MPOWER Refugee Scholarship

• Be accepted at or enrolled in a full-time degree program at a U.S. or Canadian school that MPOWER supports, and

• Be an international student allowed to legally study in the U.S. or Canada, as applicable through one of the following:
  • Be a refugee or asylee from any country (or pursuing such status)
  • Have Temporary Protected Status
  • Be a beneficiary of Deferred Enforced Departure (DED) status
• You do not need to apply for a loan with MPOWER but are welcome to.

All eligible students must complete the application form to enter the scholarship. Scroll up for the application form

You must have your visa stamped in your passport by the closing date of the scholarship application date.

Winners will be selected based solely on their essay submission. MPOWER will select winners based on:

• The quality of the applicant’s essay; the essay should demonstrate clarity of thought, compelling goals and vision, and superior communication skills in English;
• The extent to which there is a clear nexus between the applicant’s intended field of study and his/her goals and aspirations; and
• The applicant’s potential as a scientist, entrepreneur, leader, and/or change-maker who will make a positive impact.

MPOWER will offer one US$2,000 grand prize scholarship and two US$1,000 scholarships for this scholarship cycle.

The application deadline for this cycle is 11:59 p.m. Eastern Standard Time (EST) on February 28, 2025.

We expect to notify the winners within 4 weeks of the application deadline.

Following MPOWER’s selection of winners, MPOWER will verify their eligibility. Following verification, all winners will be sent a Release Form. Following MPOWER’s receipt of a winner’s executed Release Form, MPOWER will disburse the funds directly to the winner’s college/university, subject to the requirements of any applicable U.S. or Canadian laws. In the event that a winner cannot be verified, or fails or refuses to execute the Release Form, such person becomes ineligible for the scholarship, and MPOWER will select a replacement winner.

No purchase necessary. Void where prohibited. Only one entry per scholarship. By applying for the MPOWER MBA Scholarship, you agree to be bound by the official terms and conditions (“Terms and Conditions”).

Employees (including their immediate family [for e.g., spouse, parents, siblings, and children], and household members) of MPOWER Financing (the “MPOWER” ), its affiliates, subsidiaries and those of any agent, vendor, or supplier of MPOWER, are not eligible. Eligibility is contingent upon agreement to, compliance with, and fulfillment of all requirements set forth herein. Participation in the MPOWER MBA Scholarship constitutes an entrant’s full and unconditional agreement to these Terms and Conditions and MPOWER’s decisions, which are final and binding in all matters related to the MPOWER MBA Scholarship. Where applicable, the MPOWER MBA Scholarship is subject to federal, state, and local laws and regulations.

The MBA Scholarship (the “Scholarship”) is open only to students who meet the following requirements:

• The student is accepted at, or enrolled in, a full-time degree program at a U.S. or Canadian school that MPOWER supports, and
• Be an international student allowed to legally study in the U.S. or Canada, as applicable.
  • For study in the U.S., this means that the applicant is either a U.S. permanent resident (Green Card holder), protected under the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) program, or has a valid visa that permits study in the U.S.
  • For study in Canada, this means the applicant is either a Canadian permanent resident or has a valid Canadian study permit.

You do not need to be an MPOWER borrower or applicant to apply for the MPOWER MBA Scholarship as long as you meet the eligibility criteria set forth above.

We have created this scholarship specifically for international and DACA students. Therefore, U.S. citizens wishing to study in the U.S. and Canadian citizens wishing to study in Canada are not eligible for this scholarship.

MPOWER Financing, Public Benefit Corporation, 1101 Connecticut Avenue NW, Suite 900, 20036 Washington, District of Columbia

The Scholarship ends on February 28, 2025, at 11:59 PM EST. Only entries submitted and received during the Scholarship Period will be eligible. MPOWER is both the official timekeeper and final arbiter of eligibility for each Scholarship. For the Scholarship Period, three (3) Scholarship winners will be selected. The first-place winner will be awarded a US$2,000 MPOWER Scholarship to be applied to tuition, fees, or expenses at the winner’s school of attendance (each a “Prize”). Two additional winners will be awarded a US$1,000 scholarship. Students (the “Entrants”) may enter the Scholarship once.

For any scholarship, only one entry will be accepted. Entrants must enter once during the Scholarship period. For each Scholarship, Entrants must fully complete and submit the online Scholarship entry form (an “Entry”) found at https://www.mpowerfinancing.com/scholarships/. Any Entry that does not comply with these Terms and Conditions is void. All Entries become the property of MPOWER and will not be acknowledged or returned. Entry constitutes permission (except where prohibited by law) to use entrant’s university name, state, country of origin, and/or essay question response for purposes of advertising, promotion, and publicity in any and all media now or hereafter known, throughout the world in perpetuity, without additional compensation, notification, permission, or approval. Any Entry found to contain erroneous, expired, canceled, fraudulent, or fake information is void. Only the actual student may participate in the MPOWER MBA Scholarship, and the completion of the online entry form by any family member or other individual or entity will disqualify such Entry from this Scholarship. Any attempt by any person to obtain more than one Entry by any means (including, but not limited to, the use of multiple email addresses, phone numbers, identities, registrations, or logins; or any other unauthorized method of entry) will result in such person’s automatic disqualification from the MPOWER MBA Scholarship. By submitting an Entry, you agree that MPOWER may, from time to time, communicate with you regarding products and services that it believes may be of interest to you.

