The University of Chicago has received US$25 million from an anonymous donor to support financial aid for undergraduate international students.
The donor’s latest gift of $25m is in addition to an earlier contribution of $10m from the same donor in 2017.
“This generous gift will greatly enhance the accessibility of a University of Chicago education”
The funds will build on the university’s flagship financial aid program – the Odyssey Scholarship Program – which, over the previous decade, has offered support for tuition, room and board, and career development through paid, substantive internships and research opportunities for more than 4,400 students.
“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,” said president Robert J. Zimmer in a statement.
“This generous gift will allow more international students to benefit from and contribute to the University of Chicago’s transformative educational environment while advancing our commitment to foster a rich diversity of ideas and perspectives,” Zimmer added.
“We are extremely grateful for the opportunity to be able to provide support for more international students to our College community,” said John W. Boyer, dean of the College.
“International students contribute significantly to the diversity of perspectives that is essential to our unique style of learning.
“This generous gift will greatly enhance the accessibility of a University of Chicago education for student scholars around the world,” he added.
Earlier this week, the school’s newspaper the Chicago Maroon reported that annual tuition and on-campus housing costs will rise to over $80,000 for the upcoming academic year, making it the most expensive undergraduate education in the US.
