Ashland University first became aware of the services provided by Scholarships for USA when Priyanthi and Padmasena Dissanayake were themselves visiting Ohio as part of their annual pilgrimage visiting students that they have placed in American universities and colleges across the United States. We were quickly impressed by their knowledge of the U.S. educational system, but even more so by their ability to ascertain whether a Sri Lankan student would be a good fit for the American school.

Sue Rosa on her last visit to Colombo with Priyanthi Dissanayake

When recommending a student for a school they take into consideration not only the academic programme, quality of the school and cost of tuition, but the school and student profiles as well. They help a student decide whether he or she is best suited for a large school or small, for a private or public institution, for a school in a rural, small town or city setting, and which part of the country the school is in. Since there are almost 4,000 different types of educational institutions in the US one can begin to appreciate how valuable the Dissanayakes' assistance is in navigating the myriad of choices.

We are thankful they found that Ashland University was indeed an ideal place to refer Sri Lankan students, and we are now enjoying those students on our campus. Prasanna and Dasumni Nayakakorala, are both graduates of the Informatics Institute of Technology, while sisters Dilhara and Purnima Fernando both from St. Briget’s Convent earned their Bachelor's degrees at separate institutions. All are in the MBA degree programme, chosen not only because of its affordability for tuition and the lower cost of living in Ashland, but because the degree programme best matched their career aspirations. The MBA programme at Ashland requires that an applicant has two years of work experience, but it does not require the GMAT degree. A student may choose to further specialize in Finance, Global Business, Entrepreneurship, Project Management, Supply Chain Management or Human Resources. The Ashland MBA is fully accredited by the ACPSP (Association of Collegiate Business Schools and Programmes).

The Dissanayakes have also been exploring ways that Ashland University can collaborate with partners in Sri Lanka to promote the Master of Education degree programme, especially when they discovered that Ashland University's education programme, both at the undergraduate and graduate levels, is one of the top programmes in the state of Ohio. The Master's programme can be completed in 18 months if courses are taken year-round. Again, it requires two years of educationally related work experience, but it does not require the GRE.

While the Dissanayakes can promote any of Ashland University's 60 degree majors, of most interest is the four-year Bachelor of Science in Nursing degree programme. Students will begin with their first two years on the main campus of Ashland University, taking their core classes at the university and preparatory science classes. They will then transfer to the campus located in Mansfield, Ohio for their last two years, including their clinical classes. The distinguishing feature of Ashland's nursing programme is that students will know from the onset as to whether they will have admission into the programme based on their high school transcripts. Many other programmes require that students complete general education requirements before having a confirmed admission to their nursing programme, but Ashland wanted students to have a clear career path from their first day on campus.
Ashland University looks forward to a continued partnership with Scholarships to USA. Located in the small, safe city of Ashland, Ashland University's motto is "accent on the individual," a sentiment and practice that is shared by the Dissanayakes at Scholarships for USA.