More than 3.4 million American students choose to study abroad each year. Studying abroad can be a transformative time in any student’s life. It grants you the opportunity to earn credits towards your degree while immersing yourself in another country’s culture, cuisine, festivities, and more. Once you graduate from college and enter the working world, it can be more difficult to find time to travel. So, if you have the opportunity to study abroad, take it. 

Of course, you may be worried about the cost. But the good news is, many companies, organizations, and institutions offer scholarships to help students live out their study abroad dreams. 

Here are 12 of the best study abroad scholarships.

AIFS Diversity Achievement Scholarship

American Institute for Foreign Study (AIFS) Diversity Achievement Scholarships are awarded three times each year to high achieving students from backgrounds that are historically underrepresented in education abroad. In addition to high academic achievement, AIFS prioritizes those who participate in community service activities. 

Award: $5,000

Eligibility: 

• Must be a current undergraduate student
• Must be from a background that is historically underrepresented in study abroad
• Must demonstrate high academic achievement and/or community service participation

Benjamin A. Gilman International Scholarship

The U.S. Department of State’s Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs sponsors the Benjamin A. Gilman International Scholarship Program, which provides funding for U.S. citizens who require financial assistance to study or intern abroad. 

Award: $5,000

Eligibility:

• Must be an undergraduate student at a two- or four-year U.S. college or university
• Must be a U.S. citizen
• Must be receiving Federal Pell Grant funding
• Must plan to study or intern abroad

Boren Scholarships

Funded by the National Security Education Program, Boren Scholarships help U.S. undergraduate students study abroad and learn new languages and cultures. The primary point of Boren Scholarships is to provide the U.S. government with experts in languages and cultures that are important to U.S. national security. For that reason, the scholarship program prioritizes those interested in working for the U.S. government. 

Award: Up to $25,000

Eligibility:

• Must be U.S. citizens at the time of the national application deadline
• Must be a high school graduate or have earned a GED
• Must be at least 18 years of age at the time of application
• Must be planning an overseas program in a country outside of Western Europe, Canada, Australia, or New Zealand
• Must be planning to study in a country of which they are not a citizen
• Must be matriculated in an accredited associate’s or bachelor’s degree program in the United States

Boren Fellowships

Also funded by the National Security Education Program, Boren Fellowships help U.S. graduate students pursue research, internships, and study in foreign countries while immersing themselves in foreign cultures. Boren Fellowships also are meant to provide the U.S. government with experts in languages and cultures that are important to U.S. national security. So, the fellowship program also prioritizes those interested in working for the U.S. government after graduation.

Award: Up to $25,000

Eligibility:

• Must be U.S. citizens at the time of the national application deadline
• Must be a high school graduate or have earned a GED
• Must be at least 18 years of age at the time of application
• Must be planning an overseas program in a country outside of Western Europe, Canada, Australia, or New Zealand
• Must be planning to study in a country of which they are not a citizen
• Must be matriculated in an accredited graduate degree program in the United States
• Boren Fellows are encouraged to conduct research related to their graduate theses or dissertations while abroad

Loy McCandless Marks Scholarship

Offered by the Garden Club of America, the Loy McCandless Marks Scholarship is an annual award intended to provide supplemental funding to help graduate or advanced undergraduate students interested in tropical horticulture, botany, or landscape architecture afford their study abroad programs. 

Award: $5,000

Eligibility:

• Must be a U.S. citizen or permanent resident
• Must be an advanced undergraduate or graduate student
• Must be enrolled in a U.S.-based institution
• Must be specializing in tropical horticulture, botany, or landscape architecture
• Must be accepted to a study abroad program

Markham-Colegrave International Scholarship

Offered by the American Floral Endowment, the Markham-Colgrave International Scholarship is a scholarship and exchange program for college students in the United States and Europe. It is meant to help horticulture students study marketing through international travel. This scholarship is operated in conjunction with the David Colegrave Foundation in London. U.S. students should apply in even-numbered years (e.g., 2022, 2024, 2026).

Award: $4,500

Eligibility: 

• Must be pursuing a career in a field that is related to horticulture or floriculture
• Must be a citizen, resident, or student attending an accredited educational institution in the United States or Canada
• Must have a minimum 2.0 GPA

Study Abroad in Japan: Bridging Scholarships

The United States-Japan Bridging Foundation offers scholarships each year to help undergraduate students from the United States study abroad in Japan for either a semester or an academic year. There are few eligibility requirements, and Japanese language study is not required. 

Award: Up to $4,500

Eligibility:

• Must be an undergraduate student enrolled in a U.S. college or university
• Must study in Japan for at least 3 months
• Must earn credits that transfer back to home college or university

NSCS Scholar Abroad Award

The National Society of Collegiate Scholars (NSCS) biannually helps students afford their study abroad trips through its fall and spring Scholar Abroad Awards. Recipients are chosen based on their commitment to academics, leadership, and service. 

Award: $2,500

Eligibility: 

• Must be an NSCS member
• Must be an undergraduate student
• Must attend a two- or four-year college or university
• Must meet a minimum GPA requirement of 3.0 on a 4.0 scale

Good Colleges Study Abroad Award

Through its annual essay competition, Good Colleges awards scholarships to students who are interested in studying abroad. Applicants are asked to write a 150-250 word essay, and the essay topic changes each year. The scholarship is meant to be used to pay for living expenses as an international student. 

Award: $2,000

Eligibility: 

• Must be a U.S. or Canadian citizen
• Must be enrolled, or seeking to enroll, in an accredited college or university
• Must spend the money to support study abroad at the college level

TCA Study Abroad Scholarship Program for American Minority Students

The Turkish Coalition of America (TCA) offers up to 100 awards under its TCA Study Abroad Scholarship Program for American Minority Students. Under the program, TCA provides up to 100 scholarships per year to eligible American undergraduate and graduate students of African American, Hispanic American, and Native American descent who are accepted to study for a semester or a year at a university in Bosnia and Herzegovina. 

Award: Up to $2,000

Eligibility: 

• Must be an American undergraduate or graduate student
• Must be of African American, Hispanic American, or Native American descent

Fund for Education Abroad Scholarship

The Fund for Education Abroad (FEA) is a nonprofit organization designed to help disadvantaged students study abroad. It provides scholarships and further support to students of color, community college students, and first-generation college students before, during, and after they participate in study abroad programs that must be at least four-weeks-long. 

Award: Amount Varies

Eligibility:

• Must be U.S. citizens or permanent residents
• Must be currently enrolled in an undergraduate program in the United States
• Must be able to receive college credit for study abroad program, which must last for at least 4 weeks

Mitchell Scholarship

Sponsored by the US-Ireland Alliance and named in honor of former U.S. Senator George Mitchell, the Mitchell Scholarship is annually awarded to postgraduate students to help them pursue one year of study in any discipline offered by institutions of higher learning in Ireland and Northern Ireland. Applicants must be U.S. citizens, between the ages of 18 and 30, and have a bachelor’s degree from an accredited college or university.

Award: Full tuition, housing + stipend (currently USD 1,250 per month for up to 12 months)

Eligibility:

• Must be U.S. citizens
• Must be between the ages of 18 and 30
• Must hold a bachelor’s degree 
• Must be accepted into a postgraduate program in any discipline offered by institutions of higher learning in Ireland and Northern Ireland

For more scholarships, chat with TUN‘s AI-powered Scholarship Bot or use TUN’s Scholarship Search Engine.