Scholarships to Study Abroad

 Federal Financial Aid to Study Abroad

Looking for scholarships to study abroad? Federal financial aid is available to qualified U.S. students who are interested in studying abroad for a semester, a year, or even a full undergraduate or graduate degree program outside the United States. Depending on the type of program you are choosing, there are two different federal financial aid programs available.

Study Abroad Scholarships and Financial Aid

Rhodes Scholarship House, Oxford England

Federal Financial Aid for a Semester or a Year

This is commonly called the study-abroad program and is administered through your current American college or university. To qualify for federal financial aid, you must file your FAFSA and meet the FAFSA eligibility criteria. Contact your school’s financial aid office to find out which type of federal aid you will be eligible to receive for your study-abroad program. This process is lengthy because there is much paperwork that needs to be done by both your current school in the U.S. and your chosen international school. Therefore, you should start the process as early as possible.

Your school can also help you decide which international universities and colleges offer the courses that will be counted as credits for your major, and can advise you on any additional scholarships to study abroad. If you received any institutional scholarships from your college or university, those may qualify for study abroad scholarships too.

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Federal Financial Aid for a Full Degree Program

Currently, there are over 800 different institutions of higher learning in over 40 different countries and regions of the world who participate in the federal student aid program including:

Argentina, Australia, Austria, Belgium, Bulgaria, Canada, China, Costa Rica, Czech Republic, Denmark, Dominica, Dominican Republic, Egypt, England, Finland, France, Germany, Grenada, Hong Kong, Hungary, Ireland, Israel, Italy, Japan, Lebanon, Mexico, New Zealand, Northern Ireland, Norway, Philippines, Poland, Russia, Scotland, South Africa, Spain, St. Kitts-Nevis, St. Maarten, Sweden, Switzerland, Thailand, the Netherlands, and Wales.

The federal financial aid for those students, who want to get their entire undergraduate education at these international schools, is limited to the federal student loans (a Direct Subsidized loan or a Direct Unsubsidized loan) because these schools are not participating in the U.S. Department of Education ‘Grant programs’. You must file your FAFSA to be considered for the federal student loans.

For more information about Study Abroad Scholarships and Financial Aid for International Schools you may visit: studentaid.ed.gov.

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Rhodes Scholarship

Perhaps the most prestigious scholarships to study abroad is offered to Rhodes Scholars at the University of Oxford, England.These scholarships for international students are offered to graduate students.

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Paying Off Debt While Traveling the World

There are more opportunities to travel abroad besides attending school on a scholarship. Read how Veronica from California had a great experience traveling the world.

Paying Off Debt While Traveling the World--a Dream Come True! 

After graduating a reputable private college, and amassing tremendous field experience (not to mention connections) I was sure that I would land the job of my dreams. My plan was to work for several years as a research assistant at a top university, and then apply to their graduate school program. However, graduating college in 2019 came with one great disadvantage: the near impossibility of finding a job. So here I was, $40,000 in debt, no job, and no more loans to pay for my apartment. Money, and time, were running out quickly.

Desperate, I decided to apply for a teaching position in South Korea. In no time, I was packing my bags, and ready to become an English teacher. Having had no prior teaching experience whatsoever, I was quite nervous. Once I arrived in Korea, all my worries slowly lifted away.

As an English teacher in South Korea, my round-trip airfare was to be paid for, I would be given a settlement allowance of about $500, my apartment would be paid for, and upon completion of my one year contract, I would receive a one year bonus. No job in America would have been able to offer me such a lucrative deal.

I finished a one year contract, during which time I saved $7,000, paid off $15,000 in debt, and traveled around Japan for two weeks. I am now half-way through my second year contract and have already paid off $8,000 more in debt, and have taken a three week trip to Malaysia and the Philippines.

Granted, my loan is not completely paid off, but I am getting there, at a much faster rate than I would have if I had stayed at home. The loan I had throughout college helped me survive: it allowed me to buy a new computer, pay rent for my apartment, and stay current with bills. I would not have been able to endure college without it, so I do not regret it for a minute.

In a way, my loan is what brought me to South Korea. I couldn't be happier: I love teaching, I have a once in a lifetime opportunity to travel the world, all while saving money and paying off debt. Who could ask for more? You owe it to yourself to be adventurous-give it a shot!

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