São Paulo – Al Akhawayn University, a public university in the city of Ifrane, in north Morocco, is accepting applications for summer scholarships. The summer courses last four to eight weeks and include lessons in classical Arabic and North Africa studies. The deadline for applying is March 10th.
Classes will run from June 1st to July 24th and prices range from US$ 3,350 to US$ 6,300, depending on number of lessons and course duration. The price includes the course itself, lodging, books, meals and other expenses. Scholarships cover up to 75% of the course and lodging costs.
Applicants must enrol in and be accepted for the summer course before applying for a scholarship. Requirements for receiving a scholarship include: having attended a minimum 80 hours of classical modern Arabic lessons (two semesters at a higher education institution); three letters of recommendation, including one from an Arabic teacher; education records including the grades from applicant’s prior Arabic studies, and an essay in Arabic about “What do you hope to accomplish by studying the Arabic language?”.
Over the last 14 years, 730 people from 36 countries have attended the summer courses at Al Akhawayn University, the majority being from United States universities. The Arabic language course offers up to 190 hours of contact with the language. The course in North Africa studies covers topics such as the Islamic Civilization, Issues in Contemporary North Africa, North African Literature and Moroccan Cinema.
Al Akhawayn University was founded in 1995 by then-kings Hassan II, of Morocco, and Fahd, of Saudi Arabia. It was the first Moroccan university to adopt English as its teaching language and employ the American university system. Al Akhawayn is attended by over 1,800 students. The city of Ifrane has approximately 15,000 residents and is known as the Moroccan Switzerland.
Additional information on the summer courses at Al Akhawayn University and the scholarship application form are available at www.aui.ma.
*Translated by Gabriel Pomerancblum
