The Universidad Católica Andrés Bello (UCAB) has six financial support programs that allows the university to assist its students in order for them to continue with their studies and become full-time professionals. These economic cooperation programs serve students from the Caracas, Guayana and Los Teques headquarters, and they were formalized in 1976 by Luis Azagra S.J., who structured the approval model for these programs, taking into account all the relevant variables.

Since its inception, the university has always supported those who did not have the necessary resources. – Daniella Salomón, Director of Student Economic Cooperation UCAB.

Having said so, these are the programs:

  • Proportional and Deferred Pension

This is a partial financial support program aimed at supporting 1st and 2nd semester students who are unable to pay the full cost of tuition. Upon graduation or when overcoming their economic situation, the student is committed to repay the received support of the program.

Initially, this program sought to support new students in order to help them pay between 20% and 40% of the expenses that represent their entrance to the university, but given the current critical socioeconomic situation of Venezuela, this percentage has had to increase substantially.

  • Educational Financing

As its name suggests, it is an educational loan in advantageous conditions that it’s granted to students from the third semester onwards, in order to cover part of the total costs of the annual or semester enrollment, and thus, allow these students to continue their studies. This credit ranges between 30% and 60% of the total cost of tuition depending of the economic situation that the student demonstrates in its socioeconomic study. This amount must be paid by the student once he has finished his career and starts working.

  • Work Scholarship

It is an economic support program in which students are allowed to serve in the academic or administrative units of the UCAB, receiving as payment the partial or total exoneration of their tuition. This exemption varies between 50% and 100%, depending on the hours worked weekly.

The main financial programs for the university since its inception are Proportional and Deferred Pension, Educational Financial, the Andrés Bello Foundation and Work Scholarship. – Daniella Salomón, Director of Student Economic Cooperation UCAB.

  • Integral Support Programs

It was established to support those students who are very vulnerable regarding their socioeconomic level, particularly linked to initiatives related to the UCAB -such as Fe y Alegría- and with a good academic performance, whose economic situation does not allow them to face the costs of enrollment. These programs not only exempt them totally or partially from the cost of enrollment, but also provides them with psychoeducational support from the coordinators of said programs, the Human Development and Counseling Center, as well as their respective schools.

Currently, the Integral Support Programs are distributed in: the Andrés Bello Program, 2013-2018 Polar Scholarships and the Banesco Scholarships.

This program is aimed at young people who require a triangle of support, not only economic (100%) by the Directorate of Student Economic Cooperation, but also the Center for Human Advice and Development and their respective schools. – Daniela Salomón, Director of Student Economic Cooperation UCAB.

  • Student Cooperator

It is a financial support program in which students receive a payment for hours worked in specific support activities, to the dependencies of the university.

In addition to these programs and in order to respond to the needs of the beneficiaries, there is the Food Program for students with 100% exemption, thus favoring the continuation and the university success of the benefited students, that despite the scholarship they still do not cover certain basic needs that are indispensable for their good academic and personal performance.

How are these programs maintained?

Currently, the programs are maintained with the selfless sponsorship of some companies and individuals, with the crowdfunding #ContigoEsPosible, and with the contribution made by graduates and friends of the UCAB to the Andrés Bello Foundation as well as the ABCU Foundation.

All these programs are in charge of the Directorate of Student Economic Cooperation, which is directed by Daniella Salomón, who was a Work Scholarship between 2004 and 2007 and upon graduating as a Bachelor of Education, mentioning Pedagogical Sciences, began working in this department as a Specialist of Economic Cooperation. Daniella has the support of the analysts Francisco Storms, Eduvigis Sanchez, Lisseth Suarez, Lourdes Montenegro and Maritza De Andrade; in the past, all of them counted with these programs to continue and to complete their university studies.

The Director of Economic Cooperation Student UCAB, Daniela Salomón, stated that:

Our young scholarship students have so much to contribute to the Venezuelan community because, besides from graduating with a solid academic education, they also do so with a more solidary vision of life, all thanks to the support that, in due course, the UCAB provided them. They are also the main promoters of the support programs offered by the university.

Currently, 30% of students of the UCAB are benefited by some of these economic support programs and this number is expected to increase as the country’s economy deteriorates.

Throughout its 64 years of existence, the UCAB has established an ultimate goal: that all young people who wish to study and graduate in its classrooms with the excellence stamp that characterizes the university can do so regardless of the economic difficulties they are experiencing. Today, when these difficulties have worsened, the collaboration of their graduates and friends is vital.

Become a philanthropist of education by donating periodically to nurture these scholarship funds and even encourage yourself to create one more! Your satisfaction will be knowing that dozens of bright young people with great desire to excel, but without resources to study, will thank you endlessly!