Pope Cyril IV Scholarship
About the Pope Cyril IV Scholarship
In one of his first acts as Pope, Cyril IV opened the first modern Coptic school. Despite his short-lived tenure of seven years during which he faced tremendous internal and external opposition, Pope Cyril IV opened five modern schools including two for females making him the founder of native female education in Egypt. In addition to the sciences, the curriculum of these schools included six languages, one of which was Coptic. It is due to his efforts that the Coptic language was resurrected. He also made sure to teach Coptic students the old Coptic hymns, saving them for posterity.
Pope Cyril IV took a deep personal interest in his schools urging foreigners to visit and assess the quality of the education they provided. Most remarkable is that he opened his schools to all students regardless of creed. Given that education was provided for free from the papacy’s own finances, such a move was progressive at the time. Five of Egypt’s future Prime Ministers graduated from these schools. It is thanks to his efforts that Copts were well equipped to face the challenges of their time and preserve their identity and heritage.
Walking in the footsteps of such a trailblazer, Coptic Orphans launched the Pope Cyril IV scholarship in 2019 as a merit-based scholarship program serving the organization’s mission to engage Coptic Diaspora in the issues that are deemed important to the welfare and status of Copts in the homeland. Through this scholarship, Coptic Orphans is committed to support a generation of promising Coptic American youth as they embark on their higher education journey in the top US universities in the fields of Journalism, Political Science, and International Relations.
This program is an unprecedented initiative by a Coptic nonprofit organization supporting higher education. The aim of this initiative is to facilitate exceptional intellectual development and character building of young Coptic Americans who are passionate about their heritage and faith, as well as the future and welfare of their fellow Copts in Egypt.
It is anticipated that the awardee would pursue a career that influences policy, advocate for the Coptic cause, and spearhead positive change in the political, economic and social spheres for Copts in Egypt and around the world.
The scholarship is awarded annually to one young Coptic American applying to an undergraduate program at one of the top schools in the US. The amount of the scholarship is set at $20,000 paid directly to the awardee over the course of their studies ($5,000 a year for four years).
An applicant should complete and submit an application form.
- A Personal Statement explaining the applicant’s suitability for the scholarship (800 words max.).
- An essay responding to this question: “What does being Coptic Orthodox mean to you?” (800 words max.)
- Copy of SAT or ACT scores.
- Copy of Essays submitted to the University.
- Two recommendation letters from credible people who have a close relationship with the applicant and are aware of their character traits and personal development (e.g. priest/ father of confession, high school counselor/ teacher, church ministry or volunteering supervisor, or any other type of mentor). Letters of recommendation should be emailed directly to: PopeCyrilScholarship@copticorphans.org
- Copy of University/ School Acceptance Letter
Eligibility Criteria
To be considered for the scholarship, applicant:
- Must be a Coptic Orthodox American residing in the US.
- Has already applied to one of the approved universities and has been accepted. Fields of Study are limited to: Journalism, Political Science, and International Relations.
- Has been or are currently actively involved in volunteering, church service or other extracurricular activities.
- Is able to demonstrate awareness of and commitment to the Coptic cause and the promotion of Copts’ issues in the homeland. This includes but is not limited to past trips to Egypt and serving the Coptic Community there.
Mentorship and Awardee Commitments
Once awarded the scholarship, the awardee will be assigned a mentor who will be following up with the awardee once every 3 months in order to provide guidance and ensure a successful academic achievement.
Under the supervision of the assigned mentor, the awardee is also expected to accomplish the following requirements in the time leading to graduation from the designated university:
- Volunteer for Coptic Orphans for one month or more during a summer session
- Complete one internship:
- For Political Science or International Relations students: think tanks, government agencies, Congress, or other relevant organizations, (or publishing advocacy pieces on Copts).
- For Journalism students: top newspapers (or publishing advocacy pieces on Copts).
Finally, the awardee is expected to pursue a post-graduation career where (s)he can influence policy and advocate for the Coptic cause.
Scholarship Renewal
After the first year, the scholarship will be renewed for a second, third and fourth years provided that the mentee achieves the goals set forth in the mentor’s plan and indicated in the annual progress report submitted by the mentor.
Application Package
An applicant should complete and submit an application form and provide the following documentation as part of the application process:
- A Personal Statement explaining the applicant’s suitability for the scholarship (800 words max).
- An essay responding to this question: “What does being Coptic Orthodox mean to you?” (800 words max).
- Copy of SAT or ACT scores.
- Copy of Essays submitted to the University.
- Two recommendation letters from credible people who have a close relationship with the applicant and are aware of their character traits and personal development (e.g. priest/ father of confession, high school counselor/ teacher, church ministry or volunteering supervisor, or any other type of mentor). Letters of recommendation should be emailed directly to: PopeCyrilScholarship@copticorphans.org
- Copy of University/ School Acceptance Letter.
Application and Decision Timeline
Applications Open: January 1st
Applications Deadline: April 15th
Interviews with candidates: First half of May
Final Decision communicated with awardee: June 1st
Award Ceremony in Washington DC: Mid-June
Approved Universities
| Political Science | International Studies | Journalism |
| Harvard University Stanford University Princeton University University of California—Berkeley University of Michigan—Ann Arbor Yale University Columbia University Duke University Massachusetts Institute of Technology University of North Carolina—Chapel Hill New York University University of California—Los Angeles University of Chicago |
Harvard University Princeton University Stanford University Georgetown University Columbia University Yale University University of Chicago George Washington University American University University of California—Berkeley University of California—San Diego Dartmouth College Tufts University University of Michigan Johns Hopkins University |
Columbia University New York University American University University of Southern California University of North Carolina—Chapel Hill Stanford University University of Florida Arizona State University University of Missouri Northwestern University Pennsylvania state University University of Texas—Austin |
Contact Us:
For general questions about the scholarship, please email us at:
PopeCyrilScholarship@copticorphans.org