Study Away Scholarships
For any student interested in studying abroad, there are plenty of opportunities available to help cover the costs. Please don't let financial concerns dissuade you from these wonderful opportunities. Explore your options below; apply to any scholarship for which you're eligible; and don't forget to contact the Office of Study Away for help! You may also want to consider contacting the Fellowships & Awards Office to learn more about other nationally competitive scholarship and fellowship programs.
Listed below are study abroad scholarships organized by type (and in many cases geography) to help make the search process easier. We've provided key pieces of information for each scholarship, and the titles are hyperlinked to external websites so you can quickly find more complete details about each.
Good luck!
David Love Memorial Fund
• Established in 2002 to honor the numerous academic contributions that Prof. David Love made to Oberlin and its students during his many years of service
• Provides a grant of $1,000 to one Oberlin study abroad student to conduct an educational project germane to their academic work at Oberlin
• All students applying to study abroad are automatically considered for this scholarship
Office of Study Away Scholarship
Our office has a small pool of scholarship funds to help support study abroad students. These scholarships are in addition to students' standard Oberlin aid packages. You can find the short application for our scholarships inside your Oberlin study abroad application. In order to increase accessibility to study abroad, we prioritize students based on demonstrated financial need, as well as international students at Oberlin who may not have access to other external scholarships.
Recipients will have two choices for how to utilize their awards. The first is to apply the study abroad scholarship directly to their Oberlin bill. This will, effectively, work in the same way as any other Oberlin scholarship in that it reduces the amount of money students pay Oberlin during their semester abroad. The second option, which we highly recommend, is to use the scholarship to cover international flight costs. Recipients can simply contact our student travel agency, tell them their name and preferred itinerary, and the Oberlin scholarship will be applied directly to the cost of the flight (meaning students will not need to pay out of pocket).
• Established in 2002 to honor the numerous academic contributions that Prof. David Love made to Oberlin and its students during his many years of service
• Provides a grant of $1,000 to one Oberlin study abroad student to conduct an educational project germane to their academic work at Oberlin
• All students applying to study abroad are automatically considered for this scholarship
Office of Study Away Scholarship
Our office has a small pool of scholarship funds to help support study abroad students. These scholarships are in addition to students' standard Oberlin aid packages. You can find the short application for our scholarships inside your Oberlin study abroad application. In order to increase accessibility to study abroad, we prioritize students based on demonstrated financial need, as well as international students at Oberlin who may not have access to other external scholarships.
Recipients will have two choices for how to utilize their awards. The first is to apply the study abroad scholarship directly to their Oberlin bill. This will, effectively, work in the same way as any other Oberlin scholarship in that it reduces the amount of money students pay Oberlin during their semester abroad. The second option, which we highly recommend, is to use the scholarship to cover international flight costs. Recipients can simply contact our student travel agency, tell them their name and preferred itinerary, and the Oberlin scholarship will be applied directly to the cost of the flight (meaning students will not need to pay out of pocket).
Available to students studying in a variety of locations and on a variety of programs. Please be aware of some location and program requirements unique to each scholarship.
Boren Awards (must be U.S. citizen)
• Open to students studying in regions that are underrepresented in study abroad: Africa, Asia, Central/ Eastern Europe, Eurasia, Latin America, and the Middle East. The countries of Western Europe, Canada, Australia, and NZ are excluded.
• Study abroad program must be minimum of 8 weeks
• Available for Summer (STEM majors only), Fall, Spring terms
• Deadline: early Feb. for all terms in the upcoming academic year
Critical Language Scholarship (CLS) Program (must be U.S. citizen)
• This is not only a scholarship, but also its own language immersion program. It cannot be applied toward other study abroad programs
• Supports study of languages deemed critical to U.S. national security (i.e. Arabic, Chinese, Japanese, Korean, Russian, etc.)
