Wayne State University is one of 57 colleges and universities nationwide to join the #YouAreWelcomeHere national scholarship program, pledging to create scholarships for international students to study in the United States.

Temple University leads the national initiative, which began in May 2018 with nine universities, on the heels of a widespread social media campaign. To date, the #YouAreWelcomeHere program has received commitments from institutions from Maine to Hawaii and from community colleges to large, public universities.

“Building on our proud history of serving international students — this year’s class hails from 77 countries — we at Wayne State University are proud to support the #YouAreWelcomeHere campaign and help launch its scholarship program,” says Ahmad Ezzeddine, Wayne State’s associate vice president for educational outreach and international programs.

Beginning in fall 2019, each of the 57 participating colleges and universities will offer two annual renewable scholarships, which will cover a minimum of 50 percent of recipients’ tuition. These scholarships support incoming international students who are committed to furthering the #YouAreWelcomeHere message through intercultural exchanges that bridge divides at their future campuses and beyond.

“Through our investment in supporting the #YouAreWelcomeHere scholarship, we not only help attract great talent to the university, but also continue to enrich our WSU community and advance our global and internationalization agenda,” Ezzeddine says.

In addition to the participating colleges and universities, the campaign has earned support from key international education organizations, including NAFSA: Association of International Educators and the Institute of International Education (IIE).

“The #YouAreWelcomeHere scholarship meets an essential challenge in the effort to support international and refugee students, foster intercultural understanding, and develop future leaders,” says IIE President Allan E. Goodman. “Refugee students flee conflict zones and cross intercultural divides to continue their higher education. As a higher education community, it is our responsibility to support such great efforts and welcome refugees to safe-haven universities across the United States.”

To qualify, international applicants must hold citizenship in a country outside the U.S. and cannot possess U.S. citizenship or permanent residency. Interested students must apply for admission to one of the 57 participating universities or colleges before completing a #YouAreWelcomeHere scholarship application and submitting it directly to the university or college of choice. Wayne State’s application is online at go.wayne.edu/yawh.

About the #YouAreWelcomeHere campaign

Following expressions of apprehension by some international students about studying in the U.S., in November 2016, Temple University expanded the #YouAreWelcomeHere hashtag into an international campaign to ensure that international students at U.S. universities and colleges feel welcome in the U.S. Since then, more than 350 colleges and universities, 70 international education companies and organizations, and 20 high schools have joined. Institutions can follow the campaign on the website that Temple maintains, youarewelcomehere.org, which includes a toolkit for promoting the campaign.

Participating Colleges and Universities

The following colleges and universities have made a commitment to the Fall 2019 scholarship:

1. Adelphi University (Garden City, New York)
2. Albion College (Albion, Michigan)
3. Augsburg University (Minneapolis, Minnesota)
4. Ball State University (Muncie, Indiana)
5. Butte Community College (Oroville, California)
6. California State University San Marcos (San Marcos, California)
7. Cedar Crest College (Allentown, Pennsylvania)
8. Clarkson University (Potsdam, New York)
9. Concordia College* (Moorhead, Minnesota)
10. Eastern Michigan University* (Ypsilanti, Michigan)
11. Furman University (Greenville, South Carolina)
12. George Mason University (Fairfax, Virginia)
13. Hawaii Pacific University (Honolulu, Hawaii)
14. Hollins University (Roanoke, Virginia)
15. Illinois College (Jacksonville, Illinois)
16. Illinois Wesleyan University (Bloomington, Illinois)
17. James Madison University* (Harrisonburg, Virginia)
18. Johnson & Wales University (Providence, Rhode Island)
19. Kent State University (Kent, Ohio)
20. La Roche College (Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania)
21. Lebanon Valley College (Annville, Pennsylvania)
22. Loras College (Dubuque, Iowa)
23. Marian University (Fond du Lac, Wisconsin)
24. Miami University (Oxford, Ohio)
25. Michigan State University (East Lansing, Michigan)
26. Murray State University (Murray, Kentucky)
27. North Central College (Naperville, Illinois)
28. Northeastern University (Boston, Massachusetts)
29. Ohio University (Athens, Ohio)
30. Pacific Northwest College of Art (Portland, Oregon)
31. Purdue University Northwest* (Hammond and Westville, Indiana)
32. Rutgers University-Camden (Camden, New Jersey)
33. Saint Leo University (St. Leo, Florida)
34. Saint Michael's College (Colchester, Vermont)
35. Salve Regina University (Newport, Rhode Island)
36. Seattle University* (Seattle, Washington)
37. Shoreline Community College* (Shoreline, Washington)
38. St. Thomas Aquinas College (Sparkill, New York)
39. State University of New York at New Paltz (New Paltz, New York)
40. Temple University* (Philadelphia, Pennsylvania)
41. The College of Saint Rose (Albany, New York)
42. The George Washington University (Washington, D.C.)
43. Towson University (Towson, Maryland)
44. Transylvania University (Lexington, Kentucky)
45. University of Cincinnati College of Law (Cincinnati, Ohio)
46. University of Dayton (Dayton, Ohio)
47. University of Maryland, Baltimore County (Baltimore, Maryland)
48. University of Minnesota -Twin Cities* (Minneapolis and St. Paul, Minnesota)
49. University of Saint Joseph (West Hartford, Connecticut)
50. University of South Alabama (Mobile, Alabama)
51. University of Southern Indiana (Evansville, Indiana)
52. University of St. Thomas (St. Paul, Minnesota)
53. University of Wisconsin-Stevens Point (Stevens Point, Wisconsin)
54. Valparaiso University (Valparaiso, Indiana)
55. Wayne State University (Detroit, Michigan)
56. Western New England University* (Springfield, Massachusetts)
57. Widener University​ (Chester, Pennsylvania)

*Denotes the nine universities that made the original #YouAreWelcomeHere commitment

The Office of International Programs leads Wayne State’s global engagement by creating opportunities that foster international education and research, facilitate the exchange of individuals and ideas that promote global competencies and citizenship, and provide resources that support the expansion of the university’s global agenda. Follow us on Twitter @WayneOIP.