Financial Aid for Low-Income Students

LAU Financial Aid and Scholarships

At LAU, we believe that all eligible students deserve an excellent education, regardless of financial limitations, nationality, race, gender, religion or ethnicity.

Together, scholarships and financial aid packages can cover up to 100% of your LAU tuition.

We encourage you to apply for financial aid and scholarships as early as possible. 

In a Nutshell

$100 Million+  allocated for SCHOLARSHIPS and FINANCIAL AID packages for AY 23-24

70%+  of students benefit from one or more forms of FINANCIAL AID / SCHOLARSHIP

2,100+  students are on SCHOLARSHIPS

1,500+  students receive SAT/Entrance and Honor SCHOLARSHIPS covering between 10 & 50% OF TUITION

600+  students benefit from MEPI and USP SCHOLARSHIPS

300+ students receive BACC SCHOLARSHIPS covering between 25 & 50% OF TUITION

165+ students  benefit from ATHLETIC Scholarships

123  students benefit from Merit Scholarships covering 100% OF TUITION

Need-Based Financial Aid

At LAU, we believe that all eligible students deserve an excellent education, regardless of financial limitations. LAU allocated a generous budget, possibly the highest in the region, for financial aid and scholarships for the upcoming academic year. LAU is committed to helping you fund your education regardless of your nationality, race, gender, religion or ethnicity.

We encourage you to apply for financial aid as early as possible.

Financial Aid is a package composed of the following elements:

LAU Grants

LAU provides the following grants:

LAU Grants: Awarded to students showing an element of need in accordance with specific need categories.

Hardship Grants: Awarded to students with extreme need. The grant may cover up to 100% of the students’ tuition.

Triplets Grant: This is an additional percentage that may be given to triplets demonstrating financial need and enrolled simultaneously at LAU.

Program Grants: Awarded to students majoring in programs requiring special promotional support in line with university enrollment goals.

Special Grants: These grants are awarded to selected students according to special agreements approved and signed by the LAU President and external donors or organizations. Applications, if required, are to be filled in the initial stage only.

Donors’ Grants

These grants are created through the generous donations of LAU benefactors.

• LIFE Annual Scholarship:

• Scholarship amount:  To be determined by the donor
• Eligibility: Open to Lebanese students with high academic standing demonstrating financial need and enrolled in one of the following majors: Business (excluding marketing), Economics, Engineering, Computer Science, Bioinformatics, or Mathematics
• Selection process: recipients will be selected by the donor.
• Duration of grant: renewed until graduation if eligibility is maintained
• Application: Apply for this grant through LIFE
   

• Tomooh/PepsiCo Scholarship

• ​Scholarship Amount:  To be determined by donor
• Eligibility:   Students demonstrating financial need.  Open for all majors
• Selection process: recipients will be selected by donor
• Duration of grant: renewed upon the discretion of the donor
• Application: Apply for the Tomooh/PepsiCo Scholarship
• Deadline: Passed
   

• The Alexis & Anne-Marie Habib Scholarship

• ​Scholarship Amount:  To be determined by donor
• Eligibility: Open to Lebanese students with high academic standing demonstrating financial need.  Open for all majors
• Selection process: recipients will be selected by donor
• Duration of grant: renewed upon the discretion of the donor
• Application: Apply to Habib Foundation Scholarship
   

• The Centre of Lebanese Studies Scholarship

• Scholarship Amount:  Full or partial coverage as determined by donor
• Eligibility: Open to students normally living in Lebanon with high academic standing demonstrating financial need.  Only for Social Science & Humanities Majors
• Academic Level: Undergraduate students in their final year or accepted to a Master’s program at LAU
• Selection process: recipients will be selected by donor
• Duration of grant: 1 year
• Application: Apply for the Center of Lebanese Studies Scholarship
   

• KANIA COLLECTIVE Annual Scholarship
  • Scholarship amount:  To be determined by donor
  • Eligibility: Open to Lebanese students who have completed at least 66% of their program demonstrating financial need to complete their studies.
  • Selection process: recipients will be selected by the donor.
  • Duration of grant: Until graduation if eligibility is maintained.
  • Application: Apply for this grant through KANIA COLLECTIVE

Educational Loans

LAU is the only educational institution in Lebanon to offer educational loans as an additional financial support for its students.

