VZCZCXRO0652
RR RUEHBC RUEHDH RUEHKUK RUEHROV
DE RUEHTRO #0114/01 0411529
ZNR UUUUU ZZH
R 101529Z FEB 10
FM AMEMBASSY TRIPOLI
TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC 5781
INFO RUEFHLC/DEPT OF HOMELAND SECURITY WASHINGTON DC
RHMFIUU/DIR ICE INTEL WASHDC
RUEHEG/AMEMBASSY CAIRO 1547
RHMFISS/AFRICOM
RUEHEE/ARAB LEAGUE COLLECTIVE
RUEHTRO/AMEMBASSY TRIPOLI 6339

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 03 TRIPOLI 000114 
 
SIPDIS 
 
SLUG FOR NEA/MAG, ECA/A/E/NEA, CA/VO, EMBASSY CAIRO ICE & CBP 
 
E.O. 12958: N/A 
TAGS: PREL PGOV CVIS LY OEXC
SUBJECT: GOL FUNDING INCREASING NUMBERS OF STUDENTS  IN U.S. 
UNIVERSITIES 
 
TRIPOLI 00000114  001.2 OF 003 
 
 
1.(SBU) SUMMARY: The Government of Libya (GOL) is continuing to 
expand its scholarship program funding Libyan students in the 
United States, focusing primarily on supporting Libyan graduate 
students.  Building on existing relationships  with U.S. 
academia dating from the  1960s and 1970s, in less than four 
years the GOL has increased the number of Libyans studying on 
scholarships in America from zero to approximately 1,600 
students.  From the outset, Libyan students faced a series of 
unique challenges caused by the nearly thirty-year absence of a 
bilateral American-Libyan relationship.  A lack of knowledge of 
the U.S. academic system combined with a low-level of basic 
English instruction led to a large number of Libyan students 
returning home disappointed and without a degree.  We view this 
as an opportunity to assist the GOL with a mutually desired 
program that is fairly independent from the usual GOL political 
interference.  The Public Affairs and Consular Sections have 
been able to meet with hundreds of potential Libyan students 
over the last year and provide them with free information on 
educational opportunities and student visas.  The GOL has also 
made significant improvements in its scholarship program since 
2005 including widening its pool of scholarship nominees, 
creating an electronic database, and hiring a Canadian company 
to manage placement and student services.  Overall, despite 
complex bureaucracy and internal change, the program continues 
to succeed in training a new generation of Libyan professionals 
who will have enduring ties with the United States.  End summary. 
 
The GOL Scholarship Program: An Overview 
 
¶2. (U) Since before the 1969 Libyan revolution, the GOL 
sponsored Libyan students studying abroad, including in the 
United States.  Current Libyan Ambassador to Washington Ali 
Al-Aujeli recently told journalists that over 6,000 of his 
countrymen had studied in American institutions in the past. 
Since the resumption of bilateral relations, over 2,000 U.S. 
student visas have been issued to Libyans, with the majority 
being government scholarships.  The Libyan Minister of 
Education-equivalent reportedly ordered his department to focus 
on sending Libyan students to the United States due to the 
international reputation and academic superiority of American 
academic institutions.  Scholarship students must agree to 
return to Libya after graduation and work in their field of 
study for several years.  Many past Libyan graduates of  U.S. 
institutions have gone on to senior  positions within their 
fields of expertise, including government service (Foreign 
Minister Musa Kusa, for example, is a graduate of Michigan State 
University). 
 
¶3. (SBU) In most cases, students receive funding for a year of 
English study prior to beginning academic programs in the United 
States. (Note: Due to a ban on studying foreign languages during 
the sanctions years, Libyan students generally have limited 
English language capabilities. End note).  Upon completing the 
Test of English as a Foreign Language (TOEFL), the students 
apply to U.S. universities in hopes of gaining acceptance and 
maintaining their scholarships.  Initially, Libyan students 
faced a series of challenges including low acceptance rates. 
The GOL estimates that from 2005 to 2008, more than 600 Libyan 
scholarship students returned to Libya without having completed 
their degrees.  The Libyan Department of Scholarships now 
estimates that 1,000 Libyan scholarship students have been 
accepted into academic programs in addition to another 600 
currently enrolled in English language programs.  Our GOL 
interlocutors indicate that among the lessons learned from the 
challenging beginning are to expand the choices of universities 
they recognize and to focus on hard sciences unless the student 
has stellar English scores. 
 
