Applications open for Student Leaders Program

The Student Leaders Program (SLP) is sponsored by the U.S Department of State, Bureau of Near Eastern Affairs, Assistance Coordination, U.S. – Middle East Partnership Initiative (MEPI. Georgetown University is the prime implementer and works with the consortium of U.S. partner universities including University of Delaware, Montana State University, and Portland State University.

Students are placed in U.S. universities where they complete academic coursework, develop leadership and project management skills, and expand their understanding of civil society and participatory governance processes in the United States and MENA region. The 2024 program will focus on climate change and environmental protection. Students will develop civic engagement projects to address climate and environmental issues in their local communities.

The SLP is a yearlong three-part program: pre-summer, summer, and post-summer with the most intensive part taking place during the summer. The summer program is an intensive 4-week program, and is tentatively scheduled to take place from June 28 until July 26, 2024.

Eligibility Criteria

• Citizenship: Students from Algeria, Bahrain, Egypt, Israel, Iraq, Jordan, Kuwait, Lebanon, Libya, Morocco, Qatar, Syria, Tunisia, West Bank and Gaza, and Yemen.
  • Applicants must hold citizenship from the aforementioned countries as well as reside in their home countries, with the exception of Syrian and Yemeni applicants.
  • Applicants who are American citizens or U.S. Legal Permanent Residents are not eligible to apply.
  • Applicants cannot be a third-country national of the nominating country with the exception of Syrian and Yemeni applicants.
• Country of Residence: All applicants must live in their home country with the exception of Syrian and Yemeni applicants.
  • Syrian applicants living in any of the participating MENA countries are eligible to apply, whereas Syrian applicants living inside Syria are not eligible to apply.
  • Yemeni applicants both living inside Yemen and in any of the participating MENA countries are eligible to apply.
• Return to Country of Residence: Applicants must be committed to returning to or remaining in their home country/community following completion of the program.
• University Enrollment: Applicants must be currently attending an undergraduate or graduate university program in their home countries (with the exception of Syrian and Yemeni applicants living and studying in participating MENA countries).
• Ages: Applicants must be between the ages of 20 and 24 with birth dates falling between July 26, 1999 and June 28, 2004.
• English Proficiency: Applicants should have high English-language proficiency skills to participate in U.S. university academic classes in English.
• Diversity, Equity and Inclusion: They aim to create a diverse, inclusive, and multicultural environment with a gender-balanced pool of candidates.
  • Preference will be given to those applicants from households with limited family income, no prior travel experience in the United States or Canada, and limited to no study or travel experience outside their home country.

For more information, visit U.S. Embassy in Egypt.