The University of Chicago has received an anonymous donation to provide financial aid to undergraduate international students, the school said in a release.
The donor provided a new gift of $25 million, in addition to an earlier gift of $10 million, to the Odyssey Scholarship Program, the University’s flagship financial aid program that supports undergraduate education.
The gift will help enroll more international students with high academic abilities, who will receive financial support during their period of study at the university.
“Welcoming international students and scholars enhance all of the University’s efforts in research and education, and enables us to reach our highest aspirations as an intellectual destination for people of all backgrounds,” University of Chicago president Robert J. Zimmer said.
Under the Odyssey program, students receive support for tuition, room, board, study abroad, academic enrichment, and career development through paid, substantive internships and research opportunities.
In May, the university also received a $24.1 million gift from Nassef Sawiris to fund the Sawiris Scholars Program which allows college students from Egypt to attend UChicago’s undergraduate school and the College’s Odyssey Scholarship program. The Sawiris Scholars Program was established in 2007 with a gift of $26 million from Nassef Sawiris to honor his father.
Currently, many schools across the U.S. are witnessing a decline in their enrollment of international students for the third consecutive year due to factors such as the country’s political climate, according to an Open Doors Report on International Educational Exchange
Out of 540 institutions surveyed for the report, 49 percent reported a decline in new international student enrollment, 44 percent recorded an increase, while enrollment at 7 percent of institutions saw a stable pattern.
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