CIEE Student Scholarship Programs for Education Abroad
CIEE Global Access Initiative (GAIN)
The CIEE Global Access Initiative (GAIN), starting in Summer 2012, was created to help overcome the main barriers to study abroad, namely, challenges of cost and curriculum requirements. GAIN will aid in diversifying study abroad by providing opportunities for students who are economically challenged, from diverse backgrounds, or underrepresented fields of study.
CIEE is providing one million dollars each year through grants and scholarships to expand access for students for full-year, semester, and summer study abroad programs. GAIN will also provide grants and scholarships to students who are selected as awardees by the highly respected Benjamin A. Gilman and David L. Boren Scholarship programs.
The following awards are funded through GAIN:
GAIN Scholarship
The GAIN Scholarship was developed to aid in diversifying study abroad by providing opportunities for students who are economically challenged, from diverse backgrounds, students with documented disabilities, or underrepresented fields of study.
Eligibility
Available to CIEE Study Center applicants only. The applicant must self-identify as one or more of the following:
- majoring in an academic area traditionally underrepresented in study abroad
- a member of a social or ethnic group traditionally underrepresented in study abroad
- a 1st generation college student
- a military veteran or ROTC member
- an NCAA athlete
- a non-traditionally aged student
- have demonstrated financial need and/or
- otherwise define barriers to overcome in order to be able to study abroad
In your Scholarship Essay, you will be asked to address the following additional questions:
- Please define what barrier(s) you have or will need to overcome to be able to study abroad (academic, social, or personal)?
- As a person who will have overcome barriers in order to have this international experience, how do you plan to encourage other students with similar challenges to study abroad?
Awards
Awards range from $1000-$5000, depending on duration of study and financial need, and are applied toward the awardee's CIEE program fee.
GAIN Reward
The GAIN Rewards were developed to help provide grants to further assist students who are selected as awardees by the highly respected Benjamin A. Gilman and David L. Boren Scholarship programs.
Eligibility
Available to CIEE Study Center applicants only. The applicant must have been selected to receive the Boren Scholarship for International Study or the Benjamin A. Gilman International Scholarship, and have greater than $1000 in outstanding, documented financial need. (NOTE: Students apply for the CIEE GAIN Reward prior to learning if they have received the Boren or Gilman award, and will be prompted by CIEE at a later date to submit additional documentation that they have been granted these awards, and to update financial aid information.)
Awards
Awards range from $1000-$4000, depending on duration of study and financial need, and are applied toward the awardee's CIEE program fee. All qualified applicants will be awarded.
General CIEE Scholarship Information
For many students, a study abroad experience is only possible with financial assistance. Each year CIEE awards scholarships and grants to students who plan to study overseas.
Competition for the CIEE scholarships and grants is keen and the quality of the materials submitted is very important. The scholarship application procedure is entirely independent from the CIEE program application.
Students should discuss all financial aid planning with their campus financial aid and study abroad advisor. It is the applicant’s responsibility to ensure that their scholarship application is complete.
Applications and Deadlines
Once you begin a study abroad application with CIEE, you have access to the CIEE online scholarship application as well. It guides you through the process, helping you identify CIEE scholarships of interest, determine deadlines and submit the necessary information. If you have already started a study abroad application with us, log in to your account, and then visit the Program section to begin the scholarship process. As part of this process, you will need to provide:
- One scholarship essay that includes:
- Your objectives for your time overseas with CIEE
- Your academic and/or professional goals, and how your study abroad program will support them
- Details of your financial need and how the scholarship will assist you in meeting your individual goals
- Describe any extenuating circumstances that may be relevant in the consideration of your scholarship application
- Additional explanations specific to the scholarships for which you are applying (Additional requirements outlined in the specific scholarship eligibility requirements and instructions. Failure to include these additional requirements in your essay could jeopardize your scholarship application.)
- A complete financial aid administrator form
- Your complete Study Abroad program application by the earliest scholarship application deadline associated with the scholarships for which you wish to be considered.
Please note: Competition for the CIEE scholarships and grants is keen and the quality of the materials submitted is very important. In addition to the scholarship form and essay, applications are reviewed based upon the information provided in the program application, including the personal statement, academic information, transcripts, and evaluations. Financial need and academic excellence are strongly considered.