The educational loan helps plan the financing of up to 10% of tuition fees. It carries zero interest while the student is registered at LAU, and a minimal interest rate (usually half the market rate) after he/she graduates, with a grace period of 9 years.

The loan does not replace financial aid; it is in addition to the financial aid package that students receive.

• Current students can find out more about educational loans on the portal.
• New students can find out more about the educational loan as part of their financial aid application.

US Federal Aid

US Federal Aid: are fixed-rate student loans from the US Department of Education for undergraduate and graduate students attending university at least half-time. Subsidized, Unsubsidized, and PLUS loans can be granted to students from the United States of America who choose to study at LAU. View the details of the US Federal Aid.

Financial Aid Granted to students AY 2021-2022

USAID Higher Education Scholarship Program

The USAID Higher Education Scholarship Program (HES) aims to provide undergraduate scholarships to promising public and private high school students and technical school graduates from all governorates of Lebanon. Student beneficiaries will experience LAU’s high/rigorous academic standards and a campus environment that promotes social equality and critical thinking. Moreover, it is mandatory for all students to engage in volunteer work, attend leadership and career workshops, and complete internships to complement their academic studies. 

Our Programs

In a Nutshell

628 scholars graduated so far. Total scholarships distributed for: 

• 61, 65, 95, 61 and 45 scholars under USP I, USP II, USP III, USP V, and USP VI respectively
• 73, 75 and 67 scholars under USP VII Cycle 1, Cycle 2, and Cycle 3 respectively
• 67, 66, 84 and 112 scholars under HES Phase I Cycle 1, Cycle 2, Cycle 3 and Cycle 4 respectively
• 78 scholars under HES Phase II Cycle 1

8 grants since 2010

949  Scholars

282 enrolled scholars

Equal gender distribution

MEPI Tomorrow’s Leaders Program

The Tomorrow’s Leaders Program (TL) is an initiative of the United States Department of State U.S.-Middle East Partnership Initiative (MEPI) that supports capable and highly motivated young scholars from underserved backgrounds in the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) region by providing a fully funded undergraduate level academic matriculation, civic education, and leadership development. The full-coverage scholarship aims at investing in Arab youth’s unexplored capacity and strengthening their leadership skills to become drivers of change and catalyze social progress in their home community.

The TL program has been implemented and overseen by LAU since its launch in 2008.

Programs for Future Students

Programs for Current Students

Emergency Financial Aid Fund

First there was a devastating political and economic crisis in Lebanon. Students rose to the occasion by demonstrating their exceptional civic duty and commitment to bettering the country, participating in peaceful demonstrations.

Next, there was a global COVID-19 pandemic. Students quickly adapted, switching to online learning and continuing their much-needed education – their only hope for a solid future in this uncertain and unpredictable world.

Then – when we thought it could not get any worse – a devastating explosion rocked our capital, taking the lives of 200+ people, and injuring around 6,500 others. It has also left hundreds of thousands homeless. Students mobilized, setting up aid tents in the areas most affected, and volunteered to help those on the ground.

While our Lebanese American University (LAU) students make us proud by proving their immense resilience and perseverance in times of tremendous difficulty, we know the reality is that they are hurting and are in need of help.

Students’ parents have lost their homes, jobs, been laid off, or found themselves grappling with a salary that no longer meets their most basic needs as a result of a collapsing national currency. In fact, more than 70 percent of our 8,500 students now have demonstrated new financial need. Many have even considered dropping out of LAU.

Losing a generation of youth isn’t an option, nor will LAU fall short on its motto of not yielding. Keeping LAU students enrolled is of utmost importance to the institution, Lebanon, and the world if we want to see any prosperity and peace in the future.

The graph below highlights the steep decline in the tuition-paying ability of families in recent years. This does not reflect today’s situation among students, which is much worse.