To All Applicants –

Please note IASF awards scholarships to qualifying applicants who will be attending as a full time student for one year.  We do not award for a semester or mid-year graduates.

GENERAL APPLICANT ELIGIBILITY REQUIREMENTS

• Verifiable Iranian heritage
• US citizenship OR legal permanent residency with a valid permanent resident card
• Enrollment as a full-time Undergraduate (Freshmen not eligible) or Graduate (PhDs not eligible) student in a degree-seeking program at an accredited institution in the U.S.
• Minimum 3.5 cumulative GPA
• Demonstrated need for financial assistance [must apply for the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA)]
• Demonstrated commitment to community service
• One of the scholarships will be awarded to a full-time Undergraduate, Graduate or PhD applicant in the field of Iranian Studies at an accredited institution in the U.S. (all other eligibility requirements apply – such as Iranian heritage, citizenship/residency, GPA, financial need, community service)
• Scholarship applicants are limited to receiving two years of undergraduate scholarship and/or one year of graduate scholarship

APPLICATION PACKET MUST CONTAIN THE FOLLOWING ITEMS (See Below For Details):

• 2025-26 IASF Scholarship Application
• Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) Report
• Two Essays
• Two Letters of Recommendation and Two Standard Recommendation Forms
• Official Transcript
• GPA Certification Form For Non-GPA Schools (only required for applicants whose transcripts do not report or display a GPA on a 4.0 scale)

FREE APPLICATION FOR FEDERAL STUDENT AID (FAFSA) REPORT

IASF requires all scholarship applicants to apply for federal financial aid and provide a copy of the FAFSA report as part of the Application Packet submission.  The FAFSA is made available free of charge by the U.S. Department of Education for the purpose of applying for federal and state student grants, work-study, and loans.  To obtain a FAFSA, please visit www.studentaid.gov.  Students must complete the FAFSA form every year and submit a fully completed, current year FAFSA report to IASF to be considered eligible for scholarships.  Eligibility does not carry over from one academic year to the next. 

STANDARD RECOMMENDATION FORMS AND LETTERS OF RECOMMENDATION

Two sets of a completed IASF Standard Recommendation Form (download) and a Letter of Recommendation (on departmental/organizational letterhead) must be included in your Application Packet at time of submission.  Please Note: At least one set of the two recommendations must be from an academic instructor relevant to your major and familiar with your academic work on departmental letterhead, basing their recommendation on your current year or prior year academic work.  If you choose to include a work or community service recommendation (rather than a second academic instructor) to fulfill the second recommendation requirement, the recommender must be a direct supervisor basing their recommendation on your current year or prior year work/community service activities.  Each of the two recommenders must place both the completed Standard Recommendation Form and Letter of Recommendation in a sealed envelope, signed on the seal. Letters sent separately from the Application Packet will not be considered, thus disqualifying the application.  Any Recommendation Form and Letter of Recommendation NOT within a sealed and signed envelope, will not be reviewed and will not fulfill the Recommendation requirement.  Any Standard Recommendation Forms or Letters of Recommendation sent separately from the Application Packet submission will disqualify your application.

OFFICIAL TRANSCRIPT

Only an OFFICIAL transcript bearing an official seal or school stamp from the Office of Registrar will be accepted. The transcript will be considered invalid without such an official seal or school stamp.

GPA CERTIFICATION FORM FOR NON-GPA SCHOOLS

The GPA Certification Form is only required for applicants whose transcripts do not report or display a GPA on a 4.00 scale. Your academic counselor or other school official must calculate, record and sign this form, verifying your GPA on a 4.00 scale.

THE 2025-26 APPLICATION PACKET HAS BEEN REVISED. READ EVERY SECTION CAREFULLY AND FOLLOW DIRECTIONS. WE DO NOT ACCEPT ONLINE APPLICATIONS, ONLY HARDCOPY APPLICATIONS POSTMARKED BY MONDAY, JUNE 2, 2025, WILL BE ACCEPTED. HANDWRITTEN APPLICATIONS WILL NOT BE ACCEPTED.

THE STANDARD RECOMMENDATION FORM AND GPA CERTIFICATION FORM FOR NON-GPA SCHOOLS WILL BE IN WORD FORMAT. ONCE YOU’VE COMPLETED THE APPLICANT PORTION OF THESE FORMS, PROVIDE THEM TO THE APPROPRIATE OFFICIALS FOR COMPLETION AS DESCRIBED BY EACH FORM. THESE FORMS MUST BE RETURNED TO YOU SO THAT THEY CAN BE INCLUDED IN THE APPLICATION PACKET.

ELECTRONIC SIGNATURES WILL NOT BE ACCEPTED ON ANY FORMS – FOR YOU OR FOR OFFICIALS. ALL PRINTED FORMS AND OTHER REQUIRED DOCUMENTATION MUST BE FORWARDED IN A COMPLETE APPLICATION PACKET TO THE IASF.

THE COMPLETE APPLICATION PACKET MUST BE POSTMARKED ON OR BEFORE MONDAY, JUNE 2, 2025. ANY MATERIAL SUBMITTED SEPARATELY WILL NOT BE ACCEPTED. ONLY COMPLETE APPLICATION PACKETS WILL BE REVIEWED. IT IS YOUR RESPONSIBILITY TO SUBMIT A COMPLETE APPLICATION INCLUDING THE CORRESPONDING REQUIRED DOCUMENTATION IN THE APPLICATION PACKET. NO MATERIAL WILL BE ACCEPTED VIA FACSIMILE, VIA EMAIL ATTACHMENTS, OR ANY MANNER OTHER THAN U.S. MAIL.

THE APPLICATION PACKET SHOULD BE MAILED TO THE IASF AT:

6790 TOP GUN STREET, SUITE 7
SAN DIEGO, CA 92121

NOTE: SCHOLARSHIP APPLICANTS ARE LIMITED TO RECEIVING TWO YEARS OF UNDERGRADUATE SCHOLARSHIP AND/OR ONE YEAR OF GRADUATE SCHOLARSHIP FROM THE IASF. APPLICANTS WHO SUBMIT THE SAME ESSAYS AND/OR RECOMMENDATIONS AS THEY HAVE SUBMITTED AS OF PRIOR YEAR’S APPLICATION PACKET WILL BE DISQUALIFIED.

WE CANNOT BE HELD RESPONSIBLE FOR LOST OR MISPLACED APPLICATION PACKETS. WE ARE NOT ABLE TO TRACK YOUR APPLICATION AND GIVE YOU UPDATES. WE CANNOT ACCEPT OR RETURN CORRESPONDENCE REGARDING YOUR APPLICATION STATUS. WE ENCOURAGE YOU TO SEND THE APPLICATION PACKET VIA CERTIFIED MAIL SO THAT YOU RECEIVE A POSTCARD WITH A SIGNATURE CONFIRMING DELIVERY.

ONLY THOSE APPLICANTS AWARDED SCHOLARSHIPS WILL BE CONTACTED BY AUGUST 30, 2025, AND THEIR NAMES WILL SUBSEQUENTLY BE POSTED ON THE WEBSITE AS AWARDEES.

IF YOU HAVE NOT BEEN CONTACTED, PLEASE CHECK THE SITE, SINCE THAT IS THE ONLY METHOD OF TRACKING. THE DECISION REGARDING SCHOLARSHIPS WILL BE MADE AT THE SOLE DISCRETION OF THE IASF, AND SUCH DECISION SHALL BE DEEMED FINAL AND SHALL NOT BE SUBJECT TO FURTHER REVIEW, RECONSIDERATION, CHALLENGE OR APPEAL.