USC to provide scholarships for Syrian refugees

LOS ANGELES, Calif. (FOX 11) - The University of Southern California says it will fund up to five graduate degrees and one undergraduate degree for Syrian refugees.

The students, who must meet USC's admissions standards, will be able to pursue master's degrees from the University's Price School for Public Policy, Viterbi School of Engineering and the Annenberg School for Communication and Journalism, with all tuition covered.

One full-tuition undergraduate scholarship will also be given.

The students who earn the scholarships will begin arriving at the university in spring of 2017.

The scholarships are part of the IIE Syria Consortium for Higher Education in Crisis, which aims to help Syrian refuges unable to pursue higher education at home because of the unrest in the region.

Elizabeth Graddy, the vice provost of academic and faculty affairs, says "A university with the stature and profile of USC must ensure that students and scholars of all backgrounds are afforded the opportunity to be part of a culture of academic excellence."

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