For more scholarships for IAS majors, international students, and study abroad, visit the main CIS scholarships page.
The Ambassador Edward J. Perkins Scholarship was created to assist University of Oklahoma students pursuing studies in Africa and other strategic areas. The scholarship may also assist students coming to study at the University of Oklahoma from overseas (see details regarding admissions for international students). This fund was established in the memory of the late Marjorie Schenfeld Stewart.
Awards are given on a competitive basis to qualified undergraduate and graduate students. Awards are based on factors such as (1) quality of the student’s educational objectives and preparation for overseas study; (2) student’s field of study, with preference going to International and Area Studies majors; (3) cost of overseas trip; and (4) the student’s financial need.
Scholarship applicants must meet the following specific criteria:
Deadline: February 1
IMPORTANT NOTE: Any student unable to complete the program will be required to return the full amount of the award to The College of International Studies.
*Application is through OU's CASH scholarship hub.
The Board of Visitors Study Abroad Scholarship was created on the initiative and generosity of advisors to, and constituents of, the College of International Studies at the University of Oklahoma. The scholarship emphasizes the value of study abroad experiences in destinations that are typically underrepresented.
Awards will be given on a competitive basis to qualified undergraduate and graduate students participating in OU study abroad programs. Awards are based on factors such as (1) quality of the student’s educational objectives and preparation for overseas study; (2) the student’s field of study, with preference going to International and Area Studies majors; and (3) the student’s financial need.
Eligibility Criteria:
Preference will be given to students studying abroad in a non-western country.
Deadline: February 1
IMPORTANT NOTE:
Any student unable to complete the program will be required to return the full amount of the award to the College of International Studies.
*Application is through OU's CASH scholarship hub.
The Farzaneh family has been long-time supporters of the University of Oklahoma and the College of International Studies. The Farzaneh Family’s gift to the University of Oklahoma supports Iranian and Persian Gulf Studies at OU and includes scholarships to OU students studying the Persian language.
Eligibility Criteria:
Deadline: April 1
This scholarship was established in honor of Mrs. Sandra Mackey, who was an esteemed veteran journalist and famed international author on the Middle East. Given her interest and expertise on this global region, the Mackey Family Scholarship provides financial assistance to students who wish to focus their studies on Arabic or the Middle East.
Eligibility Criteria:
Priority consideration will be given to those with high academic standing and demonstrated financial need.
Deadline: February 1
*Application is through the OU CASH scholarship hub.
Mehdi Firoozabadi, who graduated from the University of Oklahoma in 1969 with a degree in Petroleum Engineering, was an international student from Iran who served as the President of the International Advisory Committee at the University of Oklahoma. His love for the University of Oklahoma was inspired by the warmth and support that he received from the university, its students and the surrounding community during his four years in Norman. His brother Amir fondly remembers waiting with anticipation to receive letters from Mehdi stamped, “Norman, OK USA.” In 1970 after graduation, Mehdi returned home to Iran to honor his scholarship from the National Iranian Oil company and go to work for them in the field. Although it was tough, dirty work, Mehdi kept a positive attitude and was promoted to superintendent of Lavant, an offshore petrolatum company in the Persian Gulf. He was happily married for six months when tragedy struck, and his car crashed into a river canyon. He lost his life on June 7, 1975.
Now, Amir, a proud US citizen who considered his brother a “model citizen,” wishes to honor Mehdi’s legacy and show his appreciation for the University of Oklahoma by helping future generations of Iranian Americans and other students who seek to promote the enduring friendship between the Iranian and American people as Sooners.
Scholarship applicants must meet the following specific criteria:
Deadline: February 1
IMPORTANT NOTE: Any student unable to complete the program will be required to return the full amount of the award to the College of International Studies.
This scholarship is to honor the memory of Millie Schäfer Sitzman, whose interest from early years focused on missionaries in Africa. The scholarship is for University of Oklahoma students in a program of international study.
The award is given on a competitive basis to qualified undergraduate and graduate students. The recipient should demonstrate (1) high academic achievement, (2) participation in campus activities, and (3) involvement in the community at large.
Scholarship applicants must meet the following specific criteria:
Deadline: February 1
The St. Elijah’s and Anthony Shadid Arabic Language Study Scholarship will be awarded to the best student in Middle East Studies whose principal language of study is Arabic.
This scholarship was created out of the initiative and generosity of OU alum Anthony Shadid and the St. Elijah’s Church. The scholarship is unique in that it emphasizes the value of language and cultural experiences in the Middle East.
