Community College Initiative Program (CCI)
برنامج الكليات المجتمعية يقدم منح للشباب المصري للدراسة بالكليات المجتمعية في الولايات المتحدة الأمريكية بهدف تطوير خبرتهم المهنية والأكاديمية لمدة عام أكاديمي. لمزيد من المعلومات اضغط هنا
Program Overview
The Community College Initiative (CCI) Program provides Egyptian young professionals an opportunity to attend one academic year of non-degree study at accredited U.S. community colleges. The CCI Program encourages a well-rounded learning and exchange experience and focuses on five program pillars: academics, cultural exchange, service learning, internships, and leadership and action planning. All pillars of the CCI Program are of equal importance. The CCI Program is designed to build participants’ technical skills in applied fields, enhance their leadership capabilities, and strengthen their English language proficiency. The program also provides opportunities for professional internships, service learning, and community engagement. Immediately after completing the program, participants are expected to return to Egypt with new skills and expertise to help them contribute to the country’s development and economic growth. The CCI Program is a program of the U.S. Department of State.
What are community colleges? In the United States, a community college is a two-year post-secondary institution that offers certificate programs, Associate of Arts degrees, Associate of Sciences degrees, plus many other programs.
Program Start Date: Summer of 2025 (July 2025).
HELPFUL LINKS:
- Program Description: https://youtu.be/M2b4-6TdoMc?si=Z0Eon9yi_NaI7hlr
- How to fill an online application: https://youtu.be/ZeEYjvqG8nY?si=6HBtNE7D-z-wSpyY
Eligible Fields of Study:
- Agriculture
- Applied Engineering
- Business and Entrepreneurship
- Creative Economy and Media
- Early Childhood Education
- Information Technology (IT)
Please click here for more information about each field and the concentration areas.
Eligibility Criteria:
- Egyptian Citizenship.
- Currently residing in Egypt; applicants must reside in Egypt starting from the application process and throughout the selection, placement, and pre-departure processes.
- Age between 18 and 30.
- Applicant must meet one of the following conditions at the time of application:
- Students or graduates of technical institutes or technological colleges (field of application must be relevant to the major field of study)
- University students enrolled in a bachelor’s degree program (field of application must be relevant to the major field of study)
- University graduates who received their bachelor’s degree (field of application must be completely different from the major field of study, and applicants must have at least two years of practical experience in the field of the application)
- Proof of English Language proficiency from any of the below approved test centers. Applicants must submit an official score report for only one of the following tests:
- TOEFL ITP – minimum required score of 420
- TOEFL iBT – minimum required scores of 36-37
- Academic or General IELTS – minimum overall score of 5.0 (no required score for each section)
- Duolingo English Test – minimum required score of 75
- English language proficiency test from Egyptian Universities – minimum required score of 420
| Test Type | Test Centers | Location of Test Center |
| TOEFL ITP | AMIDEAST | Cairo and Alexandria |
| American Center for Continuing Education | Assiut | |
| Skills Castle | Benha and Tanta | |
| Nile Academy | Mansoura | |
| TOEFL iBT | Please check available test centers at: https://www.ets.org/toefl/ibt/register | Various governorates across Egypt |
| IELTS (Academic/General Test) |
British Council | Cairo and Alexandria |
| IDP Center | Cairo and Alexandria | |
| Duolingo English Test | https://englishtest.duolingo.com/ | Online |
| English Language Proficiency Test officially administered by an Egyptian national university | Egyptian Universities | Various governorates across Egypt |
- Has limited or no overseas study experience. Nominees with no prior overseas study or travel to the United States will be given placement priority.
- Is able to receive and maintain a U.S. J-1 visa.
- Is willing and physically able (with accommodations as required for people with disabilities) to complete the program in its entirety including activities or travel that may be programmed on any day of the week, possibly including early morning or evening hours.
- Is able to begin the academic exchange program in the U.S. in July 2025.
- Is committed to returning to Egypt immediately after completion of the program.
- Male applicants must have military service exemption/postponement at the time of application.
- Applicants have to successfully complete all the steps of the application, assessment, and selection process and successfully finalize all required procedures and meet all program conditions and requirements.
Important Note: The Commission strongly encourages applicants with disabilities from all over Egypt to apply.
