external scholarships
There are many external scholarships available to students to help fund a study abroad experience. For best results, start researching possible scholarships one to two years prior to when you plan to go abroad.
BUTEX North American Scholarships
SFAI undergraduate students who are accepted for exchange at either Chelsea College of Art or Glasgow School of Art are eligible to apply for one of the eight British University Transatlantic Exchange Association (BUTEX) scholarships that are awarded to North American students studying in the UK each academic year. Each scholarship is 500 GBP and is paid to grantees upon their arrival to their host institution. Applications are generally accepted from January to the end of May each year, but dates may vary.
Benjamin A. Gilman International Scholarship
This scholarship of up to $5,000 is open to all U.S. citizen undergraduate students in good academic standing who meet the following requirements:
- You must be receiving a Federal Pell Grant or be able to provide proof that you will be receiving a Pell Grant at the time of application or during your semester abroad.
- You have already been accepted to a study abroad program eligible for credit by SFAI.
- You are studying abroad for at least four weeks in one country. Programs going to more than one country are eligible if you will be studying in one country for at least four consecutive weeks.
- You are studying in any country except Cuba or a country on the U.S. Department of State's current Travel Warning list.
Bridging Scholarships for Study in Japan
The Association of Teachers of Japanese Bridging Project offers scholarships to American undergraduate students participating in study abroad programs in Japan. ATJ awards 100 scholarships annually to assist students with the travel and living expenses they will incur while studying abroad in Japan for a semester or an academic year.
Boren Scholarships
Boren Scholarships provide up to $20,000 to U.S. undergraduate students to study abroad in areas of the world that are critical to U.S. interests and underrepresented in study abroad, including Africa, Asia, Central and Eastern Europe, Eurasia, Latin American, and the Middle East. Boren Scholarships are funded by the National Security Education Program (NSEP), which focuses on geographic areas, languages, and fields of study deemed critical to U.S. national security. Applicants should identify how their study abroad program, as well as their future academic and career goals, will contribute to U.S. national security, broadly defined. NSEP draws on a broad definition of national security, recognizing that the scope of national security has expanded to include not only the traditional concerns of protecting and promoting American well-being, but also the challenges of global society, including sustainable development, environmental degradation, global disease and hunger, population growth and migration, and economic competitiveness. Application Deadline is early February of each year.
Diversity Abroad Scholarship
Diversity Abroad offers $1,000 scholarships for study abroad during the fall, spring, and summer. Economically disadvantaged students, as well as African-American, Asian-American, Hispanic/Latino, and Native-American students, are strongly encouraged to apply.
Freeman Awards for Study in Asia
Freeman-ASIA scholarships will be available for study abroad opportunities through the 2012-2013 academic year for summer, semester, or academic year programs in 15 countries/regions in East and Southeast Asia. Award amounts vary from $3,000 - $7,000 depending on the length of study.
Fund for Education Abroad
FEA awards scholarships for education abroad students each academic year. Students studying abroad on any program four weeks or longer, for which they will receive credit at their home institution, are eligible. FEA is focused on awarding scholarships to under-represented groups in education abroad. Applications are usually available in later summer with deadlines in early November. Awards are usually announced in January of each year.
German Academic Exchange Service (DAAD) Scholarships to Germany
Monthly stipend of approximately 650 Euros. The application deadline each year is usually in January.
My Travel Bug Fellowship
My Travel Bug, Inc. is a non-profit organization promoting the educational benefits of international travel. They offer travel fellowships for U.S. citizens financially unable to travel. These fellowships provide stipends to top quality writers for trips overseas for 1, 2, or 3 months. All U.S. citizens over the age of 16, regardless of race, gender, or religion, may apply for a Travel Bug Fellowship. Winning fellows are required to write travelogues and take pictures of their trips. These stories, pictures, and videos are published on our website for the benefit of our readers.
SR Education Group Study Abroad Scholarship
The award is for $2,000, and a new scholarship is posted immediately after the current scholarship closes (approximately every three months); this ultimately means that a scholarship will always be available. Additionally, it is a general study abroad scholarship- not program specific, and they do not impose a minimum timeframe for the student’s length of travel.
The Fund for International Service Learning
A non-profit organization that awards scholarships to students enrolled in or applying to international service-learning programs. FISL offers a scholarship in the amount of $500 that can be used for any aspect of the trip such as travel expenses, tuition, visas, clothing, and special equipment.
The U.S. National Commission for UNESCO Laura W. Bush Traveling Fellowship
Student applicants design a proposal to conduct brief work in a foreign country related to the mandate of UNESCO: using education, natural sciences, social and human sciences, culture, and/or communication and information to build strong ties among nations. The fellowship is intended for American college students who express an interest in international collaboration but have not yet been afforded many opportunities to travel abroad.
Scholarship Databases
IIEPassport Study Abroad Funding