Awards will be given on a competitive basis to undergraduate and graduate students majoring in International and Area Studies and participating in an OU approved study abroad program in the Middle East. Awards are based on factors such as grades, promise in the field, language acquisition, faculty recommendations and the student’s financial need.
Eligibility Criteria:
Deadline: February 1
IMPORTANT NOTE:
Any student unable to complete the program will be required to return the full amount of the award to the College of International Studies.
The OU Iranian Studies Best Paper Award is awarding a $250 prize for the best undergraduate research paper on a topic in the area of Iranian Studies. Papers must be no longer that 20 pages and may focus on any topic or time period relating to the history, culture, politics and society of Iran and the Persian-speaking world.
Deadline: May 5, 2023
Questions regarding the prize should be directed to Manata Hashemi at hashemi@ou.edu or Afshin Marashi at amarashi@ou.edu.
Submit your paper for the Iranian Studies Prize
Past Winners
2022 winner: Andrew Wall, "Feminine Beauty in Iranian Cinema: How Filmmakers in a Censored Industry Represent the Problems Women Face in Iran through Art"
2021 winner: Gabriela Ramirez-Perez, “The Periphery Takes Center Stage: Behind the Scenes in the Medieval Islamic World”
2020 winner: Alyssa Wiley, "The Tudeh Party in Iran from 1941-1953: A Tool of the Soviet Union or a Natural Evolution of Iranian Politics"
2019 winner: Lindsey Eisenmann, "American Colonialism and the Illusion of Power in US-Iranian Relations"
2018 winner: Adam Oberlitner, "Queer Theology: Theological, Theocratic, and Secular Influences on Iran's Relationship with Transgender Bodies"
2017 Winner: Jared Johnson, for his paper titled, "Iran's Others through Cinema."
The OU Center for Middle East Studies and OU European Union Center hosts a contest for the best paper that addresses any aspect of conflict resolution, affecting any country that borders the Mediterranean Sea. This award is named for Thomas W. Adams, a former officer in the US State Department who has published extensively on the conflict between the Turks and Greeks on the island of Cyprus.
Submission Guidelines:
Submissions will be evaluated by a committee of faculty. The award recipient will receive $750.
Deadline: May 1, 2023
Submit your paper for the Adams Award
Past Winners
2021: Peter King: "Terror and Radicalization in the Islamist Context: The Cases of Egypt, Palestine, and the European Muslim Diaspora"
2020: Lauren Douglas, ""Russia and Counterterrorism: State Motivations in Chechnya and Syria"
2019: Bailey Ashbaker, "The Role of Islamist Groups in Development and Poverty Alleviation: The Changing Role of Islamism in the Middle East"
2018: Libby Trowbridge, "The Role of Libyan Weapons in Mali"
2017: James L. Ratcliff, "Weak States and Political Grievances: Understanding the Causes of the Second Libyan Civil War."
2016: Daniel Moses, "Billions of Dollars Lost Along The Checkpoints? An Econometric Analysis of Labor Mobility, Economic Development, And Violence In The Israeli-Palestinian Conflict."
The U.S. Department of State’s Benjamin A. Gilman International Scholarship Program enables students of limited financial means to study or intern abroad, providing them with skills critical to our national security and economic prosperity. The Institute of International Education has administered the program since its inception in 2001.
Boren Scholars and Fellows study a wide range of critical languages including Arabic; awards are available to students of all proficiency levels and fields of study who are committed to enhancing their skills. Boren Scholars and Fellows immerse themselves in the cultures in world regions underrepresented in study abroad, including Africa and the Middle East.
The CLS Program is part of a U.S. government effort to expand dramatically the number of Americans studying and mastering critical foreign languages. Students of diverse disciplines and majors are encouraged to apply. Participants are expected to continue their language study beyond the scholarship period, and later apply their critical language skills in their future professional careers.
Each summer, CLS provides rigorous academic instruction in fifteen languages that are critical to America's national security and economic prosperity. CLS participants are citizen ambassadors, sharing American values and promoting American influence abroad.
For more information, contact CLS adviser Jeanette Santibanez at jeanette.santibanez@ou.edu.
Sponsored by the US Department of State’s Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs, the Fulbright US Student Program offers fellowships abroad for one academic year to graduating college seniors, graduate students, young professionals, scientists and artists. Program participants pursue graduate or professional study, advanced research, or English teaching in elementary and secondary schools or universities. Each year, approximately 1,600 Americans traveling to more than 140 countries receive support from the Fulbright US Student Program.
For more information, contact OU Fulbright Adviser Maura McAndrew at mmcandrew@ou.edu.
