Cairo Institute of Liberal Arts and Sciences
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      • summer 2020
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  • mmm...
    • on pigeon towers
    • الترجمة بصفتها تعليمًا


Towards self sufficiency

We are keen on offering an independent liberal arts programme. CILAS brings together students from all walks of life to engage in social, intellectual, and emotional learning. We recognise the not merely individualistic but also the communal character of the process of knowing and the art of forgetting. To effectively give voice to participants of the programme and to cultivate community, we aim to grow as self-sufficiently as possible to be able to prepare our food - for thought - autonomously. Localising our sources of income is the way to do so which is why we uphold self-funding and rely as much as possible on students' contributions to sustain the programme.

Operational costs and student contribution

CILAS' expenditures, including rent, maintenance, management, residential and teaching fellowships, and excluding travel scholarships and unforeseen costs, amount to 750,000 L.E. for the 'bridge' programme. CILAS admits twenty-four students per academic year which breaks down to around 30,000 L.E. per student. In order to make the programme as accessible as possible to financially differently-abled applicants, tuition is reduced to account for approximately half of our operational costs. Accordingly, student contribution should amount to 15,000 L.E. It is our hope that need-based deductions would allow us to form a partially self-sufficient scholarly collective but also an inclusive and equitable one. 

Need-based deductions

We break down high-school attendance into four scales, we make a distinction between university-degree holders and students without a university degree as well as Cairo residents and people whose primary residence is elsewhere. Accordingly, applicants are afforded need-based deductions on their tuition amounting up to 6000 L.E. An offer reflecting your financial need and ability to contribute will then be made during the interview.  In solidarity, prospective students who are refugees in Egypt are exempted from tuition.