Scholarships you need to know to study abroad
Have you been envying your friends’ Facebook albums from their study abroad adventures? Taking your college experience to a different country is a priceless experience, but costly airfare and tuitions can restrict even the most qualified students from going. Don’t let money issues hold you back! Whether you want to volunteer and make a difference, or just straightforward study, there are a plethora of programs out there. Some are more well-known or competitive than others, but here are six scholarships that you should know about:
1.) U.S. Fulbright Student Grant. Wondering what to do after graduation? Fulbright Grants, backed by the U.S. Department of State, provide opportunity for study abroad to people that have already obtained their B.A. The possibilities are endless: Recipients of the grant can design teach, work or design their own independent study program. Fulbright also offers grants for creative writing, journalism, and business. Most of the programs are year-long. To learn more about Fulbright Grants, click here.
2.) Peace Corps. Want to make a global difference? Peace Corps volunteers serve in 77 countries for 27 months, providing technical assistance in six program areas: education, youth and community development, health, business and information and communications technology, agriculture, and environment. Learn more at peacecorps.gov.
3.) Shooting Touch Sabbatical Grant. Are you an athlete or a basketball enthusiast? This unique scholarship is for you. The program provides students the chance to live and study abroad anywhere in the world for 10 months with a stipend of $25,000. Shooting Touch is “designed to give back to the global community and create positive social change through the sport of basketball.” Applicants, who can be of any college level, must submit a detailed mission statement and outline the goals of their independent study. The next deadline is December 31, 2010, so if you’re interested, apply now!
4.)RISE. Are you a burgeoning scientist? Research Internships in Science and Engineering (RISE) is a summer internship program in Germany. Undergraduate students majoring in physics, chemistry, earth sciences and engineering work with research groups abroad for two to three months. RISE award recipients are matched with doctoral students, whom they will assist in exchange for mentorship. The highlight of this program is that all work is conducted in English, making it one of the few study abroad programs in a foreign-speaking country that doesn’t require any foreign language knowledge at all. Learn more about RISE and other study abroad programs in Germany here.
5.) Ibn Battuta Merit Scholarships for Peace & Diplomacy. Looking for something a little off the beaten path? This program is based in Morocco at the Qalam wa Lawh Center, where students will take courses in intensive Arabic language. All tuition and housing are paid for—all you have to worry about is airfare and spending money. Students who have had at least two semesters (80 hours) of Arabic study are eligible to apply. Arabic is quickly becoming an important language for many jobs that require international relations, like the FBI.
6.) Aurora Japanese Language Scholarship Foundation. Japan is on many people’s bucket list of must-see countries. The scholarships from Aurora were designed to give anyone with a dream or desire to study in Japan to do just that. Recipients choose a project, such as studying Japanese, visiting schools, gathering artifacts, working at non-profit organizations or even experiencing Japanese New Year. Winners receive a $3,000 scholarship and roundtrip airfare. This could be a great opportunity to expand your intercultural knowledge.