• Offers 8-10 week summer programs of intensive language study
• Deadline: early - mid Nov. for the upcoming Summer
Diversity Abroad - Overseas Ambassador Scholarship
• Open to students with identities traditionally underrepresented in education abroad (i.e., LGBTQ+, economically disadvantaged students, first-gen., students with disabilities, ethnically and racially diverse students, etc.)
• Available for Summer, Fall, Spring terms
• Deadline: early June for Summer & Fall / early Nov. for Spring
Fund for Education Abroad (must be U.S. citizen or permanent resident)
• Submit one application, and be considered for several scholarships!
• Open to students with demonstrated financial need
• Priority given to students from groups traditionally underrepresented in education abroad (LGBTQ+, first-gen., ethnically and racially diverse students, etc.)
• Study abroad program must be minimum of 4 weeks
• Available for Summer, Fall, Spring terms
• Deadline: early Jan. for Summer, Fall, Full Year / mid-Sept. for Spring
Gilman Scholarship (must be U.S. citizen)
• Open to students who receive a Federal Pell Grant
• Study abroad program must be minimum of 3 weeks
• Studying in a country that has a US State Dept. Travel Advisory of 1 or 2
• Available for Summer, Fall, Spring terms
• Deadline: early Mar. for Summer, Fall, Full Year / early Oct. for Spring
Rainbow Scholarship (must be a U.S. citizen)
• Open to students who identify as LGBTQ+
• Study abroad programs must be a minimum of 4 weeks
• Available for Summer, Fall, Spring terms
• Deadline: early Jan. for Summer, Fall, Full Year / mid-Sept. for Spring
Boren Awards (must be U.S. citizen)
• Open to students studying in regions that are underrepresented in study abroad: Africa, Asia, Central/ Eastern Europe, Eurasia, Latin America, and the Middle East. The countries of Western Europe, Canada, Australia, and NZ are excluded.
• Study abroad program must be minimum of 8 weeks
• Available for Summer (STEM majors only), Fall, Spring terms
• Deadline: early Feb. for all terms in the upcoming academic year
Critical Language Scholarship (CLS) Program (must be U.S. citizen)
• This is not only a scholarship, but also its own language immersion program. It cannot be applied toward other study abroad programs
• Supports study of languages deemed critical to U.S. national security (i.e. Arabic, Chinese, Japanese, Korean, Russian, etc.)
• Offers 8-10 week summer programs of intensive language study
• Deadline: early - mid Nov. for the upcoming Summer
Diversity Abroad - Overseas Ambassador Scholarship
• Open to students with identities traditionally underrepresented in education abroad (i.e., LGBTQ+, economically disadvantaged students, first-gen., students with disabilities, ethnically and racially diverse students, etc.)
• Available for Summer, Fall, Spring terms
• Deadline: early June for Summer & Fall / early Nov. for Spring
Fund for Education Abroad (must be U.S. citizen or permanent resident)
• Submit one application, and be considered for several scholarships!
• Open to students with demonstrated financial need
• Priority given to students from groups traditionally underrepresented in education abroad (LGBTQ+, first-gen., ethnically and racially diverse students, etc.)
• Study abroad program must be minimum of 4 weeks
• Available for Summer, Fall, Spring terms
• Deadline: early Jan. for Summer, Fall, Full Year / mid-Sept. for Spring
Gilman Scholarship (must be U.S. citizen)
• Open to students who receive a Federal Pell Grant
• Study abroad program must be minimum of 3 weeks
• Studying in a country that has a US State Dept. Travel Advisory of 1 or 2
• Available for Summer, Fall, Spring terms
• Deadline: early Mar. for Summer, Fall, Full Year / early Oct. for Spring
Rainbow Scholarship (must be a U.S. citizen)
• Open to students who identify as LGBTQ+
• Study abroad programs must be a minimum of 4 weeks
• Available for Summer, Fall, Spring terms
• Deadline: early Jan. for Summer, Fall, Full Year / mid-Sept. for Spring
Available for students studying in various countries within a designated region.
