Financial Aid for Low-Income Students
LAU Financial Aid and Scholarships
At LAU, we are committed to providing equitable access to higher education by setting targets to admit students from the lowest household income groups in the country, including those in the bottom 20%. This approach reflects our belief that all eligible students, regardless of financial limitations, nationality, race, gender, religion, or ethnicity, deserve an excellent education.
To further this mission, we offer scholarships and financial aid packages that can cover up to 100% of tuition costs.
We encourage all students to apply early for financial aid and scholarships to maximize their access to available support.
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 to students who fall into the bottom 20% of household income groups:
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.
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
USAID provides merit-based scholarships to financially needy and academically eligible public school graduates from across Lebanon, including the most disadvantaged corners of the country. These scholarships enable students, often from marginalized families that would otherwise have no possible means to attend these schools, to study at the highest-quality Lebanese universities. These universities offer an American-style education that promotes critical thinking, leadership skills and community service.
Our impacts in this sector include:
A higher education scholarship program that provides full, four-year scholarships to more than 600 Lebanese public school graduates. Although the program targets men and women equally, the gender breakdown represents the prevailing one in the public school system; nearly two-thirds of the recipients are women.
Grants awarded through the National Academies of Science to five Lebanese scientists from prominent Lebanese universities to complete specialized research on water and air pollution, wildfires and landslides. The grants promote direct cooperation with American scientists and access to cutting-edge research as part of the Washington-based Partnership for Enhanced Engagement in Research (PEER).
Our Programs
University Scholarship Program
(USP)
For Lebanese Nationals
Refugee/Displaced Scholarship Support (RSS)
For Non-Lebanese Nationals
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
|
TL Undergraduate Program (TLU) Scholarships for high school students |
TL Graduate Program (TLG) Scholarships for master’s programs |
Programs for Current Students
|
TL Gender Scholars Program (TLS) Scholarships for currently enrolled LAU students |
TL College to Work Pipeline (TLP) Helps TL students find meaningful employment in the region upon graduation |
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.
As a result, the institution went to extraordinary measures to strip its operating budget, dip into its endowment, defer capital projects, implement a hiring freeze, halt salary increases, and launch an Emergency Financial Aid Fund. In the academic year 2020–2021, LAU provided more than $72 million in financial aid and scholarships to support its students. The need for the current academic year is higher.
LAU has stretched itself to its absolute limit. Yet, with a new academic year right around the corner, and growing need among our students, we cannot give up on our youth. We need your support to continue to provide students with crucial financial aid so they can enjoy the education they dream of and deserve.
Be our students’ and our nation’s hero. Make a gift now.
What Our Goal Represents
With so much at stake, we aim to raise funds for 250 partial scholarships. Each partial scholarship represents $10,000 — covering, on average, half of a student’s annual tuition. This vital support would go to those most deserving, with demonstrated financial need and who are at risk of dropping out of LAU, even despite previously received help.
There are hundreds of LAU students with their education, and future, at risk. Making a gift of any amount will help us give these students a chance. Whether it’s a donation of $10 (LL 15,000) or $100 (LL 150,000), we will put it to use towards our scholarship goal. Your donation, whatever its size, will make a major difference in our students’ lives.
The Open Day at the School of Architecture and Design motivates aspiring designers and rewards top projects with scholarships.
Always keen on helping young students explore their field of study, LAU invited more than 100 high schoolers interested in majoring in art, architecture and design, for the School of Architecture and Design (SArD) Open Day on April 30.
At the newly renovated Gezairi Building on Beirut campus, the students enjoyed an eye-opening immersive experience that inspired them to design and create.
Director of the Foundation Program Silia Abou Arbid, along with faculty Lee Frederix, Christine Kettaneh and Hayla Saab initiated the students to the role of artists and designers in a fast-changing creative industry and introduced them to the different majors on offer at SArD. They also moderated discussions on the social changes that creative disciplines could help achieve.
Following a comprehensive brief, the high schoolers sprang to work in the new state-of-the-art studios and labs, to create a series of art pieces on specific themes.
Toward the end of the day, the artworks were exhibited for review by a jury panel. The top three winners were awarded LAU scholarships as follows:
Scholarship covering 30 percent of tuition fees: Lynn Abdo Kmeid from Collège Maristes Champville.
Scholarship covering 25 percent of tuition fees: Luana Imad Monzer from the International School of Choueifat – Choueifat.
Scholarship covering 20 percent of tuition fees: Rama Samer Salam from Lycée Abdel Kader.
Students interested in learning more about applying to LAU should get in touch with the Student Recruitment Office.