Center of Excellence for Energy

Scholarship Evaluation and Selection Methodology

Phase I: Eligibility Criteria:

• Egyptian Nationality.
• Undergraduate students must be eligible for registration in the Energy and Renewable Energy Engineering Program at Ain Shams University. Eligible applicants from public Egyptian Faculties of Engineering are welcome to apply. Priority given to applicants from Center of Excellence in Energy (COE – Energy) partner universities (Aswan and Mansoura Universities).
• Applicants must be graduates of Egyptian Public or Experimental schools.
• Applicants must score a minimum GPA of 2.5 or equivalent in the Faculty of Engineering Freshman Academic Year 2019/2020 in the first semester. Priority will be given to applicants with higher GPAs.
• Applications must be submitted by 11:59 pm, August 31, 2020 through the following link: http://bit.ly/ScholarshipAnnouncement. No applications will be accepted beyond this date.
• Submission of the complete package is necessary, including the motivation letter, the financial form with the supporting documents and with the online application; otherwise, the student’s application will be considered incomplete and disqualified.

The USAID-funded Center of Excellence for Energy implemented by the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) promotes and supports equal opportunities among its beneficiaries. The Center of Excellence for Energy Project is offering this scholarship opportunity for applicants with a socioeconomic disadvantage, and strongly encourages the application of women, and persons with disabilities who meet the eligibility criteria and stand out in the selection process for participation. 

The applicant should fill the financial form, which is available online, and should address it to the Center of Excellence for Energy scholarship committee. In the form, the applicant should provide all required financial information and signed by the parent or legal guardian.  The financial form and the rest of the required documents should be combined as one file and uploaded with the application.

NOTE: Applicants should ensure answering all questions and obtain the documentation noted below to provide among the documents required with your application. 

The required documents are

1. The financial form.
2. HR letter from the employer of father/mother with net annual income for the prior year after deducting taxes and social insurance if father/mother is employed Or up-to-date statement from the social insurance office to prove unemployment status (like uninsured) if parent is unemployed. 
3. Up-to-date electricity, gas and telephone bills.
4. A copy of the updated contract of your residence (rented or owned).

Or alternatively, applicants can register with the office of financial assistance to obtain (بحث اجتماعى) document from the university instead of the financial supporting documentation required for the scholarship.  

Note: Applications that have missing information or missing documents will be considered incomplete and will not be evaluated.

Phase I noted above is the primary stage for eligibility criteria filtration of applications. The screening committee will review the applications based on the eligibility criteria.  This is a Yes or NO decision for each applicant.

In this phase, applications are divided into “Incomplete” and “Complete” following the criteria below:

Incomplete Applications: Applications not filled out entirely and/or missing any of the required supporting documents noted in the call for nominations: transcripts, Thanaweya Amma degree certificate, CV, National ID, letter of recommendation, the motivation letter, financial form with supporting document. 

Complete Applications: Applications with all required fields filled and include the required supporting documents: Only the applicants that are deemed eligible will move on to Phase 2.

 Phase II: Technical Screening

• Selection Committee review will include the technical screening of the motivation letter of each eligible application. Applicants will be scored out of 20 points based on factors noted below.
• A score will be given to each factor based on the quality of the motivation letter (as per the evaluation rubric).
• The COE Energy Research and Policy committee will identify cross disciplinary faculty members in addition to representation from the COE – Energy Project team (and may also include members of other COE-Energy governance committees and / or private sector representatives) for the technical screening of the motivation letter. Representatives conducting technical reviews of the motivation letter will identify the candidates who demonstrate the following:
  • Clear identification of an energy-related concept, and its negative impact
  • Relevant literature review
  • Original idea of proposed solution
  • Feasible application,
  • Clear methodology
• Each of the above criteria will be rated on a scale of 1 to 4, where 1 is the lowest and 4 is the highest (Total 20). Candidates scoring 14 or above will qualify.
• After phase II scores are calculated, a scoring sheet is generated for selection of the finalists based on the following criteria:

1. Extracurricular activities such as sport, charity work or other activities (Score of +5)
2. Academic Excellence GPA Score, above 3.8 (+5 points), 3.6 (+4 points), 3.4 (+3 points), 3.2 (+2 points), 3.0 (+1 points)
3. Gender (+ 10 points for female applicants)
4. Disability (+10 points for disabled applicants)
5. Socio-Economic disadvantage (proof of financial disadvantage provided by the applicant’s University from which the student is applying (+10 points).
6. Those who achieve the highest scores will be arranged in descending order to get the highest Cohort 2 finalists ready for the presentation phase III.

Phase III- Final Presentation

• Based on the total scores of the previous phases of filtration, qualifying applicants will deliver a presentation before a selection panel.  Applicants will be scored out of 28 points based on factors noted below.
• A score will be given to each factor based on the quality of the presentation (as per the evaluation rubric).
• The COE Energy Research and Policy Committee will identify a panel of cross disciplinary faculty members in addition to representation from the COE – Energy Project team (and may also include members of other COE-Energy governance committees and private sector representatives) for the technical screening of the presentation. Representatives conducting technical reviews of the presentation will identify the candidates who demonstrate the following:

• Clarity of the presentation, form and style
• Ability to discuss all parts in the motivation letter
• Ability to refer to reviewed literature
• Ability to answer panelists’ questions
• Ability to argue scientifically
• Communication Skills
• Overall Demonstration of Interview Skills

After this phase, the panel will gather to compile a total score (phases 2 and 3).  The applicants’ scores on the motivation letter and presentation will be added and all applicants will be arranged in descending order (highest to lowest scores). For the panel to agree on the final selection of students awarded the scholarship.  93 Cohort 2 students will be selected.
Gender quota (25%), physical disability (100%) and the rest will be ordered descending for socio-economic disadvantage.