Additional Sources of Financial Aid for International Study
Funding opportunities are readily available for international study, but students must be resourceful in the pursuit of these funds. Local organizations, such as community groups or émigré associations, may have small awards for overseas study, and large companies sometimes have scholarship programs open to children of employees. Financial aid directories should be available in study abroad offices, college libraries, or public libraries. Please also remember that any scholarships awarded must be reported to the student’s home school’s financial aid office.
The information provided below is current as of July 2008. CIEE is not responsible for the content of external websites.
Home College or University
Students can normally apply their regular federal student financial aid toward CIEE-administered programs. The eligible federal student financial aid programs include: Pell Grants, Supplemental Educational Opportunity Grants (SEOG), Perkins Loans, National Direct or Stafford Loans, and Parent Loans for Undergraduate Students (PLUS). Students may also be eligible for aid through state student financial aid programs; specific scholarship programs from the home school for study abroad, and from other outside scholarship agencies. Additionally, alternative student loans are available through banks, but most require certification by students’ home school financial aid offices.
Close contact with both the study abroad and financial aid official at your institution is advisable to ascertain what aid is applicable to your overseas program. Please see the CIEE Financial FAQs for more information about financial aid procedures related to studying with CIEE.
Gilman International Scholarship Program
Gilman offers awards for study abroad, for US undergraduate students who are also receiving federal Pell Grant funding at a 2-year or 4-year college or university. Awardees will be required to fulfill a service requirement to help promote study abroad on their home campuses during the semester after returning from studying abroad. Gilman is offered through the Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs of the U.S. Department of State and is administered by the Institute of International Education. Contact Information for Applicants: E-mail: gilman@iie.org; Tel: 713.621.6300, ext 25; Fax: 713.621.0876.
National Security Education Program (NSEP): David L. Boren Undergraduate Scholarships
The NSEP scholarship program provides funding for undergraduates studying abroad in areas outside of Western Europe, Canada, New Zealand and Australia. NSEP scholarships focus on providing support to US undergraduates interested in pursuing the study of languages and cultures currently underrepresented in study abroad and critical to US national security (for such critical subjects as include sustainable development, environmental issues, global disease and hunger, population growth and migration, and economic competitiveness). NSEP Students in fields of study critical to U.S. national security, such as engineering, and applied sciences, business and economics, international affairs, political, policy and social sciences, and health and law, are particularly encouraged to apply. Within three years of returning from study abroad, awardees are required to fulfill a minimum of a one year service requirement by working in a paid position in the Department of Defense, Department of Homeland Security, Department of State, or the Intelligence Community. Applications may be obtained from the NSEP representative or financial aid office on your home campus. Enrolled students must apply through their campus NSEP representative. If your campus does not have an NSEP representative, or you require an application or further information, contact: NSEP David L. Boren Scholarships and Fellowships,, IIE, 1400 K Street NW, Washington, DC 20005-2403. E-mail: boren@iie.org. Telephone: 1-800-618-NSEP; Fax: 202-326-7672
Institute for International Education
Institute for International Education (IIE) administers programs worldwide enabling thousands of students, scholars, artists, scientists, business managers and leaders in every field to share ideas and work for common goals. Specifically IIE administers international exchange programs, scholarships and grants. For more information on all the services that IIE can provide please visit the IIE website.
ATJ Scholarships for Japan
The Association of Teachers of Japanese (ATJ) Bridging Project Clearinghouse at the University of Colorado provides financial support for students participating in study abroad programs in Japan. ATJ awards scholarships to assist with travel and living expenses in Japan. This scholarship can be used in conjunction with participation on the semester or year-long CIEE Study Center program in Tokyo. For more information about Bridging Scholarships, including deadlines for applying and an application, contact ATJ: E-mail: atj@colorado.edu. Telephone: 303-492-5487 Fax: 303-492-5856
BUTEX North American Scholarships
The Scholarship is open to all undergraduate students currently registered at an institution in the USA or Canada. To be eligible to apply you must have been offered a study abroad or exchange place at a UK university which is BUTEX affiliated. Your place must be for a minimum of one semester. The value of each scholarship is US$1000 and will be paid to the winners once they have arrived and registered at their host university. For further details of how to apply for this scholarship please see www.butex.ac.uk.
Study Abroad Turkey Scholarship for Minority Students
Diversity Abroad, in cooperation with the Turkish Coalition of America (TCA), awards grants in the amount of $2,000 & $1,000 for full-time undergraduates (graduate student eligible on a case by case basis) who have been accepted to a study abroad program in Turkey for a semester and summer respectively. Applicants must be full-time African-American, Hispanic/Latino, or Native-American students who have been accepted to participate in a study abroad program in Turkey. For more information, please go to Study Abroad Turkey Scholarship Details.
Web Sites
These are the financial aid pages of some major U.S. institutions and organizations. Some of the information contained in these may apply only to the university hosting the page, but other general information is included on each page that may be of use.
- FinAid! A student guide to Financial Aid: Excellent general financial aid resource page written with the goal of helping students and parents understand financial aid policies, processes, and procedures. The site includes information about types of financial aid, application procedures, federal policies, advice about searching for scholarships, as well as links to scholarship search engines.
- Studyabroad.com general financial aid and scholarship page
- Mobility International USA, Financial resources for people with disabilities to fund international opportunities
- Scholarships for Multicultural Students Studying Abroad, International Studies & Programs, Michigan State University: list of scholarships available to students of color considering study abroad.
- Scholarship Database, The Learning Abroad Center, University of Minnesota: searchable database of scholarships for American undergraduate students planning to study abroad—click on the “Search for Scholarships & Funding” link.