It’s All In What You Know: Scholarship Opportunities by Subject!

photo credit:
wonhai

It’s a common misconception that only students who major in international relations or modern languages can study abroad. The fact of the matter is that EVERYONE can study abroad – no matter what major or unit of study! After all, we live in a globalized world where every sector, from communications and arts to science and business are crossing borders and bridging cultures every day.

Luckily, there’s a huge push in international education to get all different types of students to study abroad, which means plenty of opportunities for students to apply to scholarships tailored toward their particular unit of study!

Program providers can be great outlets for these types of initiatives. CIEE, one of the largest providers, established the GAIN Scholarship, which actively seeks student applicants who are from majors typically underrepresented in study abroad. Awards range from $1,000 up to $5,000. Likewise, SIT offers a special scholarship for those who wish to pursue a study abroad program to advance a career in engineering.

Individual organizations are also known for honing in on particular academic sectors for study abroad scholarships. The Foundation of Global Scholars has partnered with such organizations as STA Travel and GlobalLinks Abroad to offer students scholarships for a wide range of studies including photography, international business, tourism and entrepreneurship.

Don’t forget to dream big, either! Students in any major who wish to advance their foreign language abilities can apply to be in the Critical Language Scholarship program, offered by the U.S. Department of State and Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs.  Students selected to participate are fully funded on a language immersion program, given they study a language of key importance to U.S. foreign affairs (Chinese, Korean, Arabic, Russian, Japanese and Hindi are all included).

Remember to also check with your study abroad advisor as well as your financial aid department to find out about scholarships at your particular college or university – that way you can cut down on the competition. If your institution has a particular cultural center, ask them about scholarships and grants to go abroad as well!

Best of all you can tell all your international relations friends you’ll catch them next semester because you’re going abroad too!  Check back for even more financial aid and scholarship resources all this week at the Abroad101 Blog.

Want to read insider reviews from fellow study abroad students? Click here to find your perfect study abroad program!