In total 65 scholarships are being awarded this year, 40 coming from the private sector and 25 from the embassy, for students to complete three years of learning English at two locations of the Paraguayan American Cultural Centre.

This marks the sixth year that the US Embassy has teamed with the private sector in Paraguay to offer scholarships to outstanding young university students with limited resources. The aim of the programme is to provide them with the ability to “reach an advanced level knowledge of English to enable them to be candidates for Fulbright scholarships for graduate studies offered by the US Embassy”.

Each year the number of scholarships up for grabs varies, explained Jazmin Ramirez, youth outreach and English programmes assistant for the US Embassy. “The first time we did it we got more support from companies because they were excited about the new programme. Every year it just depends on the goodwill of the companies.”

Annually between 200-300 students apply for the scholarships and Ramirez says this year looks to have a similar turn out.

Each year the US Embassy in Paraguay offers 10 Fulbright scholarships

Sponsored by the Chamber of Commerce Paraguayan American and the US Embassy in Paraguay, students must show an interest in doing postgraduate studies through the Fulbright programme which requires a minimum of 580-600 on the TOEFL exam.

Applicants must be a resident in Paraguay, be studying a university degree that isn’t medicine (because the Fulbright programme doesn’t cover medicine degrees), demonstrate limited financial resources and excellent academic records. In addition to showing a strong interest in learning English and pursuing postgraduate studies in the US, students must not currently be studying English.

This year, the Embassy is also offering an additional 25 scholarships to select students from the groups that started the English programme in 2006 and 2007. Funds will be provided for a 19 month intensive course of grammar and conversation as well as a TOEFL preparation course. The scholarships also covers the TOEFL exam fees.

Each year the US Embassy in Paraguay offers 10 Fulbright scholarships for students to study Masters degrees at US universities.