What Is the ITA Scholarship

In Spanish ITA stands for “promoting academic talent.” UFM founded the ITA Scholarship program in 1996 to identify the most highly qualified and motivated students among Guatemala’s poorest and make it possible for them to earn a life-changing UFM degree.

Fifty percent of Guatemalans live in poverty, the majority in urban slums or remote rural areas. Many of the country’s most talented minds go to waste because poor families need their kids to start working long before they even reach high school. None receive an education grounded in the principles and practices of free markets, individual freedom, and limited government.

Students throughout Guatemala are looking for ways to improve their own lives and those of their families, and to make an impact on the world through their professional careers. Thus, demand for ITA Scholarships is high. This year sixty applicants qualified for admission to the ITA program, but because of limited scholarship funding, only sixteen were awarded scholarships.

How to Support

ITA Scholarships are offered for undergraduate programs in business administration, economics, entrepreneurship, international relations, law, liberal arts, political science, and public accounting.

ITA scholars are among the top in their class at UFM: 80 percent graduate with honors, 40 percent go on to win scholarships to pursue graduate studies abroad, and all become influential role models in their communities.

ITA Scholarships include tuition, fees (computer lab, library, etc.), books, medical insurance, and a stipend for personal expenses and transportation. For students from rural areas (75 percent), the scholarship also includes room and board.

For more information on how you can support the ITA Scholarship Program, please contact Nina Rasch at nina@foufm.org.