Opportunity Fund is an initiative of the U.S. Department of State that supports students in their application process to accredited U.S. universities and colleges. In Nicaragua, the Opportunity Funds program is managed by the EducationUSA office in  Centro Cultural Nicaraguense-Norteamericano. 

The Opportunity Funds program supports outstanding students with wishes to study a complete academic program in U.S. universities, at the undergraduate or graduate level, by covering costs incurred during the application process. This program is not designed for students who are currently studying at the university level and hope to transfer to a U.S. institution.

The Opportunity Funds scholarship covers the application process, with the hopes that the applicant will receive a full financial offer directly from a U.S. university or college. The Opportunity Funds scholarship does not cover tuition, housing, health insurance, or books.

The Opportunity Funds scholarship is divided into two phases:

1. Opportunity Funds scholarship recipients in the Phase I will receive funding for preparation for the standardized exams (SAT/ACT, GRE, TOEFL), the fees incurred when taking said standardized exams, standardized exam score reports, translations and certifications.
2. If the Opportunity Funds scholarship recipient receives a full economic offer directly from an accredited U.S. university or college, the student will now be eligible for Phase II benefits, which include payment for a passport, I-20, SEVIS, visa, airplane ticket, and a one-time settling in fee. If the student does not receive a full economic offer from an accredited U.S. university or college, they will not receive any Phase II economic benefits.

The chosen students will work over the course of a year to prepare themselves to prepare to accredited U.S. universities and colleges with the help and support of  EducationUSA adviser.

REQUIREMENTS

• Be a Nicaraguan citizen
• Be currently enrolled in your tenth grade of high school or already graduated from university and currently  working.
• Advanced level of English (This program does not allow students to improve their English over the course of the program, they must already have an advanced level of English).
• Outstanding grades
• Evidence of extracurricular activities (sports, community service, volunteering, etc).

* As part of the application process, applicants must submit their official grades, in one single document. For students who are still in high school, they must submit their grades from 8th, 9th and part of 10th grade of high school (including this year).

* For applicants who are recently graduated to get a Master or PHD, it is necessary to submit the grades from the entire academic career, from ALL of the universities you have attended.

* The application will close on April 19, 2024  at 6 pm. The applications will then be evaluated, and students will be notified if they have been selected to participate in Phase 2 of the application cycle in the third week of May.

Participants interested in applying to this program should answer the questionnaire in English and upload all required documents using  PDF format:

1. Water and electricity bill PDF format.
2. High school transcript  8th and 9th grade / university transcripts (all major) PDF format
3. Documents certifying parents income/ personal  (Colilla del INNS)  PDF format.
4. Any documents that certify: Community Service / Leadership skills or any other extra-curricular activity. Certificates/Diplomas/Awards. PDF format.
5.    2 Letters of recommendation. PDF format.

A. Applicants must have a Gmail address account.
B. Please fill in all required fields. If any of these documents are missing the application will not be considered complete.
C. EducationUSA will administer an English Proficiency test after the reception of documents. This test serves as a  pre-requisite to enter the program.

If a question or section does not apply to you write N/A (Not Applicable)

Note: The program is oriented to High School students in 10th grade who will graduate from High School in December 2025 (Medicine, Veterinary, Architecture, and Law are not eligible) or university graduates seeking a master or Ph. D. (Medicine, MBA, and Law are not eligible).

ALL FIELDS/QUESTIONS ARE MANDATORY. THEREFORE, INCOMPLETE APPLICATIONS WILL BE DISQUALIFIED.