Study Abroad Scholarships for Undergraduates
- Each year, the American Institute for Foreign Study (AIFS) awards more than $600,000 to college students for study abroad with AIFS programs. To apply for AIFS International Scholarships, students must submit an essay on the topic "how study abroad will impact my academic and personal growth," a scholarship application, a program application and a $95 application fee. If they are applying for a summer program, they must also include a $300 deposit. The organization awards 40 $1,000 scholarships for a semester abroad and 50 $500 scholarships for a summer program abroad each year. In addition, students who have previously attended an AIFS program automatically receive $1,000 toward a semester AIFS program or $500 toward an AIFS summer program. The organization also sponsors affiliate scholarships and heritage-based scholarships.
- The Semester at Sea program takes students on a global journey for one semester of their undergraduate careers. They live on a ship that stops at various ports throughout the trip, which lasts about three and a half months. Participants receive credit from the University of Virginia that they can transfer their colleges. Aid is available from the Semester at Sea program. Semester at Sea and Diversity Abroad have also partnered to offer up to five $13,000 scholarships for the fall and spring semester trips and up to 10 $6,500 scholarships for the summer trip each year.
- The Boren Scholarships give college students the opportunity to study abroad at programs of their choosing. The awards, sponsored by the National Security Education Program, focus on areas that the United States have deemed to be of special interest to national security. The program encourages students to consider language study programs abroad and endorses study in fields that are important to national security. The awards are $8,000 for an eight-week or longer summer program, $10,000 for a semester program and $20,000 for a program that lasts for an entire academic year.
- The Fulbright Program for United States Students is sponsored by the United States Department of State. Each year, it gives funds to graduating college seniors or graduate students who will not have a doctorate degree before the program. About 1,500 students receive Fulbright scholarships each year to travel to 140 countries for a full academic year. There are two categories of Fulbright scholarships. One type is for study and research. These allow students to design their own experiences abroad. The other type is the English Teaching Assistantship, which funds students to teach English in 50 countries across the world.
