Study Abroad Scholarships

There are many scholarships available for students interested in a study abroad experience. These include UWL Foundation Scholarships and private providers in addition to the scholarships that you can find on our External Scholarship Database.

Find a list of study abroad scholarships, search engines and country/program specific scholarships here.

Boren/Gilman/Fulbright Scholarship Programs expanding section

Boren Awards For International Study

Boren Scholarships, an initiative of the National Security Education Program, provide unique funding opportunities for U.S. undergraduate students to study less commonly taught languages in world regions critical to U.S. interests, and underrepresented in study abroad, including Africa, Asia, Central and Eastern Europe, Eurasia, Latin America, and the Middle East. The countries of Western Europe, Canada, Australia, and New Zealand are excluded.

Boren Scholars represent a vital pool of highly motivated individuals who wish to work in the federal national security arena. In exchange for funding, Boren Scholars commit to working in the federal government for at least one year after graduation.

All Boren Scholars must study a foreign language appropriate to the country in which they are studying abroad.

Fulbright Scholar Programs

The Fulbright U.S. Scholar Program offers teaching, research or combination teaching/research awards in over 125 countries for the 2018-2019 academic year. Opportunities are available for college and university faculty and administrators as well as for professionals, artists, journalists, scientists, lawyers, independent scholars and many others. Fulbright is offering more opportunities for flexible, multi-country grants through enhanced global and regional awards. Interested faculty and professionals are encouraged to learn more about core Fulbright U.S. Scholar opportunities by visiting the online Catalog of Awards. The application cycle will open February 2018 with a deadline for most awards of August 1, 2018.

The Fulbright Program, sponsored by the U.S. Department of State’s Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs, is the U.S. government’s flagship international exchange program and is supported by the people of the United States and partner countries around the world. For more information about the Fulbright Scholar Program, please visit eca.state.gov/fulbright. 
 
Contact Miranda Panzer, UWL Fulbright Representative, at mpanzer@uwlax.edu or Fulbright Scholars Program at scholars@iie.org 

Benjamin A. Gilman International Scholarships

The Gilman Scholarship Program is an undergraduate grant program for U.S. citizens of limited financial means to enable them to study abroad, thereby internationalizing their outlook and better preparing them to assume significant roles in the increasingly global economy. Applicants must be a recipient of the PELL Grant to qualify. For further eligibility requirements, see http://www.iie.org/Programs/Gilman-Scholarship-Program/About-the-Program/Eligibility

I-Engage expanding section

Every semester International Education & Engagement allocates money to students who are greatly involved in educating others about their home country/culture or who wish to study abroad while maintaining a high GPA. The money for these scholarships comes from the Student Association and the UW System Fund. The purpose of this scholarship is to assist students who pay out-of-state tuition (for international students) or to encourage international awareness (for domestic students). Apply Now!

Contact The Office of International Education & Engagement for more information.

Foundation expanding section

The UWL Foundation administers a large number of scholarships established over the years by alumni and special friends of the University of Wisconsin-La Crosse. Eligibility varies but all scholarships are applicable only to UWL students participating on UWL sponsored study abroad programs. Applications for these scholarships are due by February 1st for programs taking place during the following academic year.

For more information about other scholarships available through the UWL Foundation Office, please visit the UWL Foundation Website.

Program Specific Databases expanding section

Germany

Congress-Bundestag Youth Exchange for Young Professionals (CBYX)
A yearlong fellowship to study and intern in Germany.  CBYX is open to applicants in all career fields, though preference is given to students in vocational, technical, engineering, business, agricultural, and scientific fields. Students traditionally underrepresented in study abroad opportunities are especially encouraged to apply.

Students will study for a semester at a German university or university of applied sciences, intern for 5-month with a German company in the participant's career field, and stay with a German host family. Airfare, health insurance and a monthly living expense stipend is included as well as local in-country support throughout the program.

Prior German language knowledge is not required, though it is preferred. Applicants should have clear career goals and some relevant work experience in their career field, which may include summer, part-time, or internship work. Participants must be between the ages of 18-24, possess a high school diploma or equivalent, and be US citizens or permanent residents. Interested applicants can apply online via the Congress Bundestag Webpage prior to the deadline.

DAAD
The German Academic Exchange Service offers undergraduate scholarships to highly qualified undergraduate students for semester, year or short-term study, university language or summer courses, senior thesis research and/or internships in the Federal Republic of Germany.

UAS7 
A consortium of seven leading German Universities of Applied Sciences that promotes an innovative scholarship program SIP (Study & Internship in Germany). In cooperation with the German Academic Exchange Service (DAAD), they grant prestigious SIP Scholarships for one academic year starting in the fall each year. The program consists of a full academic semester at one of the UAS7 universities in Germany and a 6-month internship with a German company or research institute.

Japan

Bridging Scholarships 
Sponsored by the Association of Teachers of Japanese, Bridging Scholarships assists with travel and living expenses for study abroad in Japan.

