The LL.M. in International Arbitration and Business Law is a flexible degree program designed for professionals and law graduates interested in commercial and investment cross-border transactions and dispute settlement through arbitration. The scholarship is geared towards professionals working in this field of international legal practice, including government officials defending Latin American countries in investment disputes.

Participants in this program have the option to take the courses:

• fully in-residence (all 24 credits on campus in Washington, D.C.)
• hybrid with some classes in-residence in Washington, D.C. and some online
• fully online (an entirely virtual degree)

The faculty are accomplished arbitrators, practitioners, academics, and representatives from arbitral institutions. The specialized faculty also draws form the prominent Center on International Commercial Arbitration at AUWCL, directed by Professor Horacio A. Grigera Naon. They bring a broad spectrum of practical experience to the classroom. The direct interaction and engagement with this exceptional faculty enables students in this LL.M. program to build valuable professional relationships.

OAS-AUWCL SCHOLARSHIP OVERVIEW 

BENEFITS: 50% Tuition waiver for Scholarship Recipients (10 scholarships for the LL.M. in International Arbitration and Business Law)
PROGRAMS:    LL.M. in International Arbitration and Business Law
MODALITY:       Onsite, hybrid or online (English)
LANGUAGE:     English
DURATION:       9 – 18 months (2 or 3 semesters)
START OF CLASSES:  Fall – August 22, 2022

Please apply for admission directly to the American University Washington College of Law by the following deadline: May 1, 2022

IMPORTANT: Scholarship benefits are subject to the academic performance of the scholarship recipient and based on the availability of funds. In order to receive these benefits, the scholarship recipient should not be reported with an unsatisfactory academic performance due to absences or failing courses.

SELECTION CRITERIA: 

• The merits and overall credentials of the candidate, including his/her academic and professional background;
• Geographical distribution of the applicants, taking into account the greater needs of the smaller and relatively less developed economies;
• Applicants who show the highest potential for impact upon return to their countries of origin; and
• Gender diversity.

ELIGIBILITY AND APPLICATION

To be considered for this scholarship opportunity, an applicant must comply with the admission requirements of the American University Washington College of Law for LL.M. students, and the specific OAS-AUWCL Scholarship requirements.

AUWCL admission requirements and application:

• Submit a completed application form along with supporting documents before the application deadline directly to the American University Washington College of Law.
• The supporting documents must show that you:
  • Hold a Juris Doctor (JD) from a US law school accredited by the American Bar Association (ABA) or a first degree in law from a non-U.S. law school with equivalent standards.
  • International applicants must meet the English Language Proficiency Requirement (only for English program).
• Applicants can contact the admissions team at llm@wcl.american.edu for more information about the university’s admission process. For program details on the LL.M. in International Arbitration and Business Law, please email arbitration@wcl.american.edu.

OAS-AUWCL Scholarship requirements and application:  

• After receiving the admission letter from AUWCL (see prior section), please email a copy of the admission letter and request access to the OAS online Scholarship Application Form via email at scholarships@oas.org.
• Once received, please fill out that OAS online Scholarship Application Form and add to your scholarship application the following documentation:

1. Government issued ID – scan or photo of passport page that contains the applicant’s full name, date of birth, and country of citizenship. It is required that you are a citizen and/or permanent legal resident of any OAS member state, except the United States.
   • Applicants from Argentina must fill out a required form through the following link; http://www.oas.org/en/scholarships/PAEC/2018/NOTA-SOLICITUD-DGCIN-2017.doc and send it to the National Liaison Office (ONE) in Argentina.
2. Admission letter – unconditional admission letter from the American University Washington College of Law.

• ALL the required documents must be combined into one (1) single PDF file (no larger than 5MB). If the file is larger than 5MB, you will not be able to summit the online form. The application system does not allow for more than one document to be uploaded. Do not include any additional documents besides those indicated.
  • This scholarship opportunity is open to new applicants as well as current students at AUWCL who are from an OAS member state, except the United States, and are not a current OAS-AUWCL scholarship recipient.

The following applicants are ineligible for the scholarship:

• Current OAS scholarship holders and Citizens and/or permanent residents of the United States.
• GS/OAS staff and their immediate relatives or GS/OAS consultants.
• OAS Permanent officials and their immediate relatives.

Please note! - Before applying for admission, applicants are encouraged to read the program description, and ensure that the study area fulfills their expectations and interests. Please visit: https://www.wcl.american.edu/academics/degrees/llm/programs/arbitration/. Only applicants who have been admitted to AUWCL will be allowed to apply for scholarship consideration.

EXPENSES NOT COVERED BY THIS SCHOLARSHIP

• Remaining 50% of tuition fees;
• Travel expenses (to and from the country of study), if applicable;
• Mandatory university fees;
• Cost of books and study materials;
• Health insurance;
• Graduation expenses;
• Visa expenses (where applicable); and
• any other costs or additional living and study cost not covered by the scholarship.  

These above listed expenses as a financial responsibility shall be the sole and exclusive responsibility of the scholarship recipients and the scholarship recipients will be responsible for payment of the remaining tuition fees and any other costs as needed to AUWCL. 

• Applicants can also apply for the Rowe Fund, which is an educational loan program of the OAS that helps citizens from Latin America and the Caribbean to finance their studies in accredited universities across the United States by awarding interest-free loans of up to US$15,000 dollars.
  • We are excited to share with you The Financial Aid Guide for Studies in the U.S. This booklet features a useful listing of financial aid opportunities sorted by country of residence. Check out the listing of scholarships, grants, fellowships and loans, collected by the Rowe Fund program of the Organization of American States. For over seventy years, the Rowe Fund has granted interest-free student loans for university studies in the U.S. to supplement other sources of financing. 

SELECTION PROCESS:

AUWCL and the OAS will select the scholarship awardees, based on the criteria listed above. The names of the scholarship recipients will be published in March 2022 at www.oas.org/scholarships.

The OAS will contact selected candidates by email with the scholarship offer and instructions for the scholarship acceptance.  Applicants who are not selected will not be contacted.

Questions about this scholarship opportunity should be sent to scholarships@oas.org and arbitration@wcl.american.edu  with the subject “OAS-AUWCL Scholarship Program.”

DUTIES AND RESPONSIBILITY OF THE SCHOLARSHIP RECIPIENT

• This scholarship will be formally awarded only after the selected awardees have signed an OAS/AUWCL Acceptance Form, in which the awardees formally accept the scholarship and agree to its terms and conditions.
• Refrain from activities that are inconsistent with the status of an OAS Scholarship recipient, abiding by the regulations referred to in this Acceptance Form.
• Comply with all the academic guidelines and admission requirements requested by AUWCL and submit to the updates of these guidelines and requirements made by the academic authorities at AUWCL.
• Comply with the provisions indicated in the "Financial responsibilities of awardees”
• To retain the scholarship, recipients should not have low academic performance (GPA must be at least equivalent to 3.0/4.0), due to absence from the program of study and/or course failure.
• The scholarship can be declined by the recipient before the start date of the program of study without financial penalties. However, if a student declines the scholarship after that date without proof of force majeur, the OAS and AUWCL may require the scholarship recipient to reimburse all funding granted to her/him with the scholarship at the time in which the declination is processed.
• Commitment to return to work in their sponsoring country or permanent legal residence in one of the OAS member states, or at an international organization, for at least the length of the duration of the scholarship. Failure to comply with this commitment, the GS/OAS and/or the AUWCL could seek reimbursement for the total value of the scholarship awarded.

For More Information please go to www.oas.org/scholarships