With the U.S. House of Representatives' passing of 2009's Simon Study Abroad Bill, the issues of foreign language education and the importance of study abroad programs have been brought more sharply into focus. Primarily, the bill concerns itself with not only supporting study abroad, but also the factors that impede a student's ability to study abroad including lack of money.
While the bill concerned itself in part with the funding of study abroad over the next ten years, students interested in studying abroad now need not wait that long. Study abroad grants already exist to help students pay for a summer, a semester or even a year abroad.
Considerations
Money to study abroad comes in many forms. First and foremost, a student wishing to receive a grant to study abroad should have already filled out a FAFSA form and filed it with their financial aid office. Many study abroad grants are distributed through a school's financial aid office and are considered part of a student's financial aid for the year. Additionally, many schools will make a financial adjustment to a student's aid, meaning that a student is usually awarded more money in financial aid for the semester or a year in order to pay for study abroad.
Secondly, grants specifically earmarked for programs abroad also exist, not only from the U.S. federal government and from other governments around the world, but also through an individual student's college or university. A student should plan on meeting with both a financial aid counselor and a representative from the school's international office as soon as possible to find out what kinds of funding are available.
Types
According to the Boise State University's International Programs website, quite a few study abroad grant programs are already in place. This list represents some of the grant funding available to students interested in studying abroad.
The Benjamin A. Gilman Award:
According to the program's website, "This scholarship provides awards for U.S. undergraduate students who are receiving Federal Pell Grant funding at a two-year or four-year college or university to participate in study abroad programs worldwide."
Students can receive up to $5,000 to study abroad for an academic school year. Students interested in studying critical languages like Arabic, Russian or Chinese will be considered for an additional $3,000.
The German Academic Exchange Service (DAAD):
The DAAD funds a variety of study and work abroad programs for students attending university, for doctorate and post-doctorate students, and for special programs that promote special interests like journalism, special research and others. The amounts of the awards vary.
Bridging Scholarship:
The Bridging Scholarship funds students interested in studying in Japan up to $4,000 for a whole school year.
Phi Kappa Phi:
The Honor Society Phi Kappa Phi offers scholarship to members for study abroad. According to Phi Kappa Phi's website, funding falls into the following categories: Fellowship, Phi Kappa Phi Scholar and Artist, Study Abroad Grants, Literacy Grants, and Love of Learning.
National Security Education Program (The David L. Boren Undergraduate Scholarship Program):
This program is specifically suited for students who, according to the program's website, wish to "focus on geographic areas, languages and fields of study that are critical to U.S. interests and underrepresented in study abroad."
The Fulbright:
This program is the crème de la crème for students at the master's or Ph.D. levels. Students interested in the Fulbright should talk to the program's representative on their campus.
Geography
With the exception of countries that are forbidden by the U.S. government because they pose a danger to U.S. travelers, students have the choice of studying almost anywhere in the world they wish to study. One of the most fun destinations for study abroad isn't a destination at all in the traditional sense. It's the semester at sea program. The program's location changes daily for students on these floating barges of knowledge.
Misconceptions
Many students believe that they would not be eligible to go abroad because of money or constraints put on them by grades. However, this is not always so. In this case, what a student doesn't know could hurt him. Students should always check with their school's international programs office or financial aid office to find out what funding is available.
Expert Insight
A non-traditional student who received full funding twice for study abroad programs, I would tell students interested in studying abroad to make an appointment with their international programs office right away.
Tags: study abroad, interested studying, abroad programs, study abroad, financial office, funding available