Latin America

LIVFund (Learn, Intern & Volunteer in Latin America)
The LIVFund Scholarship has been designed for anyone who wants to learn, intern or volunteer abroad in Latin America and is seeking financial assistance to offset program or living abroad expenses.

New Zealand

Education New Zealand 
Education New Zealand and New Zealand tertiary institutions are supporting study abroad students with excellence and travel awards. Education New Zealand Study Abroad Travel Awards (ENZTA) offers $2,000 to help students fund their flight to New Zealand. Excellence Awards are for $500 for students studying at one of the eight New Zealand universities.

To be eligible, students must hold a 3.0 GPA, be 18 years of age or older, be enrolled at a New Zealand university or ITP, be of sophomore standing and be a U.S. citizen.

Scandinavian Countries

American-Scandinavian Foundation
ASF offers fellowships (up to $23,000) and grants (up to $5,000) to individuals to pursue research or study in one or more Scandinavian country for up to one year. Awards are made in all fields.

Turkey

Turkish Coalition of America (TCA)  
TCA offers the TCAdvance Scholarship program for Turkish American students. A wide range of scholarships are also available for American minority students wishing to study in Turkey and support TCA's mission to build bridges between the U.S. and Turkey.

United Kingdom

British Council USA 
Funding and scholarship opportunities for students studying in the United Kingdom.

BUTEX North American Scholarships 
To be eligible to apply, you must have been offered a study abroad or exchange place at a BUTEX affiliated UK university. Your study abroad or exchange place must be for the academic year and your place must be for a minimum of one semester. 

CIEE Scholarship 
Students who have applied and been accepted to a CIEE program are eligible to apply for the following awards. The application is one simple click that automatically places you in consideration for every CIEE funding opportunity for which you are eligible.

Marshall Scholarship
Awards up to forty scholarships each year to study within any field at the graduate or occasionally undergraduate level at a UK institution. Marshall Scholarships finance young Americans of high ability to study for a degree in the United Kingdom. They are funded by the Foreign & Commonwealth Office and administered by the Marshall Aid Commemoration Commission (MACC) in the UK, for which the ACU provides the Secretariat.

Additional Scholarship Databases expanding section
Study Abroad Tips From One Of Our Own expanding section

Without a doubt, the experience that has had the greatest impact on my life during my five years as an undergraduate student at UWL was studying abroad. I have participated in five different study abroad trips to the countries of Ecuador, Costa Rica, and Panama. However, these trips wouldn’t have been possible without the help of scholarships and grants. I have received a total of $27,184 in scholarships and want to share some of my experiences and tips so that others are able to participate in study abroad programs like I have. 

-Emma

Here are my tips for you:

Apply, apply, apply!

Just because you are looking for scholarships to help you study abroad doesn’t mean you should be looking for only study abroad scholarships. General scholarships can also be used towards your study abroad trip. Several times I have received general scholarships that have helped me to be able to travel. Also, I encourage applying for scholarships even if you may not meet all of the criteria. There is no harm in applying, and you never know, you may be the best candidate or the only person to apply. Finally, don’t shy away from small scholarships. Most times they are easier to win and anything, even small amounts help in the end.

Undergraduate research grants

In January 2014, I studied abroad in Ecuador while completing an undergraduate research project and again in January 2016 I did undergraduate research in Costa Rica and Panama. If you are interested in research, undergraduate research grants are a great way to help you study abroad. UWL offers funding every semester through the Office of Undergraduate Research and Creativity. My undergraduate research grants totaled $4,275 which allowed me to go abroad. Not only does it help you travel abroad, but it’s a great experience to do research in your field and explore what you are interested in.

Think about clubs you are involved in

Many of the clubs you are a member of also offer scholarships. For example, I have applied for scholarships through Golden Key International Honor Society and other clubs I have been a member of.

Apply for the I-Engage Scholarship!

The I-Engage scholarship is a scholarship through International Education and Engagement (IEE) and the application can be found on UWL’s website. I currently work in International Education and Engagement and it is a scholarship that I encourage to everyone. I have received this scholarship every time I have studied abroad because IEE really does want more people to be able to study abroad and tries to assist financially. This is a great scholarship for students looking to study abroad.

UWL Foundation

I have had a lot of success applying through the UWL Foundation. The UWL Foundation makes it very easy to apply for scholarships. There is one general application to complete which you can use over and over again to apply for a wide variety of scholarships. There are also specific scholarships for studying abroad.

Provider Program Scholarships

In summer 2014, I studied abroad in Costa Rica though API, a provider program. There are many different provider programs available for students that will be studying abroad such as API, CEA, CIEE, ISA and others. All of these programs also usually offer scholarships of their own. When studying abroad in Costa Rica, I applied for a scholarship through API and was awarded $750. Don’t forget to search within your provider program!

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