¶4. (SBU) The GOL scholarships pay full tuition, books, and 
insurance as well as providing a stipend for living expenses 
based on family size.  When Libyan students first returned to 
the United States, both students and institutions complained of 
poor service, late payments, and ill-run bureaucracy in dealing 
with the GOL.  The GOL demonstrated some commitment to 
tightening control of scholarship administration when it 
appointed Dr. Omran al-Geriani as head of the Department of 
Scholarships in May 2009.  The Cultural Attachi at the Libyan 
People's Bureau in Washington was made responsible for financing 
and coordinating scholarship activities in the United States. 
Starting in February 2010, and following a competitive bidding 
process, the task of coordinating GOL scholarships throughout 
North America will be assumed by the Canadian Bureau of 
International Exchange (CBIE).  The organization has managed the 
Canadian portion of the GOL's program since January 2010.  A 
forthcoming delegation of members from the GOL's finance, 
education, and cultural wings will seek to iron out final 
 
TRIPOLI 00000114  002.2 OF 003 
 
 
details including coordination among their department 
representatives at the Libyan Embassy in Washington. 
 
Scholarship Selection Process 
 
¶5. (SBU) According to Al-Geriani, each major ministry of the 
government can nominate students for scholarships.  All 
nominations are then routed through the People's Committee for 
Education (the largest nominating branch in its own right). 
Applicants usually find their names listed online within a year 
of application.  They must then select where they will study, 
with the United Kingdom, Germany, Malaysia, Canada, Indonesia, 
and the United States being popular choices.  The UK program has 
reportedly reached its 4,000-student cap however, and no new GOL 
scholarships are being offered at present.  Unlike in previous 
decades, the GOL issues scholarships almost exclusively for 
graduate and post-graduate study, due to the GOL's desire to 
build its own undergraduate programs.  However, a small 
percentage of the top high school graduates in the country 
(approximately 85 in 2009) receive scholarships for 
undergraduate study in the country of their choice.  High school 
graduates who have chosen the United States have been 
consistently  in the engineering and sciences fields. 
 
¶6. (SBU) The Qadhafi International Charity and Development 
Foundation (QDF), a quasi-governmental institution headed by 
Muammar al-Qadhafi's son, Saif al-Islam, provides another path 
to study abroad for those without formal government 
scholarships.  After applying and being selected to received a 
scholarship, applicants find their names listed online at 
regular intervals based on the country of choice for study. 
Unlike the GOL scholarship process, QDF scholarships come with 
the school pre-designated. The head of the foundation's student 
affairs program, Dr. Taieb El-Bahloul, himself a graduate of the 
University of California at Santa Barbara, told Emboffs his 
greatest concern is the lower qualification level of his 
program's awardees.  Unlike the other nominating bodies, the 
foundation's students typically have been in the work force for 
a number of years already and often face challenges in 
readapting to academia and foreign language acquisition.  Libyan 
students personally funding their studies in the United States 
can also compete to pick up a government scholarship. 
Interested students must have already completed half of the 
coursework for their Masters or PhD program study at an approved 
university.  The GOL has extended this benefit to a number of 
Libyan-American students in the United States already. 
 
¶7. (SBU) Personal connections lubricate many interactions in 
Libya, and the awarding of scholarships is no exception.  In 
visa interviews, a few students with government scholarships 
admitted to having a relative working in the scholarship 
division or other government body.  In one case, an applicant 
presented paperwork from Georgetown University stating he had a 
GOL scholarship for six months of English study only, despite 
being a recent high school graduate.  He admitted that his 
brother-in-law, working at the Libyan embassy in Washington, 
secured him the scholarship.  The applicant's sister had also 
received a scholarship and is studying in Washington, D.C. as 
well.  Other well-placed Libyans have confirmed to Emboffs that 
such connections can be a deciding factor in the awarding of GOL 
scholarships.  Despite this, the GOL appears to have  placed an 
emphasis on geographic and gender diversity in its selection 
process, the results of which we clearly see at the visa window 
when interviewing the students. 
 
