India Press Releases

New Scholarship Program Takes 14 Indian Undergraduate Students To The U.S.

NEW DELHI -- U.S. Ambassador David C. Mulford congratulated 14 young scholarship students this morning, as they get ready to embark on a U.S. State Department-sponsored two-year study program in the United States. As the world redoubles its effort to curb terrorism and the forces of intolerance, he told them, he hoped that people-to-people and youth exchanges would foster an international environment of mutual understanding and tolerance. 

The Ambassador was speaking at the inauguration of a three-day predeparture orientation for the first batch of undergraduate students from around the country who have received scholarships under the Partnerships for Learning Undergraduate Studies (PLUS) Program to study in the United States. PLUS is a U.S. government-sponsored program that offers scholarships to outstanding students who exhibit academic excellence, leadership potential, and an aptitude for cultural exchange. Designed for college students in liberal arts, humanities and social sciences, the program is especially targeted at highly motivated students who belong to under-served socioeconomic communities and regions that traditionally may not have access to U.S. higher education. The program offers up to two-and-a-half years of undergraduate studies leading to a U.S. Bachelor of Arts degree from select U.S. colleges and universities.  

 

The PLUS program was introduced in 12 Middle East and North African countries in 2003. In 2004, the PLUS program was extended to South Asian countries including Afghanistan, Pakistan, Sri Lanka, Bangladesh, Nepal and India. This year, the U.S. government is sponsoring 114 PLUS scholars from 18 countries in the Middle East, North Africa and South Asia. The PLUS scholars from India will begin their tours in the U.S. between March and May 2005.  

 

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