Freeman-ASIA (must be U.S. citizen)
• Region: East and Southeast Asia
• Must currently receive need-based financial aid through Oberlin or demonstrate a verifiable need for financial assistance
• Available for Summer (8 week minimum), Fall, Spring terms
• Deadline: please check Freeman-ASIA website for more details
Freeman-ASIA (must be U.S. citizen)
• Region: East and Southeast Asia
• Must currently receive need-based financial aid through Oberlin or demonstrate a verifiable need for financial assistance
• Available for Summer (8 week minimum), Fall, Spring terms
• Deadline: please check Freeman-ASIA website for more details
GERMANY: DAAD Scholarships
• Open to students studying abroad in Germany
• Scholarships available for programs of various lengths
• Deadline: please check DAAD website for more details
INDIA: South India Term Abroad Nallennam Scholarship (must be U.S. citizen)
• Preference given to Oberlin students!
• $5,000 for semester / $2,500 for summer
• Open to students with demonstrated financial need studying abroad in India (preference given to students studying in southern India)
• Available for Summer (4 week minimum), Fall, Spring terms
• Deadline: please check the Nallennam Scholarship website for more details
IRELAND: GoOverseas Ireland
• Open to all students applying to study abroad in Ireland
• No minimum GPA required
• Applicable to the following Oberlin programs: National Univ. of Ireland Galway, Trinity College Dublin, and Univ. College Dublin
• Available for Summer, Fall, Spring terms
• Deadline: Early Dec. for the upcoming Spring semester. For additional application deadlines, please check the GoOverseas website.
ISRAEL: American Jewish League for Israel (must be U.S. citizen)
• Mission of AJLI is to foster Jewish spiritual and cultural values through the experience of living and studying in Israel
• Any person, regardless of background or faith, that helps further this mission is eligible to apply
• Available for Summer, Fall, Spring terms
• Deadline: please check AJLI website for more details
ISRAEL: Diversity Abroad - Hebrew Univ. Summer (must be U.S. citizen or permanent resident)
• Hebrew Univ. has partnered with Diversity Abroad to offer a $5,000 summer scholarship
• Available for Summer term
• Deadline: Early May for the upcoming Summer term
ISRAEL: MASA Scholarship - Tel Aviv Univ.
• MASA offers funding to help subsidize the cost of study abroad in Israel
• Eligibility requirements for MASA are specific. Please refer to their website for full details.
• Available for Fall and Spring terms
• Deadline: Rolling - but the earlier the better!
JAPAN: The Bridging Project (must be U.S. citizen)
• No language study required. Open to all majors.
• Available for Fall and Spring terms
• Deadline: please check Bridging Project website for more details
JAPAN: MEXT Scholarship
• Majoring in Japanese Studies (i.e. East Asian Studies)
• Scholarship reward includes round-trip airfare, partial tuition and fees, and a stipend for monthly living expenses
• Deadline: please check MEXT website for more details
NEW ZEALAND: Education New Zealand
• Offers various scholarships that cover airfare, partial tuition, or additional study abroad costs
• Scholarship available specifically for Pell grant recipients at Oberlin
• Awards range from $500 - $15,000!
• Available for Fall and Spring terms
• Deadline: please check Education New Zealand website for more details
• Open to students studying abroad in Germany
• Scholarships available for programs of various lengths
• Deadline: please check DAAD website for more details
INDIA: South India Term Abroad Nallennam Scholarship (must be U.S. citizen)
• Preference given to Oberlin students!
• $5,000 for semester / $2,500 for summer
• Open to students with demonstrated financial need studying abroad in India (preference given to students studying in southern India)
• Available for Summer (4 week minimum), Fall, Spring terms
• Deadline: please check the Nallennam Scholarship website for more details
IRELAND: GoOverseas Ireland
• Open to all students applying to study abroad in Ireland
• No minimum GPA required
• Applicable to the following Oberlin programs: National Univ. of Ireland Galway, Trinity College Dublin, and Univ. College Dublin
• Available for Summer, Fall, Spring terms
• Deadline: Early Dec. for the upcoming Spring semester. For additional application deadlines, please check the GoOverseas website.
