Photo Attribution to Cayusa on Flickr
According to the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO), only 0.3 percent of U.S. college students study abroad. “How can I possibly afford to go study abroad? I don’t have enough money.” That complaint is synonymous with students and young people who don’t take the opportunity to study abroad in college. In their minds, it boils down to money.
The interesting thing is that an increasing number of universities, international companies and the government encourage students to study abroad and have implemented scholarships to help fund their experience. There is the Fulbright Program, the Institute of International Education and the IES Abroad programs that are filled with opportunities and scholarships for students who have the ambition to study abroad.
The government in particular is a huge advocate of cultural and educational exchanges. In 2009, U.S. Senators Dick Durbin and Roger Wicker introduced the Paul Simon Study Abroad Foundation Act and unanimously won the House of Representative vote. The Foundation will act as a study abroad program hub for undergraduate students would otherwise not have the financial ability pursue an international opportunity. Their aim is to build global leaders, foster international understanding and fund study abroad programs in non-traditional locations. According to Senator Wicker, we need to cultivate “the future leaders of our nation [and enable them to] have a higher level of foreign language proficiency and international and cultural knowledge.”
The money from these programs, agencies and foundations is out there for the taking. So how do you as a student take these scholarship opportunities into your own hands? The only solution is to start applying now. Below is just a sample of the financial resources that are available. Remember that the more high profile a scholarship is, the more competition there will be for those awards. Always think local as a strategy for scholarships. Your chances will always be higher.
Here are some examples of scholarships available:
IES Abroad Merit-Based Scholarship for International Relations, Cross-Cultural & Comparative Studies, and Leadership & Community Involvement.
Hispanic Study Abroad Scholars (HSAS) – Scholarships specifically geared for Hispanics study abroad.
National Flagship Language Program – Encouraging the development of specialists in languages critical to U.S. security interests.
Do you know of any scholarships that should be included in this list? Let us know and we will add them to our list.
[...] Scholarship Money for the Taking. [...]