Required Documents: (All documents must be submitted by no later than January 4, 2025. Please carefully read the Application Guidelines)
- Complete Application Form (Must include answers to all essay questions)
- Certificates and transcripts as follows:
- All applicants must submit a clear scanned copy of the original secondary school transcript in English and Arabic (3-year technical secondary school, 5-year technical secondary school or General secondary school).
- Students enrolled in technical institutes, technological colleges, or universities must submit proof of enrollment at their educational institution.
- Graduates of technical institutes, technological colleges, or universities must submit a copy of the original certificate and/or transcript for the highest academic degree obtained in English and Arabic.
- Minimum TOEFL ITP of 420 or its equivalent iBT (36-37), or IELTS (5.0), or Duolingo (75) or an English Proficiency Test from Egyptian Universities (420) from any of the centers in the table above.
- Scanned copies of any previous U.S. J1 or J2 visas (if applicable)
- A scanned copy of your original valid passport or National ID
- Personal Photo
- Male applicants must submit a proof of their military services status.
Applications will be considered Ineligible in the following cases:
- Individuals who have a U.S. citizenship or U.S. green card or hold dual Egyptian and U.S. citizenships.
- University graduates from the same field of application.
- Lack of the required proof for English language proficiency.
- Individuals currently participating in academic, training, or research programs in the U.S.
- Individuals currently studying, residing, or working outside of Egypt.
- Individuals who have participated in an exchange visitor program sponsored or funded by the U.S. government for a period of more than six months and who have not fulfilled their two-year home residency requirement by the time of application.
- Individuals who have applied for U.S. permanent residency.
- The following persons and their immediate family members (i.e. spouses and children) are ineligible to apply during and for a period ending one year following the termination of such employment: employees of the U.S. Department of State; local employees of the U.S. missions abroad who work for the U.S. Department of State and/or the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID); employees at organizations implementing exchange programs for the Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs at the Department of State; as well as Board Members or staff of a Fulbright Commission or their families (up to fourth kin).
- Persons arrested for, charged with, or convicted of a crime (excluding minor traffic violations).
Important: The CCI program seeks applicants that have developed a sense of personal integrity and are original thinkers. Copying someone else’s writing, whether from the Internet, from a book or from a friend is considered plagiarism. Any quoted words or sentences should include a citation. An applicant who is found to have plagiarized in any form (including unintentional or accidental plagiarism) in his or her application will be disqualified. For further information about plagiarism and citation, please click on the following link: https://fulbright-egypt.org/resources/. All content in applications must be the applicant’s original contribution and his/her own intellectual property. Having someone else write or contribute to the writing of an individual’s application, either fully or partially, does not uphold the standards of integrity expected of grantees and may result in the ineligibility of your application.
Notes:
- Dependents are not allowed to accompany CCI participants at any part during the grant.
- Program participants cannot undertake paid employment in the U.S. during this grant.
- Preference will be given to applicants without prior significant experience in the U.S. and/or overseas.
Financial provisions of the grant:
- J-1 visa support.
- Round-trip travel from Egypt to host institution in the United States.
- Tuition and mandatory college fees.
- Housing and meals.
- Small allowance for books, materials, and incidental expenses.
- Limited Accident and Sickness coverage that is J-visa compliant.
- A variety of personal and professional development activities.
AY25-26 CCI Program’s Timeline
| October 30, 2024 | Program Announcement |
| January 4, 2025 | Application Deadline |
| January / February, 2025 | Personal Interviews (Only for short-listed applicants) |
| February / March 2025 | Official Nomination/Regret Letters (Applicants will be notified via email) |
| April / May 2025 | Placement for semi-finalists |
| May – June, 2025 | Pre-Departure Orientation (Only for semi-finalists) |
| Visa Applications (Only for semi-finalists) | |
| Communicate with host campus Program Coordinators and submit additional required documents for each host campus | |
| June – July, 2025 | Candidates receive travel itinerary and travel information. |
| July, 2025 | Travel Date (Only for selected applicants who successfully completed all above stages) |
Apply now to the AY2025-2026 Community College Initiative Program
- Announcement: October 30, 2024
- Click here to start an Application
- اعلان البرنامج باللغة العربية
- Application Guidelines and Instructions
- Application Deadline: January 4, 2025
- إرشادات ونصائح للتقديم
