Study Abroad Scholarships
Study abroad scholarships are a subcategory of scholarships meant to encourage students to travel. They generally have at least one of three goals - helping students with financial need, encouraging students to go to certain regions off the beaten path, or teaching students certain under-studied, 'critical' foreign languages. The key to qualifying for these scholarships is flexibility. If you want to go backpacking through Europe, or check out the outback of Australia, it's going to be hard for you to earn any of these scholarships - in fact, only one of these gives money to students to go abroad regardless of country (but provides even more money for students willing to learn a critical language abroad and requires that students have a Pell Grant). In short, be flexible and don't eliminate "dumpy" third world countries - in my experience, they're a great opportunity to experience a culture truly different from your own, and they also will help you qualify for some of these great scholarships!
Freeman-ASIA (Freeman Awards for Study in Asia) provides scholarships for U.S. undergraduate students with demonstrated financial need to study abroad in East or Southeast Asia. The program's goal is to increase the number of Americans with first-hand exposure to and understanding of Asia and its peoples and cultures. Award recipients are required to share their experiences with their home campuses or communities to encourage study abroad by others. (Our president got this one!)
Basic Eligibility Requirements:
Critical Language Scholarship (CLS) institutes provide fully-funded group-based intensive language instruction and structured cultural enrichment. A program of United States Department of State, Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs, the Critical Language Scholarship (CLS) Program offers intensive summer language institutes overseas in thirteen critical need foreign languages.
2011 CLS Program Eligibility Requirements:
The Gilman Scholarship Program offers grants for U.S. citizen undergraduate students of limited financial means (i.e. a Pell Grant) to pursue academic studies abroad. Such international study is intended to better prepare U.S. students to assume significant roles in an increasingly global economy and interdependent world. (The club vice president got this scholarship!)
Requirements:
Boren Scholarships and Fellowships provide unique funding opportunities for U.S. undergraduate and graduate students to add an important international and language component to their educations.
You are eligible if you are...
Freeman-ASIA (Freeman Awards for Study in Asia) provides scholarships for U.S. undergraduate students with demonstrated financial need to study abroad in East or Southeast Asia. The program's goal is to increase the number of Americans with first-hand exposure to and understanding of Asia and its peoples and cultures. Award recipients are required to share their experiences with their home campuses or communities to encourage study abroad by others. (Our president got this one!)
Basic Eligibility Requirements:
- Must be a U.S. citizen or permanent resident at the time of application.
- Must currently receive need-based financial aid or demonstrate a verifiable need for financial assistance to participate in the proposed study abroad program.
- Must be an undergraduate student with a minimum GPA of 2.8, pursuing his or her first bachelor's degree (or associate's degree), at a two-year or a four-year institution of higher education in the United States.
- Must apply through the U.S. home campus and have at least one term of enrollment remaining at the home institution in the U.S. upon returning from studying abroad in Asia.
- Must have applied or have been accepted to a study abroad based program in: Cambodia, China, Hong Kong, Indonesia, Japan, Korea, Laos, Macao, Malaysia, Mongolia, Philippines, Singapore, Taiwan, Thailand, Vietnam.
- Must have applied to or have been accepted by a study abroad based program that awards academic credits through the home campus or other U.S. accredited college or university. The proposed length of study in the host country must be a minimum of 8 weeks for a summer term, 10 weeks for a quarter term, and 12 weeks for a semester term.
- Must have little or no previous experience in the country in which he or she plans to study.
Critical Language Scholarship (CLS) institutes provide fully-funded group-based intensive language instruction and structured cultural enrichment. A program of United States Department of State, Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs, the Critical Language Scholarship (CLS) Program offers intensive summer language institutes overseas in thirteen critical need foreign languages.
2011 CLS Program Eligibility Requirements:
- All applicants must be U.S. citizens.*
- Applicants must be currently enrolled in a U.S. degree-granting program at the undergraduate or graduate level.
- Current undergraduate students must have completed at least one year of general college course-work by program start date (one year is defined as two semesters or three quarters).
- Be in acceptable mental and physical health. Grantees will be required to submit a satisfactory Medical Information Form and Physician’s Statement.
- Applicants must be 18 by the beginning of the 2011 CLS Program.
- Please see 2011 CLS Institute Language Levels for more information on language pre-requisites for individual institutes.
Students in all disciplines, including business, engineering, law, medicine, sciences, and humanities are encouraged to apply.
The Gilman Scholarship Program offers grants for U.S. citizen undergraduate students of limited financial means (i.e. a Pell Grant) to pursue academic studies abroad. Such international study is intended to better prepare U.S. students to assume significant roles in an increasingly global economy and interdependent world. (The club vice president got this scholarship!)
Requirements:
- The applicant must be receiving a Federal Pell Grant or provide proof that he/she will be receiving a Pell Grant at the time of application or during the term of his/her study abroad.
- The applicant is applying to or has been accepted into a study abroad program eligible for credit by the student's accredited institution of higher education in the U.S.
- The applicant is studying abroad for at least four weeks in one country. Programs going to more than one country are eligible if the student will be studying in one country for at least four consecutive weeks.
- The applicant is studying abroad in any country except Cuba or a country on the U.S. Department of State's current Travel Warning list.
Boren Scholarships and Fellowships provide unique funding opportunities for U.S. undergraduate and graduate students to add an important international and language component to their educations.
You are eligible if you are...
- A U.S. citizen at the time of application
- A high school graduate, or have earned a GED
- Matriculated in an undergraduate degree program located within the United States accredited by an accrediting body recognized by the U.S. Department of Education. Boren Scholars must remain matriculated in their undergraduate programs for the duration of the scholarship and may not graduate until the scholarship is complete.
- Applying to a study abroad program that meets home institution standards in a country outside of Western Europe, Canada, Australia, or New Zealand. Boren Scholarships are not for study in the United States.