Who can apply?

Mid-career professionals who are working at the Government of Egypt (GOE) and non-Government of Egypt (non-GOE) entities that submitted an Expression of Interest Form (EOI) and have 7 to 17 years of experience with at least two years out of them in the same field of study/training they are applying for. For more information on the eligible employment contracts please visit the general instructions section in the eligibility criteria.

If your institution did not submit an EOI form, you will not be able to apply for the program this cohort.

Check if your institution submitted an EOI from the lists below:

• To check the list of eligible GOE entities who submitted EOI, please click here.
• To check the list of eligible non-GOE entities who submitted EOI, please click here.

Duration of study:

Degree	Duration
Master’s degree in Egypt	Up to two academic years. The selected study program must be between 27 and 36 credit hours.
Master’s degree in the U.S.	Up to one academic year with a full-time load. For applicants from academic careers, the duration might be extended to a maximum of two years, however, this will be considered on a case-by-case basis. The selected study program should be between 27 and 33 credit hours.
Postdoctoral Studies	Applicants must complete their research engagement within their study period of three months at a U.S. university. Applicants must complete research review and publishing-related work under the remote guidance of a U.S. mentor upon return to Egypt for a duration up to another three months.
Short-term training in the U.S.	Capitalizing on the public-private sector engagement, the short-term training will be initiated in the U.S. and will run for 45 days followed by a collaborative phase including the participants of the short-term training in Egypt from GOE and Non-GOE entities. The training program in the U.S. is structured differently from the phase conducted in Egypt. The overall training is implemented over a period of up to Six months including the training in the U.S. and Egypt. The training phase in Egypt is designed to accommodate working professionals.
Short-term training in Egypt	Nine months as the short-term training in Egypt for cohort 2 is offered for applicants who would like to pursue the Hospital Management and Operational Excellence diploma at the American University in Cairo
The expected date of start for all programs is August/September, 2025.

The Individual Application Process for Applicants Working at EOI Signatory Entities:

1. Online application: The applicant will have to fill out the USAID Egyptian Pioneers application through this link.

1. Filtration Stage: Applications are filtered in terms of eligibility criteria and required documents.
2. Interview: The purpose of the online personal interview is to assess the relevance of your profile and ensure that it matches the nature of the program. Applicants who have been shortlisted will be invited to an interview with a panel of experts representing the Ministry of Higher Education and Scientific Research (MOHESR), the American University in Cairo (AUC) faculty members, and subject matter experts representing the non-GOE entities.

 

1. The Selection Process:

1. Study offer

Candidates who successfully pass the three selection stages will receive a nomination email, in which they will be informed of the future university admission steps.

1. Final acceptance

The award letter will be sent to candidates via email after they have:

1. Successfully admitted to the selected university in the U.S. or Egypt.
2. Submitted their translated and notarized documents.
3. Completed their English language training (if applicable) and acquired the mandatory English scores.
4. Received the visa to the U.S. (if applicable).

 

Appeal

We welcome receiving your appeals via email. Please make sure to read the eligibility criteria thoroughly before submitting your appeal.

You can send your appeals to usaidegpioneers1@aucegypt.edu with all the required information (Name, email, national ID, program, and reason for appeal) so that we can look into your request. All appeals must be related to the recent cohort (Cohort Two) by the announced deadline.

 

Online Applications Steps

Application Instructions:

1. Before starting the online application, please make sure to familiarize yourself with the eligibility criteria through this link.
2. Filling in the application will take approximately 120 minutes.
3. Applicants can fill in and save the application for editing before submitting it. However, it must be submitted before the deadline of November 15th, 2024.
4. Each applicant can only submit one application. Therefore, please check the information very well before submitting.
5. Please make sure that the email address you use for applying is accessible to you because you will receive further communications through it.
6. Please make sure to use a computer/laptop to fill in the application. Some features might not properly work if you use your cell phone.
7. All questions must be answered in English.
8. In order for your application to be considered, applicants of all tracks must submit the following documents:
1. A copy of the national ID (front and back).
2. A proof of disability (if applicable). This proof should be presented through the Integrated Services Card or a signed and stamped health certificate from a public or university hospital indicating the type and degree of the disability.
3. Proof of highest achieved academic degree in English.
4. Curriculum Vitae in English.
5. One signed recommendation letter aligned with the templates shared on USAID Egyptian Pioneers’ website.
6. Signed approval letter from your current department of the home institution including employment status and aligned with the templates shared on USAID Egyptian Pioneers’ website. Please note that the letter must be signed physically not electronically and stamped.

 

• In addition to the previously listed documents, applicants will be required to submit additional documents depending on their choice of track as follows:

Programs in the U.S.

Master’s degree in Egypt

A copy of a passport that is valid during the whole study duration is to be submitted along with the application to the program. Proof of English language proficiency as per the program requirements announced in the eligibility criteria in this link. Please Note: -          Only candidates of master’s degree in the U.S. will be required to submit officially issued transcripts in English for all completed years of study.

