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Other Funding Sources

SIT Study Abroad has identified a list of organizations that provide scholarships for undergraduate study abroad. If you feel you may qualify for any of these scholarships, you should contact that particular organization directly.

National Scholarships – General

Benjamin A. Gilman International Scholarship
The Gilman International Scholarship Program offers grants for US citizen undergraduate students of limited financial means to pursue academic studies abroad. Such international study is intended to better prepare US students to assume significant roles in an increasingly global economy and interdependent world. Undergraduate students who are receiving federal Pell Grant funding at 2-year or 4-year colleges or universities are eligible to apply.

Gilman-McCain Scholarship
The Gilman-McCain Scholarship is a congressionally funded initiative of the Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs at the US Department of State and named after the late senator John S. McCain from Arizona. This scholarship provides awards of $5,000 for dependents of active duty service members to study or intern abroad on credit-bearing programs.

Boren Scholarships
Boren Scholarships applicants must be matriculated in an associate’s or bachelor’s degree program located within the United States and accredited by a body recognized by the U.S. Department of Education at the time of application. They must remain matriculated in an undergraduate degree program for the duration of the scholarship and may not graduate until the scholarship is complete.

Boren Scholars should seek study abroad programs that have a serious language component. Although such programs may include some coursework, unpaid internships, or volunteer opportunities conducted in English, the strongest applicants will make every effort to immerse themselves in language study. Language study should comprise the majority of overseas coursework. Beyond the classroom, language immersion may take place in university housing with local students, in homestays with local families, or through research or volunteering conducted in the local language.

Boren Awards fund study in Africa, Asia, Central & Eastern Europe, Latin America, and the Middle East. The countries of Western Europe, Canada, Australia, and New Zealand are always ineligible for Boren Awards funding. Preferred countries are listed on the Boren website.

More information and application materials are available on the Boren website.

Fund for Education Abroad
The Fund for Education Abroad (FEA) was created in order to open doors for deserving education abroad students; FEA awards funds for students planning to study abroad on any academically rigorous programs. Designed by the FEA Advisory Board, FEA scholarships are intended to meet the financial needs of students who might not be eligible for government grants or existing funds limited to specific programs or groups of students.

Go Overseas Scholarships
Go Overseas scholarships are available to students currently enrolled in, or in the process of applying to, study abroad programs and award up to $1,000. Go Overseas also has a Teach Abroad Scholarship and a Volunteer Abroad Scholarship for students with a focus on international studies and/or education.

National Scholarships – Specific to Region

Freeman-ASIA

The Institute of International Education (IIE) Freeman Awards for Study in Asia (Freeman-ASIA), are made possible by generous support from the Freeman Foundation. Created to assist U.S. students with demonstrated financial need and limited prior experience in East and Southeast Asia, Freeman-ASIA will fund approximately 400 students over the next two academic years, with awards ranging from $3,000 per student for summer study and $5,000 per semester, to a maximum of $7,000 for a full year abroad. 

For more information, prospective students should visit the Freeman-ASIA website for eligibility requirements, full application instructions and deadlines. 

National Scholarships – Specific to Diversity

Diverse International Women of Color Scholarship for Summer 2021
Diverse International Women of Color, Inc is a 501c3 nonprofit corporation founded in New York on June 23, 2018. DIWC’s charitable concern is to provide scholarships to women of color who need financial assistance to study abroad. Scholarships provide deserving students the ability to achieve success at their study abroad program of choice. Application open March 1 – May 1.

Diversity Abroad Resource

Hispanic Scholarship Fund

The Marion Wright Edelman Scholarship (for a person of minority background)
Please visit the following websites for more information:

The National Italian American Foundation
For Italian American students who demonstrate outstanding potential and high academic achievements. Area of study: open.

Point Foundation – The National LGBT Scholarship Fund
Point Foundation provides financial support, leadership training, mentoring and hope to meritorious students who are marginalized due to sexual orientation, gender identity and/or gender expression. Applicants should have proven leadership skills, excellent scholastic achievements and want to make a difference in the world. All applicants are evaluated on the totality of their situation including, academic accomplishments, financial, emotional and social need, extracurricular activities, personal circumstances and goals for the future. This website provides link to a number of different resources geared towards LGBTQ students.

Pride Foundation
Pride’s lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender (LGBT) and straight-allied scholarship program is one of the largest of its kind in the country. Pride Foundation partners with the Greater Seattle Business Association (GSBA), to administer and award scholarships. Together Pride Foundation and GSBA have awarded more than $2.2 million to over 650 recipients since 1991. For Pacific Northwest students (Washington, Oregon, Idaho, Montana, Alaska).

Study Abroad Funding Websites and Databases

Crowdfunding

Fund My Travel – allows students to create a fundraising platform designed for contributions from family and friends.