ISRAEL: American Jewish League for Israel (must be U.S. citizen)
• Mission of AJLI is to foster Jewish spiritual and cultural values through the experience of living and studying in Israel
• Any person, regardless of background or faith, that helps further this mission is eligible to apply
• Available for Summer, Fall, Spring terms
• Deadline: please check AJLI website for more details
ISRAEL: Diversity Abroad - Hebrew Univ. Summer (must be U.S. citizen or permanent resident)
• Hebrew Univ. has partnered with Diversity Abroad to offer a $5,000 summer scholarship
• Available for Summer term
• Deadline: Early May for the upcoming Summer term
ISRAEL: MASA Scholarship - Tel Aviv Univ.
• MASA offers funding to help subsidize the cost of study abroad in Israel
• Eligibility requirements for MASA are specific. Please refer to their website for full details.
• Available for Fall and Spring terms
• Deadline: Rolling - but the earlier the better!
JAPAN: The Bridging Project (must be U.S. citizen)
• No language study required. Open to all majors.
• Available for Fall and Spring terms
• Deadline: please check Bridging Project website for more details
JAPAN: MEXT Scholarship
• Majoring in Japanese Studies (i.e. East Asian Studies)
• Scholarship reward includes round-trip airfare, partial tuition and fees, and a stipend for monthly living expenses
• Deadline: please check MEXT website for more details
NEW ZEALAND: Education New Zealand
• Offers various scholarships that cover airfare, partial tuition, or additional study abroad costs
• Scholarship available specifically for Pell grant recipients at Oberlin
• Awards range from $500 - $15,000!
• Available for Fall and Spring terms
• Deadline: please check Education New Zealand website for more details
Available for students studying on specific programs or with specific organizations. If you do not see the program you're interested in listed below, don't worry; many programs offer their own scholarships even if they're not listed here. Those scholarships might range from need-based grants to merit-based scholarships or may only be applicable to certain identities or locations. Please make sure to check your program's website for full scholarship details.
American Univ. Cairo - Center for Arabic Study Abroad
• Fantastic opportunity for students interested in studying Arabic while living in Cairo for a full year
• Applicants must take the ACTFL exam for Reading, Listening, Writing and complete an Oral Proficiency Interview
• Award recipients will receive a full tuition scholarship for three semesters (Summer 21, Fall 21, Spring 22), a monthly stipend for 12 months, and 1 round flight
• Deadline: Jan. 8, 2021. Visit the AUC application for more details.
CET- Need-Based and Diversity Scholarships
• Pell-eligible students prioritized for Need-Based Scholarship, with award amounts ranging from $500-$1,500
• For the Diversity Scholarship two awards are given to first-gen students from racial/ethnic minority groups studying with CET. Award amounts are $2,000 for Fall/Spring programs and $1,500 for Summer programs
• All scholarship awards require a short answer and an essay question in addition to the CET application
CIEE Frederick Douglass Global Fellowship
• This unique fellowship honors the legacy of the abolitionist and statesman
• Available to students from ethnic backgrounds typically underrepresented in study abroad
• Must have a minimum GPA of 3.0
• Students are selected based on the qualities they share with Douglass himself: academic achievement, excellent communication skills, a commitment to social justice, a demonstrated history of service to others
• All eligible students who submit an application qualify for a $1,500 scholarship toward any CIEE summer program
• Available for Summer term
• Deadline: Feb. 14 for the upcoming Summer term
CIEE Merit-Based Scholarships
• For students at the top of their academic studies, CIEE offers a variety of merit-based scholarships
• Awards are based on students’ academic records and a personal essay
• Available for Summer, Fall, Spring terms
• Deadline: please check CIEE website for more details
CIEE Need-Based Grants
• To help students overcome financial barriers to study abroad, CIEE provides need-based grants up to $3,500!
