Regional Director of Shorelight Education Michael Lawson
American universities provide scholarships to Ukrainian students. A student with good academic performance has every chance of receiving a scholarship that covers at least half of the tuition costs. This was stated by Michael Lawson, a well-known US expert in international educational programs. Michael Lawson is the Regional Director of Shorelight Education, an educational corporation that unites some of the best universities in the United States: Adelphi University, American University, University of Central Florida (UCF), Florida International University (FIU), Louisiana State University (LSU), University of South Carolina (USC), Auburn University.
What scholarships are available and how to get them
All the universities represented by Shorelight Education (Adelphi University, American University, UCF, FIU, LSU, USC, Auburn University, University of Kansas) are in the US Top 100, and in many specialties – in the Top 10. These universities are ready to offer generous scholarships to Ukrainian students. The main thing a student must understand is that scholarships will be offered primarily for academic merit.
"If a student has a high grade point average in documents from their previous place of study (in the high school transcript before entering bachelor's studies, or in the bachelor's degree diploma before entering a master's program), then this immediately recommends them in the eyes of the faculty as a promising student. Such a student will immediately attract attention and will likely be offered a partial scholarship for academic achievement," Michael Lawson reported.
In particular, Adelphi University – a prestigious private university in New York that offers studies in business, arts, psychology, and conducts cutting-edge research in the fight against cancer – will provide Ukrainian students with high academic results several scholarships totaling up to 80,000 dollars each this year.
"The scholarship from this university – which is prestigious and quite expensive even by American standards – covers more than 50% of tuition costs. It is granted for the entire 4-year period of study," Michael Lawson said. "Its total amount is up to 80,000 dollars over the entire period of study."
Other universities, at the application stage, are ready to offer applicants with a good grade point average a scholarship covering 20% of tuition costs. Students also have the opportunity to apply for numerous scholarships – the number of such scholarships runs into the dozens. This includes both Shorelight Education scholarships and university scholarships, as well as various private foundations and programs available at the universities. Moreover, one can apply for several scholarships simultaneously.
"Recently, one of our students applied for 44 scholarships at once and received seven of them. This covered about 70% of her total expenses. And this is not an isolated example," explained Michael Lawson.
To obtain the coveted scholarship, work experience in the specialty is very helpful. Then the university immediately sees the student's serious intentions and understands their motives for self-improvement in a particular specialty.
"Work experience confirms your qualifications, practical experience, and interest. For example, if you are studying hotel management and have previous work experience in this field (even as an assistant), the likelihood of receiving a scholarship increases significantly," the expert added. He noted that it does not matter to the American university what document confirms the student's previous work experience. It can be either an entry in the employment record book, an extract from internal company documents, or even a recommendation letter, or any other document.
Working in the US after graduation is possible
Young scientists, IT specialists, engineers, and mathematicians from Ukraine can now legally work in the US for three years after graduating from university.
On May 10, a new law comes into effect in the United States, aimed at promoting the development of science and technology. This law allows highly qualified foreign professionals, including those from Ukraine, to continue working in the US for three years after receiving a diploma from an American university. The initiative of US lawmakers pertains to foreign graduates in STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, Mathematics) fields, who can work in the US after graduation. Representatives of other specialties (e.g., business, marketing) can work in the US without an additional visa for only one year, but even that period is sufficient to build a strong reputation with an employer so that they petition for a work visa.
Michael Lawson notes that the active development of IT technologies will bring about 10 million job vacancies in the STEM sector in the US labor market in 10 years. According to the most likely forecast, there will be five times fewer applicants for these positions than needed. In fact, the American economy is already facing an acute shortage of specialists in this field.
To cover the future deficit of in-demand qualified personnel, the US government is already implementing international educational programs to attract foreign students. Therefore, the main emphasis in the US education system is currently on STEM disciplines (Science, Technology, Engineering, Mathematics – that is, young scientists, IT specialists, engineers, and mathematicians automatically fall into this group). A full list of these specialties is available on the official government website of the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement.
"Every student earning a degree in STEM can expect job offers immediately after graduation. Of course, I am only talking about those of our graduates who can boast good grades upon completing university," noted Michael Lawson.