Embassy Outreach Efforts 
 
¶8. (SBU) The Public Affairs and Consular Sections have worked to 
leverage and enhance the GOL's interest in sponsoring graduate 
and doctoral study in the United States.  In November 2009, we 
participated in the EducationLibya Fair, the country's largest 
annual academic trade show.  The Embassy booth distributed IIP 
and EducationUSA-branded material and the Embassy's educational 
advisor met with students and parents to offer individual 
counseling and advisory services.  The Embassy also organized an 
"America's Stage" space above the main Expo Floor where Emboffs 
provided briefings on various topics of interest to Libyan 
students, including an overview of admissions examinations, the 
student visa application process, and discussions on the wide 
variety of academic institutions and programs available to 
international students.  In November 2010, we will organize the 
first-ever U.S. Educational Fair in collaboration with Linden 
Educational Services of Alexandria, VA.  Al-Fateh University, 
Libya's premier national university, has indicated preliminary 
interest in co-sponsoring this fair and using the opportunity to 
develop academic ties with American institutions. In 2009, 
 
TRIPOLI 00000114  003.2 OF 003 
 
 
despite repeated efforts by the Embassy, the GOL did not issue 
entry visas to the State Department's Regional Educational 
Advising Coordinator (REAC) and Regional English Language 
Officer (RELO), hampering our  ability to offer pre-departure 
briefings and assist the Ministry of Education in better 
preparing students for their experiences in the United States. 
Public Affairs and Consular staff have held meetings within 
universities and private academic centers across the country to 
advocate for U.S. study and provide resources and guidance. 
 
Second-Order Effects 
 
¶9. (SBU) The waves of Libyan students in the 1960s through early 
1980s resulted in a flood of dual-national citizens, through 
marriages and births in the United States.  Since our reopening 
of American Citizen Services in 2005, Libyans continue to pour 
in to the Embassy with tattered birth certificates and 
supporting documents to apply for first-time U.S. passports. 
Most speak little English and have not visited the United States 
since birth. We anticipate that the current increase in Libyan 
students in the U.S. will have a similar result. 
 
¶10.  (SBU) Additionally, a number of private businesses have 
arisen to meet the growing demand for student visa facilitation, 
particularly following the opening of U.S. non-immigrant visa 
issuance in Tripoli in March 2009.  The largest of these 
businesses, Bousfeita Student Services (BSS), boasts several 
offices in Benghazi and Tripoli.  British-Libyan owner Mohamed 
Ali Bousfeita told Conoff that his organization facilitated the 
travel of over 800 students to the United States in 2008 alone, 
the vast majority being GOL-sponsored.  He toured 26 states to 
view schools and institutions to provide options for his clients 
and claims that study in the United States has quickly overtaken 
the UK, Australia, and New Zealand in popularity with Libyans 
since U.S.-Libyan diplomatic relations resumed.  In addition, 
BSS has been designated the sole Kaplan agent for all of North 
Africa.  His company and others charge  high fees for filing 
SEVIS information and fees, completing the online DS-160 U.S. 
visa application, and scheduling the visa interview appointment. 
 Students from the  border city of Tobruq, for example, report 
paying over $300 for these services.  Tobruq's Zogogo Student 
Services Company provides its clients with a detailed map and 
step-by-step procedures for the visa application process, 
including which windows in our Consular section provide which 
service, and the types of questions asked during the interview. 
 
¶11.  (SBU) Comment:  In order to support Libya's growing study 
abroad programs, the Embassy continues to see academic advising 
and consular outreach as top-tier priorities within the mission. 
 In 2010, we will continue to work with the Ministry of 
Education and Libyan universities to encourage Libyan students 
to select the United States as their place of study.  The 
establishment of an American Center, American Corners, 
more-accessible Consular and Public Affairs sections, as well as 
the 2010 American University Fair will all help to promote the 
wide variety of educational opportunities that are in America 
and provide free, accurate information about U.S. visas. 
CRETZ