Three (3) Scholarship winners will be selected. The first-place winner will be awarded a US$2,000 MPOWER Scholarship to be applied to tuition, fees, or expenses at the winner’s school of attendance (each a “Prize”). Two additional winners will be awarded a US$1,000 scholarship. Students (the “Entrants”) may enter the Scholarship once. There are no substitutions permitted for any awarded Prize. A Prize will only be awarded to the person submitting the Entry and may not be sold, assigned, or otherwise transferred (“Transfer”). Any Scholarship details or attempted Transfer shall be void. Any prize details not specified above will be determined by MPOWER in its sole discretion.

All entries will be judged based on the quality of the essay question response. MPOWER will review all applicable and valid Entries and select finalists based on the selection criteria. A panel of three judges will then review the finalists’ applications and select the winners. The essay must be written in English and will be scored based on a combination of (1) The quality of the applicant’s essay; the essay should demonstrate clarity of thought, a compelling goals and vision, and superior communication skills in English; (2) The extent to which there is a clear nexus between the applicant’s intended field of study and his/her goals and aspirations; and (3) The applicant’s potential as a scientist, entrepreneur, leader, and/or change-maker who will make a positive impact.

Prior to any decision, MPOWER reserves the right to conduct interviews and/or request additional information from any Entrants related to their Entry. The Judges’ decision is final and binding. Winners will be notified within one month of the submission deadline. All decisions (including but not limited to eligibility determinations) will be final and binding and are not subject to challenge or appeal. Prize awards are subject to MPOWER’s verification of winners’ eligibility. All winners will be required to submit (without alteration and in the form provided by MPOWER) a completed and signed Affidavit of Eligibility and Liability & Publicity Release (the “Release”). In the event that the Winner is under 18 years of age at the time of award, the Winner’s parents will be required to submit a completed and signed Affidavit of Eligibility and Liability & Publicity Release. Winner’s failure to timely return an executed Release within the required time period to MPOWER will void a winner’s Prize award and MPOWER reserves the right to award such Prize to an alternate entrant. Winners are solely responsible for the payment of any applicable federal, state, and local taxes associated with their acceptance and receipt of any Prize. Winners acknowledge that their Prize may be subject to U.S. or Canadian withholding and that they may be required to execute and return to MPOWER the U.S. Department of the Treasury Internal Revenue Service Form W-9 or applicable Canadian form. All winners will be notified by telephone, email, and/or regular mail using contact information provided on their Entry. MPOWER shall have no liability for any winner notification that is lost, intercepted, or not received by the potential winner for any reason. If any potential winner does not respond within the time required by MPOWER, or if any winner notification is returned as unclaimed or undeliverable to a potential winner, or fails to timely return the Release to MPOWER, the Prize for that Scholarship will be awarded to an alternative winner selected by the Judges based on the results of the aforementioned judging criteria. Following MPOWER’s verification of winner’s eligibility and receipt of the executed Release from a winner, MPOWER shall pay the Prize on winner’s behalf, directly to winner’s school of enrollment. MPOWER will not have any liability to winner in the event that winner’s school refuses, loses, fails to properly apply, or otherwise fails to credit any Prize (or portion thereof) for winner’s benefit.

Except where prohibited by law, Entrant agrees that: (1) all disputes, claims, and causes of action arising out of or connected with a Scholarship or any prize awarded will be resolved individually, without resort to any form of class action, and exclusively by the appropriate federal or state court located in the District of Columbia; (2) all claims, judgments, and awards will be limited to actual out-of-pocket costs incurred, including costs associated with entering a Scholarship, but in no event will include attorneys’ fees; and (3) Entrant will not be permitted to obtain awards for indirect, punitive incidental and consequential damage and any rights to have damages multiplied or otherwise increased. All issues and questions concerning the construction, validity, interpretation, and enforceability of these Terms and Conditions, or the rights or obligations of Entrant or MPOWER in connection with a Scholarship, are governed by and construed in accordance with the laws of the State of Delaware, without giving effect to any choice of law or conflict of law rules, no matter what jurisdiction, that would cause the application of the laws of any jurisdiction other than as stated.

The invalidity or unenforceability of any provision of these Terms and Conditions will not affect the validity or enforceability of any other provision. In the event any provision is found invalid or unenforceable, these Terms and Conditions will otherwise remain in effect in accordance with their terms as if the invalid or unenforceable provision was never included. MPOWER’s failure to enforce any term of these Terms and Conditions does not constitute a waiver of that provision. MPOWER may cancel, suspend, and/or modify a Scholarship or any part of it, in any way, if MPOWER determines in its sole discretion that a Scholarship is not capable of executing as MPOWER intended, or that any mistake, clerical, or typographical error, omission, fraud, technical failure, tampering, computer virus, or other factor, technical or otherwise, beyond MPOWER’s reasonable control, impairs or may impair MPOWER’s ability to properly conduct the Scholarship, subject to any applicable law or regulation.

Information collected from Entrants in connection with a Scholarship is subject to the MPOWER’s Privacy Policy.

The list of winners will be available to view on the MPOWER website. In extenuating circumstances, MPOWER may make an exception for DACA students concerned about making their immigration status public.

Though a Scholarship may be promoted via social media websites, such websites are not affiliated with MPOWER or any Scholarship. No Scholarship is in anyway sponsored, endorsed, administered by, or associated with Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, Snapchat, or any other site or medium that might host content where information about a Scholarship is posted or published (collectively “Content Hosts”). Entrant is providing information only to MPOWER and not to any Content Hosts.