• Students who applied for the Gilman Scholarship (regardless of whether or not they were awarded) are automatically eligible for a CIEE grant
• PELL-grant recipients are guaranteed a GAIN Travel Grant
• Available for Summer, Fall, Spring terms
• Deadline: please check CIEE website for more details
CYA Athens
• As a non-profit organization, CYA aims to help as many students as possible find options for financial assistance
• Only students who have been accepted to CYA are eligible to apply - but you don't need to wait to be accepted before applying
• Eligibility is based mainly on demonstrated financial need
• Available for Summer, Fall, Spring terms
• Deadline: for early consideration for Fall and Spring terms apply prior to April 1st / for other deadlines please check CYA's website
DIS Scandinavia
• Offers merit-, diversity-, and need-based awards
• Available for Summer, Fall, Spring terms
• Deadline: early Apr. for Summer / early May for Fall / early Nov. for Spring
IES Abroad Scholarships
• Merit- and need-based scholarships available
• Pell grant recipients at Oberlin strongly encouraged to apply
• Diversity scholarships available for students with identities traditionally under-represented in study abroad (i.e., economically disadvantaged students, first-generation, students who identify as LGBTQ+, students with disabilities, ethnically/ racially diverse students, etc.)
• Available for Summer, Fall, Spring terms
• Deadline: early Apr. for Summer / late July for Fall / early Nov. for Spring
IFSA Scholarships
• A huge range of scholarships available - including diversity based and those for first-gen students
• Scholarships a primarily need based, but all applicants should review options
• Program-specific scholarships include those for Trinity College, Univ. College Dublin, Univ. of Canterbury, Univ. of Otago, and Univ. of Victoria Wellington
• Available for Summer, Fall, Spring terms
• Deadline: early Feb. for Summer / early Mar. for Fall / early Oct. for Spring
School for Field Studies (SFS)
• SFS offers Pell Grant Matching Scholarships for Pell Grant recipients at Oberlin
• SFS also offers diversity scholarships to groups that have been traditionally underrepresented in study abroad. This includes ( but is not limited to) those who identify as a racial or ethnic minority, LGBTQ+ students, first-gen students, students with disabilities, and students from all underrepresented groups or underserved communities
• Need to fill out SFS Financial Aid Application, alongside additional personal statement for diversity scholarship
SEA Semester
• SEA semester offers need-based aid and scholarships.
• You must fill out an SEA Semester aid application alongside your program application
SIT Study Abroad
• SIT is committed to increasing access to international education through offering a wide range of scholarships and grants
• They also offer a Pell Grant Matching Scholarship for Pell grant recipients at Oberlin
• Available for Summer, Fall, Spring terms
• Deadline: early Apr. for Summer / early May for Fall / early Nov. for Spring
Williams Mystic -The Maritime Studies Program
• Need Blind Admissions process
• All admitted students are automatically considered for Williams-Mystic financial aid, which takes the form of grants.
• Ensures that Study-away costs no more than an equivalent semester at home university.
American Univ. Cairo - Center for Arabic Study Abroad
• Fantastic opportunity for students interested in studying Arabic while living in Cairo for a full year
• Applicants must take the ACTFL exam for Reading, Listening, Writing and complete an Oral Proficiency Interview
• Award recipients will receive a full tuition scholarship for three semesters (Summer 21, Fall 21, Spring 22), a monthly stipend for 12 months, and 1 round flight
• Deadline: Jan. 8, 2021. Visit the AUC application for more details.