Scholarship Application Deadlines
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Term
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Award
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Deadline
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Scholarship Notification Announcements
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summer, fall, and academic year programs
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GAIN Scholarships and all PING Scholarships
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April 1 (same year as studying abroad)
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Rolling Basis
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GAIN Rewards
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April 1 (same year as studying abroad)
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Rolling Basis
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winter, spring, and calendar year programs
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GAIN Scholarships and all PING Scholarships
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November 1 (year prior to studying abroad)
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Rolling Basis
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GAIN Rewards
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November 1 (year prior to studying abroad)
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Rolling Basis
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Scholarship application documents and completed program applications and materials must be submitted by the dates shown above. Please note: scholarship application deadlines are evaluated independently of program application deadlines and will not be extended even if the program application deadline is extended.
Return Requirement
Upon returning from abroad, all CIEE scholarship or grant recipients must submit a creative report demonstrating how the program allowed them to interact with the host culture, how the program enhanced their language skills and/or understanding of cultural and social issues, and how the program activities related to their future academic and/or career goals. Students are encouraged to be creative in their presentation of this report. Please note that this mandatory essay and all other materials submitted for this report become the property of CIEE and may be used in print and/or electronic publications. Please send to: mystory@ciee.org.
Selection
In addition to the scholarship form and essay, applications may also be reviewed based upon the information provided in the program application, including the personal statement, academic information, transcripts, and evaluations. Financial need and academic excellence are strongly considered.
Notification of Award Status
Students selected for awards will be notified of their status by e-mail approximately four weeks after the application deadline. A list of awardees will be posted here at that time as well.
The Ping Foundation
From 1993-2004, Dr. Charles Ping served as the Chairman of the CIEE Board of Directors. To honor Dr. Ping’s service to CIEE, the organization established a permanent endowment in his name: The Ping Foundation. The Foundation aims to serve CIEE’s mission through three activities; advocacy for international educational exchange, research designed to advance the field of international educational exchange, and funding of scholarship programs.
The following awards are funded through the Ping Foundation:
Michael Stohl Scholarship
The Michael Stohl Scholarship award was established in honor of Dr. Michael Stohl’s extraordinary contributions to CIEE, The Academic Consortium Board, The Board of Directors, and the field of international education; and, to commemorate his retirement from the Board in November 2011. These awards are intended to promote the participation in CIEE programs of students who are from nontraditional backgrounds, economically challenged, or first generation college students, or who are planning to conduct international research as part of the study abroad program. In recognition of Dr. Stohl’s long commitment to public higher education, students from public institutions will receive special consideration.
Eligibility
Available to CIEE Study Center applicants only. The applicant must be self-identified as a 1st generation college student, demonstrate financial need, be a non-traditionally aged student, have a non-traditional background, and/or be planning to conduct research as part of the study abroad program. Preference is given to students from public higher education institutions.
Awards
Awards range from $1000-$5000, depending on duration of study and financial need, and are applied toward the awardee's CIEE program fee. Available for semester or yearlong programs.
Kathleen McDermott Scholarship
The scholarship is in honor of Kathleen McDermott who served on the Executive Committee of the CIEE Academic Consortium Board. Dr. McDermott was the Assistant Vice-President and Director of Global Programs at Columbia University. She spent over 20 years in different roles at Columbia, among them as Columbia College's first residential dean and as adviser for study abroad and fellowships. Dr. McDermott was an anthropologist, trained nurse, and consummate administrator who cared deeply for students and the experiences that study abroad provided for their intellectual and emotional development.
Eligibility
Available to CIEE Study Center applicants only, starting in Fall 2012. The applicant must have demonstrated financial need and be either a Public Health or Nursing major, and/or participating in a CIEE Community Public Health study abroad program.
AwardsAwards range from $1000-$2500, depending on duration of study and financial need, and are applied toward the awardee's CIEE program fee. Available for summer, semester, or yearlong programs.
John E. Bowman Travel Grants
The Bowman Travel Grants were established in memory of John E. Bowman, Executive Director of CIEE from 1952 to 1979. These awards provide assistance to students participating in CIEE study abroad programs in non-traditional locations. They help to defray the costs of travel.
Eligibility
Applicants must fulfill the following criteria:
- The applicant must attend a CIEE Member or CIEE Academic Consortium member institution. CIEE Member institutions can be found here and CIEE Academic Consortium member institutions can be found here
- The applicant must plan to study at a CIEE Study Center in a non-traditional destination. Regions currently eligible include: Africa, Asia, Eastern Europe, and Latin America.
Awards
All awards are $1,000 and are issued directly to the student, after all other program fees have been paid, to help defray the cost of travel.
For students whose school is billed for all fees, the award will be released within four weeks of award notification.
