into your career flight.
- Prove your English Proficiency
If you are not a native English speaker, you will have to prove your English Language proficiency to the selection committee. Meanwhile, you can do this only through the Test of English as a Foreign Language (TOEFL); the International English Language Testing System (IELTS); or the Pearson Test of English Academic (PTE Academic). However, the committee will waive this requirement for you if you have completed a Bachelor’s degree in a country where English is the Official Language.
English proficiency proof will also be waived for you if you have taken any of the above-listed tests in the last five years and scored above 100 in TOEFL-IBT, 600 in TOEFL-PBT, 7.0 in IELTS, or 68 in PTE Academic.
You will upload a scanned copy of your score to the online application if you will be using this waiver. - Provide Three Letters of Recommendation
You will also submit three letters of recommendation that are not written by any of your family members. These letters should be written by individuals who are familiar with you and your work in an academic, professional, or community service setting. Furthermore, the letters should directly address your suitability for admission to the Obama Foundation Scholars Program.
- Review and Submit Application
Double-check to ensure that you filled in the right information and uploaded the correct document before submitting your application.
Application Deadline
The deadline for applying for the Obama Foundation Scholars Program at Columbia University is December 13, 2022; on or before 12:00 pm EST.
Meanwhile, we encourage you to apply long before the deadline date.
To learn more about the Obama Scholars Program, visit the scholarship website below:
If you’re a student from a developing country, you can study in the UK with this Reach Oxford Scholarships for Developing Countries at the University of Oxford
Conclusion
The Obama Foundation Scholars Program at Columbia University, USA is your chance to upgrade your leadership skills.
This program will also allow you to network with future leaders from other parts of the world. You will develop a strategy with them to create an impactful solution to a global challenge and then implement your work within your community.
If you envision yourself a Change Agent and you meet the eligibility requirements, then apply today for this scholars program.
We Also Recommend
- $4000 Solutionreach scholarship in the USA
- Yale Young African Scholars (YYAS) Program
- Tang Visiting Scholar’s Fellowship at Columbia University in the USA
- 120 MasterCard Foundation Scholars Sciences Po Program
- AHDA Fellowship for Human Rights Activists in the USA
- Fully Funded MasterCard Foundation Scholars Program at McGill University in Canada
- MasterCard Foundation Scholars Program for African Countries
- MasterCard Foundation Scholarship for Kenyan Students
- 10 Scholarships for Cameroon Students to Study Abroad
- Yale University Beinecke Library Graduate Student Fellowships