If a graduate of an American university receives a degree in a STEM specialty, they have the right to work in the US in that specialty after graduation for 36 months (3 years). Formally, this work will be under OPT (Optional Practical Training), but in fact it is permission to work in a specialized field after graduation.
Michael Lawson also reported that regarding the duration of OPT programs for STEM specialties, until recently there were debates in the US Congress. "Until very recently, foreign graduates of universities in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics were officially allowed to work in the US for a maximum of 27 months under OPT programs. Some congressmen insisted that this was too long and that the period should be reduced to as little as one year. Others, on the contrary, believed that the STEM OPT period should be extended to three years," Michael Lawson said.
In the end, the optimists won: very recently, American legislators established a rule according to which the maximum period of legal work in the US after graduation in STEM specialties for foreign graduates is three years. The corresponding document is posted on the Federal Register, the official website of the US government. The law was published on March 11 of this year and will come into force very soon, on May 10. Thus, many Ukrainians – highly qualified graduates of American universities in 2016 – will now have the opportunity to work in the US in their specialties for three years.
"All of our universities have close ties with the largest employers in the US. We cooperate with NASA, Boeing, and dozens of other companies from the TOP-500 leaders of global business and science. Our students can undergo internships at their facilities and then compete for jobs," Michael Lawson summarized. "That is, the chances of employment are very high, especially since the universities' career centers are ready to help students in every way."
The expert also added that if the company where the student worked under the OPT program is interested in them as a valuable employee, they will be issued all the documents to continue working after the OPT period expires without any problems. The main thing is to establish a good reputation at all stages of both the educational process and during work.
Briefly about the universities
Auburn University (Auburn, Alabama). The university is one of the best in aviation and engineering specialties in the US. Its students intern at NASA and Boeing. Alumni include Apple CEO Tim Cook, Wikipedia founder Jimmy Wales, and many Oscar-winning actresses.
Louisiana State University (Baton Rouge, Louisiana). The business and law colleges of this university are considered among the most prestigious in America. The university is unique in training specialists for the oil and gas industry: there is an oil derrick on campus used for student training and internships.
University of Central Florida (Orlando, Florida). The University of Central Florida ranks 1st in the US in terms of growth dynamics and is the second largest university in the country (it takes 5-6 hours to tour the campus). The university ranks 2nd in the US in computer game design after the Massachusetts Institute of Technology.
University of South Carolina (Columbia, South Carolina). The largest public university in South Carolina, it has ranked 1st in the US in International Business for 17 years.
Florida International University (Miami, Florida). The university is considered the largest multidisciplinary university in the entire state. It holds high rankings, placing 8th in Marketing and 7th in International Business. The university is also known for its training in hotel management and hospitality.
Adelphi University (New York City). The university offers instruction in fields such as arts, natural sciences, business, education, applied social sciences, as well as psychology and medicine. The university is known for its medical research, including in the field of cancer treatment.
University of Kansas (Lawrence, Kansas). The University of Kansas is one of the best in the US in Business, and its engineering graduates are also highly valued. In addition, the university is strong in sports. Its basketball team took first place in the world in the student league competition in 2016.
American University (Washington, D.C.). The university is located in the diplomatic quarter of the US capital. It has very high rankings and is particularly known for hosting speeches by Presidents John F. Kennedy and Barack Obama immediately after their inaugurations. The university trains future politicians and government officials.
Where applicants from Ukraine should apply
Applicants who wish to enroll in American universities represented by Shorelight Education (Adelphi University, American University, UCF, FIU, LSU, USC, Auburn University, University of Kansas) should contact the educational group "DonStream." The applicant must provide the following documents:
- Certificate of completion of secondary school (11th grade) and/or diploma of completion of a Ukrainian university;
- Proof of English language proficiency;
- International passport.
"You may need to provide additional documents, but these are the main ones. With these documents, you need to contact the educational group 'DonStream,' which is the official representative of all listed universities in Ukraine," Michael Lawson said.
DonStream Educational Group
Tel.: (+38 044) 4960948; (+38 044) 5993180
E-mail: [email protected]
www.donstream.com.ua