Apply for the Thomas Jefferson Scholarship Program (Tunisia)

Through academic opportunities, professional engagement, and leadership development, the program fosters economic growth, stability, and democratic development in Tunisia by equipping a network of youth with essential skills to lead positive change in their professional fields and communities.

The 2024-2025 Thomas Jefferson Scholarship Program provides opportunities for highly motivated and academically successful undergraduate university/institute students from Tunisia for one academic year of full-time, non-degree study at accredited four-year colleges and universities in the United States. Students will attend four-year universities and colleges and will live in on-campus housing (dormitories). Participants may submit U.S. transcripts to their home institution for review upon completion of the program to determine if the credits are transferrable. The program will provide students a deeper understanding of the United States, as well as new skills, knowledge, and leadership development to help them contribute to Tunisia’s economic growth. Participants may not choose their U.S. host university/college.

A broad range of academic fields of study are eligible, including humanities, social sciences, applied sciences, natural and physical sciences, arts, and other standard university fields of study. Students should identify their program field of study on their application. This field should be drawn from the standard university/college curriculum within the United States.

Program Activities

• All participants will:
  • Attend classes full-time for one academic year
  • Perform at least 20 hours of community service in their host community during their first semester
  • Complete a part-time practical internship during their second semester

Cost Covered

• J-1 visa support;
• Round-trip travel from participant’s home city to host institution in the United States;
• Health insurance;
• Tuition and mandatory university fees;
• Room and board (housing and meals);
• Small incidentals allowance;
• Limited allowance for books;
• A wide variety of alumni networking and training opportunities

Experiential Components

• To support students in the development of the skills, knowledge, and leadership skills needed to build strong foundations for professional leadership success contributing to Tunisia’s development, participants engage in experiential learning components in addition to their academic programs:
  • Cultural Engagement: To develop students’ interpersonal and cross-cultural skills, participants will be required to give a minimum of one country presentation during their program; complete cross-cultural activities each semester; and develop a virtual cultural exchange activity.
  • Community Service: To expose students to the principles of community service and social responsibility in the United States, participants will be required to perform a minimum of 20 hours of community service with local organizations during their academic year.
  • Part-Time Internship: Internships provide an essential opportunity for participants to develop key personal soft skills and gain professional experience and skills that can be applied in their future careers in Tunisia. Program participants will be required to intern a total of 80 hours during their second semester; each participant’s internship must be related to their program field of study.

Eligibility Criteria

• The Thomas Jefferson Scholarship Program does not discriminate against applicants on the basis of color, religion, sex, age, national origin, disability, or any other protected characteristic as established by U.S. law. TJSP alumni have come from all 24 governorates of Tunisia.
• Competition for the Thomas Jefferson Scholarship Program is merit-based and open to anyone who:
  • is a Tunisian citizen;
  • currently resides in Tunisia;
  • is enrolled as a full-time, undergraduate, university/institute student in good academic standing at the time of application at a registered academic institution in Tunisia;
• is NOT in the final year of their undergraduate program at the time of application
  • Architecture students are eligible in their first, second, third, fourth, or fifth year of study.
  • Engineering students are eligible in their first or second year (preparatory classes), and third and fourth year of undergraduate study.
• is able to receive a U.S. J-1 visa;
• is at least 18 years old by July 1, 2024;
• is committed to returning to Tunisia after completion of the program;
• is able to achieve a TOEFL score of at least 500; and
• completes the academic year prior to study in the United States in good standing with a passing average (a.k.a. moyenne générale).

For more information, visit IREX.