Proof of English language proficiency as per the program requirements announced in the eligibility criteria in this link. Officially issued transcripts in English for all completed years of study. Please Note: -          Other documents might be requested during the admission process for the program/ track and should be submitted upon request.

 

• For the template of the approval letter, please click this link for the English version and this link for the Arabic version.
• For the template of the recommendation letter, please click this link for the English version and this link for the Arabic version.
• All documents must be uploaded in a PDF format. Please make sure to rename the required documents before uploading, e.g. (Candidate’ full name- national ID number).
• Please note that only documents from your employer can be provided in Arabic, which are the letter of approval, employment status, and recommendation letter. Your proof of academic degree and transcripts must be submitted in English.

 

1. The online application includes the following mandatory sections:
1. Personal Information
2. Current Employment
3. English Proficiency
4. Academic Background
5. Academic Program and University of Interest
6. Personal Duties and Goals
7. Capacity Development and Reintegration Plan
8. Supporting Documents
2. USAID Egyptian Pioneers will only accept applications submitted online. Applications sent by email, courier, or any other method will not be considered.
3. Please familiarize yourself further with the program through visiting the Frequently Asked Questions page.

 

 

 

Disclaimers: ⃞ Please note that all the questions must be answered in order for the application to be considered. Not completing any section or adding an irrelevant/ invalid (expired date, not signed/ stamped…etc) document disqualifies the application. ⃞USAID Egyptian Pioneers reserves the right, after interview and during the selection process, to recommend applicants who applied for a specific track into another track that we deem fit for him/her, i.e. Masters applicants to short-term training or Masters in the U.S. to Masters in Egypt. ⃞All applicants must note that they are eligible for only one opportunity of USAID Egyptian Pioneers tracks throughout its implementation duration. Applicants may choose to accept the redirection track or opt to reapply in the following cohorts with no guarantee of acceptance. It is worth noting that the priority sectors and study topics may change with every cohort.   ⃞According to USAID Scientific Integrity Policy, plagiarism is described as  “The appropriation of another person’s ideas, processes, results, or words”. USAID Egyptian Pioneers encourages candidates with a sense of ownership and leadership who can articulate their ideas, thoughts, and writings in their own words clearly and concisely. I understand that USAID Egyptian Pioneers may disqualify my application if I do not submit my own unaided work or if I fail to acknowledge the ideas or words of someone else in my writing. ⃞ Agree on all above

 

 

Program Selection Requirements:

Whilst filling out the scholarship application, candidates are required to fulfill the following as per their chosen program/track:

• Programs in the U.S. for Government of Egypt Employees
1. Master’s degree in the U.S.

For Master’s Degree in the U.S. applicants, please read the following instructions thoroughly regarding the programs’ selection:

• The applicant can suggest an MS program for UEP’s consideration. The self-suggested program must have the following features:
  1. Must be 30-33 credit hours long only (12-13 months duration)
  2. Each credit hour cost for an international student must not exceed $1250 - $1300 per credit hour.
• The program should require less than $1,000 in “other fees”. Other fees may include, gym, parking, lab, and library usage.
1. The program’s curriculum must have core courses that directly relate to the priority sectors and/or subsectors.
2. The program must have rolling admission dates and should have the flexibility to accept late applications.

 

1. Postdoctoral Studies in the U.S.

After initial selection, the Postdoctoral candidates would be required to submit a short proposal (1-2 pages only) outlining their research interests and what they intend to gain/complete within 3 to 6 months of studies in the U.S. and self-study under the guidance of their U.S. mentor when they come back to Egypt. This proposal would be shared with U.S. universities for the identification of mentor professors.

 

1. Short-term Training in the U.S.

Applicants must understand that short-term training is not individualized but will be provided in a group and will cover a diverse set of topics within one of the announced priority sectors. Applicants will select one to two topics from the below list that directly relate to the announced priority sectors and to their current jobs:

1. Sustainable Tourism Management and Operations
2. Transition Pathway for Green and Digital Industries
3. Twin Transitions for Supply Chains and Logistics – Green and Digital

 

• Programs in Egypt for Government of Egypt Employees
1. Master’s degree in Egypt
• During the scholarship application stage, you must choose from the following universities during filling in the application
1. The American University in Cairo
2. Alexandria University
• Ain Shams University
1. Mansoura University

 

• Upon receiving a study offer, the applicant must choose only one program from the list of academic programs announced by each of the aforementioned universities in alignment with USAID Egyptian Pioneers priority sector.

 

1. Short-term training in Egypt
• Please note that candidates applying to short-term training in Egypt can only attend the “Hospital Management and Operational Excellence” Diploma.

 

• Programs in Egypt for non-Government of Egypt Employees
1. Short-term training in Egypt

Applicants will select one to two topics that directly relate to the announced priority sectors.