U.S. Embassy Offers Scholarship to Over 40 Young Refugees in Greece

The U.S. Embassy in Greece announced recently that it is partnering with The American College of Greece to offer fully funded scholarships to at-risk refugees, migrants, and displaced students with financial needs for undergraduate and graduate degrees at Deree.

Through a $100,000 grant from the U.S. Embassy in Athens, and a matching financial contribution from The American College of Greece as part of the “Education Unites 2023” program, more than 40 refugees, migrant and displaced students, including 20 Ukrainians, are starting their undergraduate and graduate classes this month.

The scholarships are offered to the students for the 2023 spring and fall semesters, as well as the summer term.

“The United States stands with Ukraine and its people. We are working closely with our Greek Ally and other countries to provide support to the thousands of displaced Ukrainian refugees,” said U.S. Ambassador George Tsunis via an official press release from the US Embassy in Athens.

“The American College of Greece is committed to educating and financially supporting a global community of students,” added Dr. David Horner, President of The American College of Greece.

“Our support for young people displaced by war and geopolitical instability traces back to our founding 150 years ago as a school for refugee girls in Smyrna,” Horner said.

U.S. Embassy supports scholarships for refugees in Greece

This is the sixth year under the Education Unites program that ACG is collaborating with the U.S. Embassy. In 2018, the U.S. Embassy provided funding to establish the “Education Unites: From camp to Campus” program, supporting scholarships for 200 refugee students in Athens and Thessaloniki.

Under “Education Unites,” ACG welcomed 100 refugee students during 2018-2019, and since then has continued to independently provide scholarships to 20 or more refugee students from different countries annually.

In 2022, in response to the Russian invasion of Ukraine, ACG established the Ukrainian Student Program, providing scholarship support for 20 additional refugee students from Ukraine.

The additional U.S. Embassy funding is expanding the program to include more young refugees from Ukraine and other countries.

Voices from refugees

Dmytro Postol from Mariupol, a scholarship recipient in IT undergraduate studies, also added via the media release:

“In February of 2022, Russia attacked my country for the second time. I was trapped in blockaded Mariupol. It was a battlefield and a horrible time that fully changed my life. After that, I realized that all you have can disappear at any moment and you need to live now. After I lost almost everything, I hope studying at your college will give me an opportunity for a better life. I must start building a better future today.”

Karime Ganji from Afghanistan, a scholarship recipient in Psychology undergraduate studies, also offered the following:

“It was always my dream to attend university, complete my degree in psychology, and help people who went through difficulty, especially women who experienced trauma and emotional abuse. Women did not have the chance to be free and make decisions on their own, even for the smallest task in their life. Women in my country have been through a lot and are still experiencing it. I would like to try my best to show the world we, the women of Afghanistan, are capable and full of dreams. No matter how difficult we have been through, we are still motivated to change our world.”