2018 Participating Universities
- HCMC University of Natural Science
- HCMC University of Economics
- HCMC Medicine and Pharmacy University
- HCMC University of Social Sciences and Humanities
- Hue University of Agriculture
- Can Tho University
University Scholarship Program
301,952
Funded (USD)
1,855
SCHOLARSHIPS
Follow the process with us
Experience the USP cycle with us, from VietHope volunteers visiting universities to market the program, to reviewing applications and interviewing, to seeing the award ceremonies and meeting the students themselves!
Problem
Finance is the first obstacle that low-income students in Vietnam face when receiving their university admission letters. Before the joy of admissions can settle in, they already start to worry about frightening financial costs: tuition, housing rental, course materials, living expenses, etc. “To continue or to give up?” is a real question that many students ask. Giving up means closing the door to their future that just opened. But continuing means becoming a burden for their families. Facing this reality, many students choose to return to a life of manual labor instead of pursuing their intellectual dreams.
Moreover, for low-income students, the first year at university is a transition to a completely new life. Low-income students experience many intimidating changes in their living environment. Most grew up in far-flung towns and provinces, and have come to the big cities for the first time for college. During this transition, if students are assured a relatively firm financial situation, they will have more confidence and be more motivated to explore and grow. At this juncture, financial support will be a safety net as well as the first catapult to launch them closer to their futures.
Our approach
USP strives to help scholarship recipients in two ways:
[ 1 ]
To lessen the heavy financial burden of college, enabling students to succeed at the university.
[ 2 ]
To build a community of low-income youths dedicated to using their education to give back to their towns, villages and communities.
USP provides scholarships of $200, sufficient to cover tuition and educational supplies for one year. USP selects students based jointly on financial need, academic record and leadership potential in career and community.
Meet USP Scholars
Scroll through the slideshow below to meet some of our USP scholars. To find the most deserving students, USP employs a rigorous selection process comprising two rounds. The first round is a paper application screening, which includes transcript, essays, and professor references. The second round is face-to-face interviews. See more detail about the USP recruitment and selection process.
This robust selection process has helped VietHope find the most in-need and deserving students to award the scholarship to. Below are some statistics about our USP recipients in the past few years:
- 90% have a high school GPA of 7.0 or higher, with 50% at 8.0 or higher (out of maximum 10.0 GPA).
- On their university entrance exams, 55% scored 20 points or higher (out of maximum 30 points).
- 50% come from families that live under the poverty line, as defined by the General Statistics Office of Vietnam.
- 60% of their parents never attended school past middle school, and only 6% went beyond high school.
- 46% have parents who are either deceased, have lost working ability, or are chronically ill.
- 25% hold a job outside of school in order to help finance their university education.
Our outcomes
Based on annual fundraising results, over the past 10+ years, VietHope has been able to award more than 1,660 scholarships and motivated poor students to continue their college dreams.
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2017
100 scholarships, $300 each, will be awarded in Saigon, the Mekong Delta, and Hue due to dramatic increase in tuition fee in Vietnam
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2016
90 scholarships, $225 each, were awarded in Saigon, the Mekong Delta, and Hue.
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2015
80 scholarships, $200 each, were awarded in Saigon, the Mekong Delta, and Hue.
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2013 - 2014
80 scholarships, $200 each, were awarded
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2011 - 2012
100 scholarships, $160 each, were awarded for the top 100 students from a pool of over 500 students.
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2010
100scholarships, $160 each, were awarded for the top 100 students from a pool of over 400 students
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2009
100 scholarships, $150each, where awarded for the top 100 students from a pool of 663 applications
In addition to financial support, approximately 25% of USP recipients each year receive admission into VietHope’s Youth Development Program, an intensive 7-day residential leadership development experience.
Academic year 2017 - 2018
Academic year 2016 - 2017
Academic year 2015 - 2016
Academic year 2014 - 2015
Academic year 2013 - 2014