Our goal at Education Abroad is to make studying abroad accessible to all students. One of how we fulfill this objective is by providing a plethora of scholarship opportunities. Studying abroad can be costly, but our funding resources help alleviate some of those expenses.
One Peer Mentor, who is utilizing scholarships to study abroad a second time, admits, “It can be overwhelming to apply for programs and scholarships simultaneously.” Therefore, she recommends that you give yourself enough time to complete the process. She goes on to say, “I applied for multiple scholarships at the same time, and the whole process of checking my eligibility and writing essays took a while.” She advises that students try to allot at least a month for scholarship searches to put maximum effort into their applications.
We encourage students to start by contacting Texas One Stop to ensure their Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) is up to date. Then students should browse Global Assist, a database of scholarship opportunities endorsed by Education Abroad. Here, scholarships are sorted by area of study (Moody, McCombs, etc.), program (Sustainable Fashion, Italian Approaches to Early Childhood Education, etc.) and even by destinations. This is the easiest place for students to start because opportunities are sorted in one central location. Students can see which term the scholarships are applicable for and their corresponding due dates.
The scholarship application period for fall scholarships ranges from August of the previous year to mid-March/early April of the spring semester before travel. Spring applications open in late-August/early September of the semester prior to a student’s departure date and usually close Nov. 1. Summer applications generally open in August and close in February/March. It’s important to note that these deadlines are estimates. Students should check the Global Assist database for actual dates.
Part of increasing accessibility of Education Abroad is diversifying to whom opportunities are presented. To do this, we extend many scholarships to first-generation students. One of the main scholarships for this demographic is the First Abroad Scholarship. This is a one-time scholarship of $3,000 that students must apply for by November of their freshman year. Funds can be used anytime throughout their undergraduate studies, but students are no longer eligible to apply after the fall of freshman year.
The Gilman International Scholarship Program is another huge scholarship opportunity. Gilman prioritizes financial support to students who study abroad and identify as coming from traditionally underrepresented groups. Any Federal Pell Grant recipients traveling in a country with an overall Travel Advisory Level 1 or 2 is applicable for this scholarship. Not many students know of this opportunity, so students are heavily encouraged to apply. Veterans are also encouraged to apply as they are given preference.
Other unique scholarship opportunities focus on location and languages. Scholarships based on location usually cover regions students typically neglect when considering studying abroad. The Freeman Internship Stipend endows between $2,000-6,000 to students interning in select Asian countries. Similarly, internships are offered to students studying critical languages. These are languages in which the demand for fluent speakers in the U.S. is high, but supply is low. Examples of such languages are Arabic, Portuguese and Hindi.
Scholarships can be stacked, so students are encouraged to apply for as many opportunities as they meet the qualifications. Our funding resources can make all the difference between spending a semester abroad and staying here in Austin, so you should definitely take advantage!
Bryn Palmer is an Education Abroad Peer Mentor providing support to students interested in studying abroad. Learn about this position and its services on the Peer Mentor Programs webpage.
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