Robert B. Bailey Scholarship
The Robert B. Bailey Scholarship is intended to promote the participation in CIEE programs of individuals or members of groups that have traditionally been underrepresented in study abroad, especially ethnic minority students.
These awards are named in honor of Robert B. Bailey III, former member of CIEE’s Board of Directors and Professor of Sociology and Director of Study Abroad at the University of Wisconsin-River Falls.
Eligibility
Available to CIEE Study Center applicants only. The applicant must be self-identified as belonging to an underrepresented group.
In your Scholarship Essay, you will be asked to answer the following additional questions:
- Please specify the group to which you belong and which you believe is underrepresented in study abroad. How does your membership in that underrepresented group factor into your choice of program/destination?
- As a member of an underrepresented group, how do you plan to integrate this international experience into future academic, community, professional, and extracurricular activities?
Awards
Award amounts are $1,500 for semester or yearlong programs and $500 for summer programs. The award is applied toward the applicant’s CIEE program fee.
Peter Wollitzer Scholarships for Study in Asia
The Wollitzer Scholarships were established by the Ping Foundation in 2006 in memory of Peter Wollitzer, Regional Director at the university-wide office of the University of California Education Abroad Program. Peter had a long affiliation with CIEE and was a strong proponent of CIEE Study Centers around the world. He most recently was a member of the CIEE Academic Consortium Board. These awards provide assistance to students from CIEE Academic Consortium Board Member institutions who are participating in CIEE study abroad programs in Asia.
Eligibility
Applicants must fulfill the following criteria:
1. The applicant must participate in a CIEE Study Center program in Asia. This includes:
- Cambodia
- China
- India
- Japan
- Korea
- Taiwan
- Thailand
2. The applicant must attend a CIEE Academic Consortium Board Member institution. For Summer and Fall 2012 these include:
- Brown University
- Fordham University
- Oberlin College
- Pacific Lutheran University
- Princeton University
- Purdue University
- South Dakota State University
- University of North Carolina at Charlotte
- University of Texas at Austin, The
- University of Tulsa
- Washington University
- In honor of Peter Wollitzer: University of California EAP
Awards
One award is made each semester in the amount of $2,000 and two awards of $500 each are made for summer programs. The awards are applied to the applicant’s CIEE program fee.
CIEE International Study Programs (CIEE-ISP) Scholarships
In an effort to make study abroad opportunities available to the widest possible audience, CIEE offers scholarships each year to students who demonstrate both academic excellence and financial need.
Eligibility
Available to CIEE Study Center applicants from CIEE Member or CIEE Academic Consortium Member institutions only. CIEE Member institutions can be found here and CIEE Academic Consortium member institutions can be found here.
Awards
Award amounts are $2,000 for semester or yearlong programs, and $1,000 for summer programs. The award is applied toward the applicant’s CIEE program fee.
Jennifer Ritzmann Scholarship for Studies in Tropical Biology
This CIEE scholarship was established, with the consent of her parents, in the memory of Jennifer Ritzmann, a 1998 fall participant in the Tropical Biology Program at Monteverde, Costa Rica, and a junior from Ohio University, whose life was taken in a tragic accident. Jennifer’s dream was to do forestry work in Costa Rica, and she was committed to preserving the rain forest.
This scholarship is to be awarded each semester, in the amount of $1000, to a qualified participant on either the Monteverde, Costa Rica Tropical Ecology and Conservation semester-long program or the Sustainability and the Environment semester-long program. It is our hope that through this scholarship we will be able to help other students with similar dreams and goals to achieve what Jennifer was only able to begin to realize.
Interested applicants should submit a creative Scholarship Essay as part of their scholarship application.
To read Jennifer’s application essay click here.
The Spring 2012 Ritzmann Scholarship winner is Alayna Dorobek, from Case Western Reserve University. Read Alayna's essay here.
The Fall 2011 Ritzmann Scholarship winner is Ahasanur Rahman, from Allegheny College. Read Ahasanur’s essay here.
The Fall 2010 Ritzmann Scholarship winner is Kaitland Harvey, from the University of Kentucky. Read Kaitland’s essay here.
The Spring 2010 Ritzmann Scholarship winner is Daniel Turner, from the University of North Carolina Wilmington Read Daniel's essay here.
The Fall 2009 Ritzmann Scholarship winner is Lucille Moore from the University of Puget Sound. Read Lucille's essay here.
The Spring 2009 Ritzmann Scholarship winner is Jennifer Carter from the University of Colorado at Boulder. Read Jennifer's essay here.
For questions regarding any of our scholarship programs please call 1.800.40.STUDY or e-mail us at studyinfo@ciee.org.