Study Abroad Scholarship Programs

What time is it?

Application time!

So, I know that a lot of people don’t know what opportunities are out there for going abroad (especially for US students). This post is, I suppose, a sort of remedy for that. And guess what?

All the provided scholarships/study abroad programs have some sort of funding involved, whether it is full ride or $1,000.

Quick note: All these scholarships are for U.S. students. Some of them have reciprocal scholarships for international students (such as YES and YES Abroad). 

All the below (until otherwise notified) are high school scholarships.

YES Abroad:

This scholarship gets to be first because this is the scholarship that I’m currently on!

“The Kennedy-Lugar Youth Exchange and Study (YES) Abroad program, sponsored by the U.S. Department of State, Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs, is offering American high school students and recent graduates full scholarships to study for one academic year in countries with significant Muslim populations.

YES Abroad students serve as “youth ambassadors” of the United States, promoting mutual understanding by forming lasting relationships with their host families and communities. Participants live with a host family, attend a local high school, acquire leadership skills, and engage in activities to learn about the host country’s society and values; they also help educate others about American society and values.”

YES is a full ride scholarship to countries with significant Muslim populations. This upcoming year, there are 11 countries offered. This scholarship is more culturally focused. I really really really recommend y’all to go and check it out because IT’S THE BOMB. Also, if you have any questions, comment below because I most likely can answer them!

http://www.yes-abroad.org

NSLI-Y:

“The National Security Language Initiative for Youth (NSLI-Y) program was launched in 2006 to promote critical language learning among American youth. The U.S. Department of State, in cooperation with American Councils for International Education, awards and administers merit-based scholarships to high school students for participation in summer and academic year immersion programs in locations where the seven NSLI-Y languages are spoken. NSLI-Y immerses participants in the cultural life of the host country, giving them formal and informal language practice and sparking a lifetime interest in foreign languages and cultures.”

Summarized, this program gives full ride scholarships for both summer and year programs to specific countries where the seven NSLI-Y languages are spoken. This scholarship is language focused.

I participated in the summer Turkey 2014 program. It is honestly one of the best things I have done in my whole life. I didn’t come out knowing too much Turkish (I have a hard time learning languages), but I did come out with lifelong friends and a love for Turkey and its people. If you have any questions, comment below, because chances are I can answer them or someone I know can.

I would highly encourage you all to check it out! The link is below and the deadline for the application October 29, 2016.

http://www.nsliforyouth.org/how-to-apply/

CBYX:

“Congress-Bundestag Youth Exchange (CBYX) is for motivated high school students who want to experience a culture and learn a language through a full immersion experience. Earn a competitive edge for your college applications. Learn about German culture first-hand by living with a host family and attending a German high school. Connect to an elite network of U.S. Department of State program alumni. Embark on an adventure that is unlike any other.”

CBYX is a full ride scholarship to study in Germany for 10 months. Each area of the U.S. has a different organization in charge, so the deadlines vary from December 2015 and February 2016. (You can see what your organization is online).

http://www.usagermanyscholarship.org

ExCEL:

“Program participants will serve as “youth ambassadors” of the United States. By forming lasting relationships within their host community, participants will promote mutual understanding between the U.S and Lithuania. Students will live with a host family, attend a local high school, and engage in activities to learn about Lithuania’s people, culture, and values. Such activities can be through the host high school, through community organizations, through an independent study project, and through community service, in which participants are expected to take part.”

This scholarship is a full ride to Lithuania for around a year. This scholarship application is open for its second year! You can check it out at the link below (and on their page, the application link is at the bottom).

http://www.americancouncils.org/programs/excel-abroad-program

AFS Scholarships:

AFS is an exchange organization (and the implementing organization for me right now, so I’m an AFS participant!). They provide several scholarships that you can find on the link below!

“What, Ruth, you’re making me look BY MYSELF?”

Why, yes. It’s not too hard. It’s just that there are a lot of scholarships offered (thinking about space here) and I am a personal believer of YOUR searching/clicking abilities!

http://www.afsusa.org/study-abroad/scholarships/

IES Abroad Scholarships:

IES Abroad is another exchange organization and guess what! They have some scholarships too! You can find them by clicking on the link below!

http://www.iesabroad.org/study-abroad/scholarships

AMIDEAST Scholarships:

This, like the two organizations above it, is an exchange organization that offers some scholarships. To find them, click the link below!

http://www.amideast.org/abroad/resources/scholarships/scholarships

Now it’s time for our first college scholarship! (and the rest are also college scholarships)

CLS:

This essentially is the college version of NSLI-Y. Language focused and full ride.

“The Critical Language Scholarship (CLS) Program is a fully-funded overseas language and cultural immersion program for American undergraduate and graduate students. With the goal of broadening the base of Americans studying and mastering critical languages and building relationships between the people of the United States and other countries, CLS provides study opportunities to a diverse range of students from across the United States at every level of language learning.”

Check it out!

http://clscholarship.org

Fulbright Program:

“The Fulbright Program is the flagship international educational exchange program sponsored by the U.S. government and is designed to increase mutual understanding between the people of the United States and the people of other countries.”

The Fulbright Program is fully sponsored by the U.S. Government for college students. They offer a lot of different programs that you can find at:

http://eca.state.gov/fulbright/fulbright-programs

Note: This can be applied to both national and international students.

(look under Grants>For Students)

Gilman Scholarship Program:

“The Gilman Scholarship Program aims to diversify the kinds of students who study and intern abroad and the countries and regions where they go by offering awards to U.S. undergraduates who might otherwise not participate due to financial constraints.”

This is a $5,000 scholarship from the U.S. Department of State. So, this is only applicable for those who are receiving a Pell Grant. In addition, those studying abroad and studying a critical need language are eligible for the $8,000 Critical Need Language Award. (those languages are Bahasa Indonesia, Arabic, Chinese, Japanese, Turkic languages, Persian languages, Indic languages, Russian, Swahili, and Korean) Read more at:

http://www.iie.org/Programs/Gilman-Scholarship-Program

AIFS Scholarships:

AIFS is a study abroad program and they provide a plethora of scholarships (mostly partial). You can find them at:

http://www.aifsabroad.com/scholarships.asp

Note: I am assuming this is for college students, but I couldn’t find age specification on the site. If you are interested in this program, you can contact them via a Questions link on their site.

CIEE Scholarships:

CIEE provides study abroad programs for college students. They have some partial scholarships available.

http://www.ciee.org/study-abroad/scholarships-grants/

Institute of International Education Scholarships:

IIE offers a lot of scholarships that you can find at:

http://www.studyabroadfunding.org/index.asp

The list could literally go. On. Forever. Like I said, no one really knows all the opportunity and funding waiting out there. If you are interested in other programs, I encourage you to look them up. You can find hundreds of programs just from typing “study abroad scholarships” or “travel scholarships” in Google/another search engine. Or you can look them up on the Department of State website (http://exchanges.state.gov/us/find-programs)

That’s all for now, folks!