CET- Need-Based and Diversity Scholarships
• Pell-eligible students prioritized for Need-Based Scholarship, with award amounts ranging from $500-$1,500
• For the Diversity Scholarship two awards are given to first-gen students from racial/ethnic minority groups studying with CET. Award amounts are $2,000 for Fall/Spring programs and $1,500 for Summer programs
• All scholarship awards require a short answer and an essay question in addition to the CET application
CIEE Frederick Douglass Global Fellowship
• This unique fellowship honors the legacy of the abolitionist and statesman
• Available to students from ethnic backgrounds typically underrepresented in study abroad
• Must have a minimum GPA of 3.0
• Students are selected based on the qualities they share with Douglass himself: academic achievement, excellent communication skills, a commitment to social justice, a demonstrated history of service to others
• All eligible students who submit an application qualify for a $1,500 scholarship toward any CIEE summer program
• Available for Summer term
• Deadline: Feb. 14 for the upcoming Summer term
CIEE Merit-Based Scholarships
• For students at the top of their academic studies, CIEE offers a variety of merit-based scholarships
• Awards are based on students’ academic records and a personal essay
• Available for Summer, Fall, Spring terms
• Deadline: please check CIEE website for more details
CIEE Need-Based Grants
• To help students overcome financial barriers to study abroad, CIEE provides need-based grants up to $3,500!
• Students who applied for the Gilman Scholarship (regardless of whether or not they were awarded) are automatically eligible for a CIEE grant
• PELL-grant recipients are guaranteed a GAIN Travel Grant
• Available for Summer, Fall, Spring terms
• Deadline: please check CIEE website for more details
CYA Athens
• As a non-profit organization, CYA aims to help as many students as possible find options for financial assistance
• Only students who have been accepted to CYA are eligible to apply - but you don't need to wait to be accepted before applying
• Eligibility is based mainly on demonstrated financial need
• Available for Summer, Fall, Spring terms
• Deadline: for early consideration for Fall and Spring terms apply prior to April 1st / for other deadlines please check CYA's website
DIS Scandinavia
• Offers merit-, diversity-, and need-based awards
• Available for Summer, Fall, Spring terms
• Deadline: early Apr. for Summer / early May for Fall / early Nov. for Spring
IES Abroad Scholarships
• Merit- and need-based scholarships available
• Pell grant recipients at Oberlin strongly encouraged to apply
• Diversity scholarships available for students with identities traditionally under-represented in study abroad (i.e., economically disadvantaged students, first-generation, students who identify as LGBTQ+, students with disabilities, ethnically/ racially diverse students, etc.)
• Available for Summer, Fall, Spring terms
• Deadline: early Apr. for Summer / late July for Fall / early Nov. for Spring
IFSA Scholarships
• A huge range of scholarships available - including diversity based and those for first-gen students
• Scholarships a primarily need based, but all applicants should review options
• Program-specific scholarships include those for Trinity College, Univ. College Dublin, Univ. of Canterbury, Univ. of Otago, and Univ. of Victoria Wellington
• Available for Summer, Fall, Spring terms
• Deadline: early Feb. for Summer / early Mar. for Fall / early Oct. for Spring
School for Field Studies (SFS)
• SFS offers Pell Grant Matching Scholarships for Pell Grant recipients at Oberlin
• SFS also offers diversity scholarships to groups that have been traditionally underrepresented in study abroad. This includes ( but is not limited to) those who identify as a racial or ethnic minority, LGBTQ+ students, first-gen students, students with disabilities, and students from all underrepresented groups or underserved communities
• Need to fill out SFS Financial Aid Application, alongside additional personal statement for diversity scholarship
SEA Semester
• SEA semester offers need-based aid and scholarships.
• You must fill out an SEA Semester aid application alongside your program application
SIT Study Abroad
• SIT is committed to increasing access to international education through offering a wide range of scholarships and grants
• They also offer a Pell Grant Matching Scholarship for Pell grant recipients at Oberlin
• Available for Summer, Fall, Spring terms
• Deadline: early Apr. for Summer / early May for Fall / early Nov. for Spring
Williams Mystic -The Maritime Studies Program
• Need Blind Admissions process
• All admitted students are automatically considered for Williams-Mystic financial aid, which takes the form of grants.
• Ensures that Study-away costs no more than an equivalent semester at home university.
Please refer to these search engines for additional scholarship opportunities
• Fund For Education Abroad
• Diversity Abroad
• Institute for International Education
• GoOverseas.com
• AllAbroad.us
• Fund For Education Abroad
• Diversity Abroad
• Institute for International Education
• GoOverseas.com
• AllAbroad.us